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PHILIPPE BIANCONI
How did your first encounter with the music of Schumann happen?
Schumann didn’t enter my repertoire – and my affections – as early as Chopin and
Debussy. I didn’t listen to him much as a child. I was thirteen when my teacher at
the Nice Conservatoire gave me
Carnaval
to play: I confess I wasn’t very receptive
in those days to this succession of little pieces. I was much more excited by the
Chopin Ballades at that time.
My passion for Schumann was first aroused by the Concerto, which I had the
chance to play with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice just after I got my piano
diploma from the Conservatoire. I have an extraordinarymemory of that discovery,
of exploring a score that both thrilled and moved me. I say to myself that I’m very
lucky that the first concerto I ever played in my life was the Schumann – one of the
finest concertos in the repertory, and one of its composer’s greatest works.
Soon after that, I immersed myself in the
Fantasie
,
Davidsbündlertänze
and
Kreisleriana
, but less in
Carnaval
, because I still remembered my initial lukewarm
impression. Since I had a passion for vocal music, I also read through many of his
lieder.A fewyears later, I had the opportunity to accompany Hermann Prey in some
of them, but our collaboration focused mostly on Schubert. I’m not complaining
about that, of course, though I do regret that I didn’t play more Schumann with
that immense artist, whose profundity and intensitymade a lasting impact onme.
And I must say that thework I didwith himon vocal musicwas hugely enriching for
my approach to these composers’ piano works.
So it’s true that the music of Schumann has been part of my universe ever since the
start of my career.