by Cecilia Mureanu
In which city do you feel at home and what is the meaning of travelling for you?
It’s not a geographic question, the body may travel from one point to another but the soul is always somewhere between the worlds, suspended and waiting for the next concert, where it hopes to get in touch with the mystery of music and communication with composers and other times. The most interesting journey starts with the first note on stage.
How important is for a musician the appearance on the stage (clothes, look) nowadays? Would it be possible for Clara Haskil to become a star of a great record label in the XXI century?
I prefer the most ugly look of Clara Haskil to many beautiful cleavages of young pianist of our days.
How do you spend your free time and what are your hobbies?
My hobby is Silence.
If it hadn’t been music, what other professional field would you have chosen?
Well, I didn’t have any other choice. Farming always appealed to me as a really productive occupation. But the best would be a monk in Tibet.
How do you succeed in dedicating yourself both to the private life and to the professional life?
I just manage with the help and understanding of my family and my agency... You can imagine it as a continuous struggle on all fronts with many compromises.
Is classical music addressed to everyone or just to a small group of insiders? Is it an art that belongs to the elite? Do you consider that a special training is needed for “understanding” the message of this special kind of music?
I address my music to everyone. One has to play in a way that is understandable without having gone through training. One of the nice things of playing in China is that so many families bring their children, even toddlers, to concerts. Children don’t know not much but they are a very attentive and demanding public. I was also surprised many times about the reaction of our dog – he always slept while listening classical music but barked sometimes when hearing modern music. It kept his attention.
What would you recommend to a young man who wants to get closer to classical music ?
Gesualdo, Bach (with Glenn Gould, Passions with Philippe Herreweghe), Scarlatti (Pletnev), Mozart Requiem (with Currentzis), Beethoven symphonies (Eroica with Furtwängler), Stravinsky Rite of spring, Scelsi, Sciarrino, Ligeti, Kurtag, Ustvolskaya.
