Born in 1964 into a family where art was always of central importance, Pierre Hantaï was fascinated by painting as a child, but it was his encounter with the music of Bach that set him on his musical path. The harpsichord recordings of Gustav Leonhardt left a profound impression on him, and at around the age of ten, he began his first musical explorations: living in the countryside, he taught himself to play on a small spinet, immersing himself in the repertoire he loved, and played chamber music with his brothers, Marc and Jérôme.
He later took lessons from the American harpsichordist Arthur Haas, followed by two years of study with Gustav Leonhardt, who invited him to his home in Amsterdam to benefit from his teaching. Thus, Pierre Hantaï never attended a conservatoire, instead developing his artistry through a combination of solitary study and guidance from great masters.
At a very young age, he began performing with leading figures in the world of early music, including the Kuijken brothers, Gustav Leonhardt, Philippe Herreweghe and Jordi Savall. At the same time, together with his brothers and a close circle of friends – Hugo Reyne, Sébastien Marq, Marc Minkowski, François Fernandez, Ageet Zweistra and Philippe Pierlot – he founded several early music ensembles: Le Lous Landes Consort, which won First Prize at the Bruges Chamber Music Competition, and Le Concert Français, which later evolved into a chamber orchestra.
In 1993, he came to wider public attention with his recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, which received numerous awards, including a Gramophone Award, and brought him invitations to perform across the globe. He has also performed and recorded extensively the Elizabethan repertoire (Bull, Byrd, Farnaby, etc.), as well as works by Bach and Couperin. He is especially acclaimed for his long-standing work on the music of Domenico Scarlatti, and is recognised today as one of its foremost interpreters.
Today, he particularly enjoys performing alongside musician friends: Jordi Savall, flautist Hugo Reyne, violinist Amandine Beyer, his brothers, and fellow harpsichordists with whom he often collaborates, such as Skip Sempé, Olivier Fortin, Maude Gratton and Aapo Häkkinen. He conducts chamber orchestras and gives masterclasses in many countries, but most often appears as a soloist – in France as well as in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Estonia, Japan, China and Taiwan.