LDV98-9

20 CHOPIN | SECRET GARDEN In that case, why didn’t you choose an earlier piano, from the 1840s, for example? Because you need long years of practice for that type of instrument, or even to specialise in it. That wasn’t my way of doing things. And finally, I have the feeling that Pleyel made further progress after Chopin’s time. Strangely enough, I would say that this 1905 model is the ultimate culmination of Pleyel’s experiments. The instrumental workmanship reaches an exceptional standard, which the pianos available to Chopin probably didn’t quite possess. Progress that still respected what came before. Have you rethought your own interpretation of Chopin’s oeuvre? Yes, I have. First of all, as I soaked up the atmosphere of a restoration workshop like Pianos Balleron and observed the work of Sylvie Fouanon, who holds the title of Maître d’Art and is a member of the Grands Ateliers de France, I recognised an approach that lies on the borderline between craftsmanship and art. Another Wagnerian reference! Was Hans Sachs, the shoemaker in Meistersinger , not also the great poet of his time? That places the performer under a certain obligation.