Needing Rebirth? I don’t think so…25 February 2010
This week, a post a little more personal. I would like to comment Greg Sandow’s post entitled Needing Rebirth, which sparked a controversy in the american blogosphere. At first I paid no attention to it, then after rereading it, I started to think deeply about it.
To sum up, Sandow talks about two concerts he heard in Washington: Janine Jansen playing the Sibelius concerto with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam and one of the ECCO (East Coast Chamber Orchestra). Both took place at the Kennedy Center.
The score (1/4)11 February 2010
The score is often the first medium you have to deal with when studying a piece. It enables the composer to encode four key dimensions of music: pitch, duration, intensity and timbre. This document can then transmit the composer’s thought, or rather transcribe his music in a format understood by any interpreter.
Introduction to Interpretation21 January 2010
Interpreter: word which can, by extension, replace the word musician. Yet the two words have a totally different connotation: if the latter clearly evokes music and the inspired craftsman created in and by popular imagination, first emphasizes another facet of the same man: here is suggested the intellectual work, in other words the analysis and long road towards understanding a work.
What will 2010 be like?13 January 2010
At the start of this year, I tried to think about the directions my writings could take for 2010. It is thus self-evident that this blog will still be about piano and music, but I would like to give a new impetus and provide more didactic content. Let’s see what will 2010 be like.
French classical pianist Genevieve Joy has died2 December 2009
Genevieve Joy died Friday night in her sleep at the age of 90 years old. Key figure in contemporary music, she had played a major role in the spread of contemporary piano repertoire, creating works of her husband, Henri Dutilleux to whom my thoughts are, but also other leading composers like Pierre Boulez and Andre Jolivet. She has highlighted in her work the composers much more than herself.
The pianist’s loneliness11 November 2009
Loneliness is an issue that quite often comes up in discussion with people who know and follow me. I work alone, I play alone, I like being alone most of the time, but isn’t the feeling of loneliness heavy and suffocating? It is true that I don’t meet my friends very often, I am not a big fan of mass meetings and that I avoid crowded places. But in another hand, I like chatting over the phone and mailing them.
On rituals and lucky charms2 October 2009
Last week I wrote here about going on stage and I evoked the “lucky charm”. Today I will focus on pre-concert rituals as well as these charms. Some do not have rituals or lucky charms, and others elaborate complex rituals which become totally obsessive. Star’s whim or real necessity?
Recording is never so easy.18 June 2009
To all those saying that recording is easy, I say, perhaps they should pay a visit to a studio. Of course, you can cut, past, redo, but it is not always an advantage.
The first shock when recording is a bit like the one you feel when hearing your own voice for the first time. Years [...]
When I was little…28 April 2009
When I was little, I dreamed of piano and of being big and knowing how to play well. Today I am big and I remember about these thoughts from childhood: some are true and some are far from reality.
Is the debate over piracy a “false” debate?13 March 2009
Artistic licenses and protection of creations are a current concern. Illegal downloading, free music distributed by artists themselves; the world of music recording and distribution is changing. Today, many governments are adopting new laws to protect artists’ rights. But, does the artist really need it? I mean, is this protection really intended for artists or [...]