
Philippe Pagès' name was changed to Richard Clayderman (he adopted his great-grandmother's last name to avoid mispronunciation of his real name outside France), and the single went on to sell 22 million copies in 38 countries. "We liked him immediately", says Paul de Senneville, "His very special and soft touch on the keyboards combined with his reserved personality and good looks very much impressed Olivier Toussaint and I. The 23-year-old Philippe Pagès was auditioned along with 20 other hopefuls and, to his amazement, he got the job. Paul had composed this ballad as a tribute to his new born second daughter “Adeline”. In 1976, Richard Clayderman (real name Philippe Pagès) received a telephone call from Olivier Toussaint, a well-known French record producer, who, with his partner, Paul de Senneville, was looking for a pianist to record a gentle piano ballad. This recording also used the same backing track.Ī new version of this piece was released on the Richard Clayderman studio album A Thousand Winds in 2007, to celebrate 30 years since the original release of "Ballade Pour Adeline." Clayderman was accompanied by a new string arrangement by Olivier Toussaint. Richard Clayderman performed a duet of the track with guitarist Francis Goya in 1999, and it was released on their studio album, Together. The French trumpeter Jean-Claude Borelly recorded his version in the early 1980s, which used the same instrumental backing track as the original recording. Worldwide sales of the recording have now reached 22 million copies in 38 countries. Paul de Senneville composed the piece as a tribute to his newborn daughter, Adeline. " Ballade pour Adeline" ( French for "Ballad for Adeline") is a 1977 instrumental by Richard Clayderman, composed by Paul de Senneville.

"Ballade pour Adeline ( Sonate pour Piano et Orchestre)" 1977 single by Richard Clayderman "Ballade pour Adeline"
