From roots to stars
In a world where nationalities, languages and identities mix, enrich and sometimes clash, a recognition granted by one’s place of birth raises several questions. Indeed, I am the happy recipient of the cultural award from my town of Monthey, in the canton of Valais. If the desire to leave seized me very early in my […]
Why the Liszt Sonata changed my life
When you play the piano, you are told since childhood that Liszt is a dubious figure: first seen as womanizer who writes music for pianists who love to show off, then as an abbot whose obscure and mystical end of life has given birth to works that are never performed. He is never considered as […]
A season with a baton, from Meiningen to Covent Garden
It was in Berlin in 2007, and the audience in the Philharmonie, usually so well-behaved, applauded between the movements. It was simply impossible to keep to yourself the overwhelming emotions that Seiji Owaza and the Berliner Philharmoniker had unleashed in each of us. Their seventh Beethoven symphony had made us go from tears to ecstasy, […]
Lux Aeterna : programm suggestion
Both Bach and Liszt are considered mystical composers. They were deeply religious and would spend much time in prayer, devoting their music to God. Even if the religion isn’t perceived the same way today, their relationship to something bigger than us all, and the door they open to this spiritual dimension is still actual and […]