LDV82

28 BEETHOVEN/LISZT, SYMPHONY NO.9 How long before the recording did you start preparing this work? Cédric Pescia: It’s a long-term project that took a year to complete. We started out by practising the piece on our own. Then we met up regularly. Philippe came to Berlin, and I sometimes went to Paris, usually for two-day sessions. We emerged from them absolutely washed out, with our arms aching and our backs in the same state. Little by little, we built up our interpretation, spending a lot of time on questions of balance, articulation, touch, pedalling.We were fortunate enough to be able to try the piece out in public a number of times before recording, which proved to be very enlightening. Moreover, our work on the Ninth doesn’t end with the recording, since we already have a whole series of concerts planned with this work. If I compare it with other chamber music projects I’ve done over the last few years, whether with Philippe or with other artists, this Beethoven/Liszt Ninth Symphony is one of the things that took up the most time and energy, but at the same time was one of the most enjoyable.