THRIVE is the first of RIOPY’s albums to include strings alongside the evocative and powerful pianism which has earned the pianist-composer an ever-growing international following. THRIVE is also a metaphor for RIOPY’s personal journey. During RIOPY’s unique upbringing in rural France, he found solace in music, improvising on the piano alone as a means to escape the stress and anxiety of the real world. When he was able to listen to music, RIOPY would imagine expansions of the melodies he heard.

As well as new compositions for solo piano, the album features the composer-pianist’s take on famous music which has most inspired him, including works by Satie, Pachelbel, Beethoven, Fauré, Debussy and Chopin. He has transformed their much-loved melodies into cinematic scores of his own and composed lush arrangements for string orchestra. “The idea was to show that the same piece can have several facets and arouse different emotions depending on the arrangement,” recalls RIOPY. “Music is a living thing. It’s all very organic: a human being produces a sound by touching or breathing into an instrument; I never tire of this magic. To combine the sounds of bass and violins with my piano brought me immense joy.”