Nelson José Pinto Freire (Portuguese: [ˈnɛwsõ ˈfɾejɾ(i)]; 18 October 1944 – 1 November 2021) was a Brazilian classical pianist.
Regarded as one of the greatest pianists of his generation, he was noted for his "decorous piano playing" and "interpretive depth".
His teachers in Brazil were Lucia Branco, a former student of Arthur De Greef, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and her assistant Nise Obino.
He recorded Liszt's piano concertos with the Dresden Philharmonic, conducted by Michel Plasson for Berlin Classics.
Subsequent Decca recordings include a 2-CD set of the Brahms piano concertos with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly,[15] which won the 2007 Classic FM and Gramophone awards in the Record of the Year and Concerto categories, and CDs devoted to Beethoven's piano sonatas,[16] Chopin,[17] and Debussy.
[18] He marked the 2011 bicentenary of the birth of Franz Liszt with a Decca CD entitled Harmonies du Soir.