Jean-Yves Thibaudet cites a 2005 film for bringing him a new audience

Acclaimed pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet has recorded more than 30 albums for Decca, but one particular disc comes up in conversation all the time: the soundtrack for the film “Pride & Prejuidice” (2005). As a soloist on Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-nominated original movie soundtrack, Thibaudet gained a new audience.

“Dario Marianelli is an extraordinary composer, and his work on ’Pride & Prejudice’ is absolutely phenomenal,” Thibaudet said. "This score has opened so many doors, not just for me, but for fans around the world. I can’t tell you how many times someone who has never attended a classical music concert before has told me, after a performance, that they came because they recognized my name from ’Pride & Prejudice’!"

Thibaudet will join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under Marin Alsop, for the opening-weekend concerts of the CSO’s annual Ravinia Festival residency. He will be the soloist in Gershwin’s Concerto in F on July 12. Also on the program are Strum by Jessie Montgomery, former CSO Mead composer-in-residence, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique).

The French-born pianist kicked off his summer season with a special event on May 22. “Pride & Prejudice,” director Joe Wright’s take on Jane Austen’s classic novel, is so popular that Focus Features and the Langham Huntington in Pasadena, California, hosted a "Pride & Prejudice" 20th Anniversary Ball, complete with a performance by Thibaudet. The pianist once again brought the Regency era to life through his reprisal of the works that so moved audiences in theaters.

“That this film, and this music, brings people so much joy 20 years later is cause for celebration,” Thibaudet said. “I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this.” Along with the live music, the ball featured other entertainers and offered immersive elements that helped participants step into the world of Wright’s film adaptation.

For more than three decades, Thibaudet has performed worldwide, recorded more than 50 albums and built a reputation as one of the classical music world’s most pre-eminent pianists. “Pride & Prejudice” was not his first foray into film scores. The two-time Grammy nominee first recorded music for Jane Campion’s “The Portrait of a Lady” (1996), and he also collaborated with Marianelli a second time on “Atonement” (2007), which did win the Oscar for best score.

Austen’s novel has long been hailed as one of the greatest romance novels ever written, and many adaptations have tried to capture its essence. Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen’s performances in the 2005 film have been enshrined in the public consciousness as perhaps the most emblematic of Austen’s Elizabeth and Darcy. Their performances, along with Wright’s keen eye for detail, joined forces in creating an beguiling universe in which to watch Austen’s social satire play out.