LDV49.1

‘Amateur’? Yes . . . in the literal sense of theword, whichmeans above all ‘lovingwhat you do’. You can be a professional and at the same time a very good amateur . . . These aren’t words I find mutually exclusive. How did the cathedral clergy react to the project? Very well! Everyone was extremely friendly and the conditions of access were very straightforward. Looking back over forty years, how do you judge this recording? Recording is a bit strange . . . I have a paradoxical feeling about the question. On the one hand, I am very happy to be able to listen to historical recordings. In fact, it gives me enormous pleasure! But on the other hand, this way of freezing something that belongs to the domain of ‘constant renewal’ bothers me a little in principle. It means fixing in stone something that cannot be fixed. I like things to vanish into the air . . . I sometimes hear people say at concerts that they regret not having a tangible trace of what they have just heard. That’s not the case with me. I prefer to retain my memory of it. Moreover, everyone evolves. And though I still like some aspects of this recording, I think I would play differently today in some places . . . 61 LOUIS THIRY