Nelson José Pinto Freire was a renowned Brazilian classical pianist, born on October 18, 1944, in Boa Esperança. He began playing the piano at the tender age of three, replaying from memory pieces his older sister, Nelma, had just performed. His early training in Brazil was under the guidance of Lucia Branco, a former student of Arthur De Greef, a pupil of Franz Liszt, and her assistant Nise Obino. Freire gave his first public recital at the age of four.
As a young prodigy, Freire's remarkable talent was soon recognized. In 1957, at the age of 12, he performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, and in 1960, he won 7th place at the Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition. This achievement earned him a Brazilian government grant to study in Vienna with renowned pianist and pedagogue Bruno Seidlhofer.
Freire's subsequent career was marked by numerous accolades and performances with the world's most prestigious orchestras. He won his first prize at the Vianna da Motta International Music Competition in Lisbon (ex-aequo with Vladimir Krainev) and received the Dinu Lipatti Medal and the Harriet Cohen Medal in London. In 2001, he chaired the jury for the Marguerite Long Competition in Paris.
Freire's debut at The Proms was in August 2005. Throughout his career, he tended to avoid the limelight, publicity, and interviews. However, in 2011, he withdrew from a scheduled engagement with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira (OSB) in support of the orchestra musicians, following the dismissal of about three dozen OSB musicians by conductor Roberto Minczuk.
Freire's extensive discography for labels such as Sony Classical, Teldec, Philips, and Decca has garnered awards including the Gramophone Award and Diapason d'Or. He played and recorded piano duo music with his long-time musical and personal friend, Martha Argerich.
Freire died on November 1, 2021, at the age of 77, following a fall at his home in Rio de Janeiro.
