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You were fortunate enough to work with Gaby Casadesus; what
did she contribute in terms of Debussy?
P. B.
: Gaby Casadesus affected me more than Ravel, a composer she and her
husbandRoberthadknownwell,andcouldthereforetransmitherdirectexperience
to me. But we also worked very hard on the program of the first Debussy recital,
and she helpedme enormously with technical aspects as well as withmy approach
to the colors and subtleties of the music.
What role has Debussy played in your life since then?
P. B.
: He has always been with me, even though his work has not been a constant
in my recitals. Even when I am not playing it in public, I always return to it, for my
own pleasure. After extensively studying Brahms, Beethoven and Schumann, I
returned to Debussy for his natural approach, the extraordinary sensuality of the
timbre. For me, Debussy is always sensual. Indeed, for a long time, this hedonistic
aspect probably prevented me from seeing all the composer’s extraordinary depth
and work in terms of musical language.
Gradually, in addition to the virtual physical pleasure I get frommusic, both playing
and listening—and here I’m thinking of orchestra works like
Pelléas et Mélisande
—
I felt increasingly moved by it.
PHILIPPE BIANCONI 19