A Tribute to Masters:
Philippe Entremont (MGBH) – 70 Years In Black and White.

Interview by Esther Basha

This year we are celebrating the 85th anniversary of a world renowned pianist Philippe Entremont.  His career and life has been long and rewarding, and today he continues to thrive through his connection to music and his Italian friend Pianoforte.  In this interview we tried to ask him questions that would help our readers see him not only as a professional, but also as a man of many admirable qualities.  We hope you enjoy this interview and get a personal insight into some professional secrets of the Piano Master.

Piano Performer Magazine: Do you come from a musical family? What was your first childhood encounter with the piano?
Philippe Entremont (PE): Yes, I do come from a musical family.  My father was a violinist and a conductor, and my mother – a pianist and a piano teacher. My first instrument was the violin. And I wasn’t really in love with the sound I produced with the violin at the beginning… at all! At home the piano was in the room where I studied the violin. To me it was a nice instrument, a beautiful piano, and I really didn’t understand why I should be standing instead of being comfortably seated at the piano….I was extremely lazy as a kid. So I said, “I think I better play the piano because at least I can sit down.” And I put the hand on the piano, and it worked like magic. That was the end of my violin career and the beginning of the encounter with my now good friend – the piano.

I was extremely lazy as a kid. So I said, “I think I better play the piano because at least I can sit down.” And I put the hand on the piano, and it worked like magic.

PPM: When was your first public piano performance? What did you feel before and after?
PE: I gave my first public performance when I was 10 years old. I played the piano part of the 1st Mozart Quartet with my father’s ensemble. The concert took place in Reims, my home town. I have beautiful memories of that concert. Although it was my first performance, it went very smoothly.  In confidence, I was told that General Eisenhower (OBM) was in the audience! Do you know that the end of the 2d World War was signed in Reims in the school my father was teaching at and, in fact, at his office table!?

PPM: Which teacher influenced you the most?
PE: When my passion towards piano became evident to my parents, they decided to teach me professionally.  I had a chance to have a fabulous teacher – Rose Aye-Lejour (OBM) – who was the main assistant of Jean Doyen (OBM), my principal teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris (where I studied from the age of 12 to the age of 15).

PPM: How much time do you devote to practice?
PE: I don’t think it’s the number of hours that I spend with the instrument. I am blessed with the fact that I don’t really need any warm up to play. That’s a big plus. If you play with the right concentration, you don’t need so many hours.  In my case, I play about two hours a day, but I think a lot.

PPM: Who are some of your favorite pianists?
PE:I admire immensely such pianists as Serguei Rachmaninov (OBM), Rudolf Serkin (OBM), Emil Guillels (OBM), Wilhelm Backhaus (OBM), Arthur Rubinstein (OBM), Alicia de la Rocha (OBM) to name a few.

PPM: Please, tell our readers about your most recent recordings.
PE: Last year I recorded the Schubert D960 Sonata. That piece was on my list for decades…. This year I recorded 4 Beethoven sonatas, and each one represents the diversity of his genius. For my 85th birthday Sony is issuing a 35CDs box set “Philippe Entremont: the Complete Piano Solo Recordings on Columbia Masterworks.”

35CDs box set “Philippe Entremont: the Complete Piano Solo Recordings on Columbia Masterworks.”

For my 85th birthday Sony is issuing a 35CDs box set “Philippe Entremont: the Complete Piano Solo Recordings on Columbia Masterworks.”

PPM:  Throughout your career you have played over 7, 000 concerts. How did you manage to play that many?
PE: One thing I noticed, in spite of the huge number given annually, I never encountered any special fatigue and although it’s  hard to believe, I still feel the same way even now at my age. I know how to breathe with music, I never go too far with effort. An on stage, I really feel at home.

PPM: You played with the most famous orchestras under the baton of the most  renowned conductors. What memories stand out for you?
PE: When I was under 20,  a lot of people especially in France, were amazed and fast to say how lucky I was to be invited to play at the Carnegie Hall. Perhaps, I was lucky to get in, but after I was invited again and again… not only as a pianist, but also as a conductor.

I will never forget a Carnegie Hall concert presentation with the Alban Berg Quartett playing the Schumann (OBM) Piano Quintett. This performance was luckily recorded, and this recording is still available on the EMI label.

I played at Carnegie Hall with an incredible number of orchestras – the New York Philharmonic, the NDR orchestra from Hamburg, the Orchestra of the Americas conducted by Leopold Stokowski (OBM), the Wiener Symphoniker,  the Vienna Chamber Orchestra under my conducting (many times), the Dresden Philharmonic also under my  conducting, the New Orleans Philharmonic Orchestra and many more….

We must not forget that I gave an equivalent number of concerts at the Avery Fisher Hall of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

PPM: Do you ever experience stage freight?
PE: I do have fears like everybody else – I am subject to stage fright. That’s no doubt. Before a concert I am a wreck. And I have decided a long time ago that stage freight is my friend. If I don’t feel that, I know that something wrong. I need it… I need to be totally distraught before I am on stage, and as soon as it starts, it clears up… Just like the cold. I am miserable before the concert.

Before a concert I am a wreck. And I have decided a long time ago that stage freight is my friend. If I don’t feel that, I know that something wrong.

PPM: Do you think about the audience when you are on stage?
PE: The communication between the audience and the artist is tremendous. And I feel.. I am very sensitive to the quality of the audience. I can hear people listening.

PPM: Having had such a busy career, have you had time to build a family of your own?
PE: Yes, I have been married for 64 years. My wife Andree (MGBH) and I have two children – a daughter Felicia (MGBH) and a son, Alexandre (MGBH), who is a prominent physician.

PPM: Do you have any pets?
PE: Yes, a cat named Sam.  I always had cats.

PPM: What is your favorite part of Paris?
PE: Place Vendôme, not far from where I live.

PPM: You have been invited as a judge to many piano competitions. What criteria do you usually use in making your decisions of who deserves the award?
PE: It’s not easy, because there are so many things involved. The performance has to please me, of course, but I am only one person. I understand very well that maybe someone else does not like the performance as much as I do. When I am in a jury and there are so many pianists – one after another – I am always interested in the one who is waking me up. It’s as simple as that. The one that puts me on the edge of the seat. I like artists who are not afraid of taking chances.. And it is wonderful to have the courage and the vision. I try to be extremely honest. I place music first. I look for comprehension of the piece. I am extremely sensitive to the sound. And I love people who are not afraid to use nuanced play.   It’s so important to use the pedal well.  Especially with the piano that we are using today. We have to be extremely discrete with the pedal. You have to practice it the way you practice the hand.

I like artists who are not afraid of taking chances..

PPM: What about the technique?
PE: If you don’t have a good technique, you don’t have the tools to project the quality of your interpretation.

PPM:  What was is like for you to participate in a competition early on in your career?
PE: I was very young – 17 at the time. It was the beginning of my piano career. And there were great people at the jury at the time – Emile Gillels (OBM) and Arthur Rubinstein (OBM). Not bad. And speaking of Rubenstein, this is the pianist that I admire immensely. And… I miss him. We knew one another extremely well. Much more than people think. And I remember talking to him when I was very young trying to ask him very timidly if I could work with him. And he said to me, “Never.” It shocked me. And I said, “Why?” He said, “I know it’s going to be alright. You are going to make a mistake, but I have total confidence in you. ” Isn’t it wonderful? And I will never forget that. That was an excellent way to putting things. But when you have mastered your craft and you reach a very high level, your best teacher is yourself. And this is a fabulous responsibility.

When you have mastered your craft and you reach a very high level, your best teacher is yourself. And this is a fabulous responsibility.

PPM: Thank you for the interview and congratulation on your anniversary!

The Piano Brain: Reading Music

Article by Michael Griffin (MGBH)

“Fail not to practice the reading of old clefs;
otherwise, many treasures of past times will remain a closed fountain to you”.
– Robert Schumann (OBM)

In the West, reading musical notation is probably the most common method of learning and performing music. Nevertheless, some musicians are more practiced at playing without musical notation than with it, and many successful musicians from the worlds of jazz, pop, and folk do not read music. What incentive is there for students to spend the time and effort required to become literate with music notation?

Formal musical knowledge may not be an essential part of musicianship, but it does enrich it.  Everyone who can read a book has the intellectual capacity to become an effective music reader.  Just like in reading, we graduate from learning to read to reading to learn. If you need motivation or are looking to motivate others to learn how to read music, consider the following.

  1. Most ensembles and choirs require communication with other musicians through notation. Even jazz ensembles, and particularly big bands, rely heavily on written notation.
  2. Notation is the basis of music theory, which provides a pathway to a depth of musical understanding not possible without it. Theory helps us understand the conceptual and talk declaratively about music. It can open a new world of musical understanding.
  3. The ability to read music enables exploration of libraries full of new music otherwise not available to us.
  4. Much music, particularly western art music, is too difficult to learn by ear. If we want to play the extraordinary but complex repertoires of the great composers, reading music is the only means.
  5. Learning from notation demands a precision and a series of checkpoints that will improve other aspects of musicianship.

Beware of the attitude that spurns reading music. I am yet to meet a non-reader who does not regret their lack of ability to read music.

Beware of the attitude that spurns reading music. I am yet to meet a non-reader who does not regret their lack of ability to read music.

 

Sight-Reading

The beauty of this skill is that it speeds up the learning process and offers new and wider opportunities for making music with others. Poor sight-reading has been identified as one of the reasons students stop lessons. The most effective way to become a successful sight-reader is to practice it regularly.  There is a correlation between proficient sight-reading and the time spent on it; you do not become fluent at reading anything without regular practice.  As with reading a book, in time students will recognize clusters of notes as phrases rather than as individual entities.  When I was learning piano, my sight-reading was comparatively weak.  The teacher’s advice was to obtain a stack of suitably difficult music and sight-read every day.  Once the piece had been played, the sight-playing experience was over.

The most effective way to become a successful sight-reader is to practice it regularly.  There is a correlation between proficient sight-reading and the time spent on it; you do not become fluent at reading anything without regular practice.

Improving sight-reading requires a continual increase in the difficulty of the material.  Learning to sight-read involves a different approach than learning for a performance.  Maintaining fluency and momentum is paramount.  One must not look back, nor stop to correct mistakes, for in sight-reading mistakes are tolerated.  Practicing with a metronome, backing tracks, or better still live ensemble partners, can help induce this necessary fluency.  Successful sight-readers keep their eyes on the music more often than poorer sight-readers.  This is one of the reasons many pianists struggle with sight-reading, for it is difficult to keep the eyes on the music while moving one’s hands to the correct keys. C. P. E. Bach (OBM) advised, “If you want to improve your sight-reading, practice in the dark.” This can be simulated by closing the eyes during practice or wearing a blindfold. Improving the sense of touch allows the eyes to spend more time on the page.

C. P. E. Bach (OBM) advised, “If you want to improve your sight-reading, practice in the dark.” This can be simulated by closing the eyes during practice or wearing a blindfold. Improving the sense of touch allows the eyes to spend more time on the page.

Sight-reading involves playing the current measure while scanning the next, moving fingers to the keys without looking, using prior musical knowledge to comprehend the music, and relating to the music on an emotional level.  Better sight-readers have a greater knowledge of musical styles and repertoire, which provides a database of familiarity.  This familiarity enables sight-readers to make educated guesses to maintain the flow of the music. Effective sight-readers scan the music beforehand, considering tempo, key signatures and difficult passages.  Students are unlikely to practice sight-reading at home if they don’t see it being valued during lessons.

Rhythmic reading is the most important and the most challenging component of sight-reading. This can be practiced in isolation, even away from one’s instrument. To become rhythmically strong, I recommend an approach which relates rhythm to pulse. Here is the rhythm from an excerpt of Brahms’s (OBM) Academic Festival Overture.

  1. Isolate and write out the rhythm for practice, as shown above.
  2. Add the pulse counts, as shown above. Over time, this will be less necessary, but to begin with, do not assume the student can do this.
  3. Ensure the student understands the distribution of accents. “S” means a strong accent; “W” means weak.

  1. Clap the rhythm while counting the pulse out loud.
  2. Clap the pulse and sing the rhythm to “da”.
  3. On a table, tap the left hand to the pulse and the right hand to the rhythm.
  4. On a table, tap the right hand to the pulse and the left hand to the rhythm.

 

This article is an excerpt from the book “Learning Strategies for Musical Success” (Purchase through Amazon) by Michael Griffin, an educator, speaker, and pianist, based in Australia. He is also the author of and “Developing Musical Skill – For Students.”

FEATURED ARTICLE: Benjamin Grosvenor – The British Romantic

Interview by Esther Basha (MBGH)

 

One of the top pianists of today, Benjamin Grosvenor (MGBH) amazes audience with his sensibility and distinct character. The youngest all-time double winner of Gramophone awards, Benjamin has toured half the world performing with the best orchestras. During his visit to the US, we contacted him for an interview.

PP: Dear Ben, welcome to the US. How has your tour been so far? Do you have any unusual stories?
BG: I suppose the most unusual thing to happen on this tour was in Raleigh with the North Carolina Symphony. I was playing the Mozart (OBM) D minor concerto,  and, in the last movement, one of the bass players (MGBH) fainted.  There were two loud thumps: one as he hit the ground and one as his instrument hit the ground. We continued for a bar or two before those of us at front of the stage realised what had happened. It was all very concerning at first and a shock for everyone. Doctors were called from the house (there were a few in attendance). The bass player and his instrument were fortunately OK.  He had fainted after an extremely active day with golf and a 20 km bike ride. We took an early intermission and agreed to play the last movement afterwards.  Certainly this was a first for me.

PP: I have read that your mother (MGBH) was your first piano teacher. How is your mother’s teaching style different from your other piano teachers?
BG: My mother was able to act as an advisor throughout my early career, traveling with me to my concerts.  I am very grateful for the help and advice she was able to give. It was invaluable to have her ears in rehearsals and concerts.  When I began at age 9 with Hilary Coates (MGBH), and soon after with Christopher Elton (MGBH),  she was able to help me consolidate and build on what I had learned between lessons.  The other influence during my studies was Daniel-Ben Pienaar (MGBH), with whom I learned a great deal in our lessons, when we would discuss music and listen to recordings.

PP: You have played quite a lot of Gershwin (OBM). Why does his music attract you?
BG: I have always been attracted to this musical idiom since playing a number of pieces by the English composer Billy Mayerl (OBM) as a child. I appreciated the rhythmic exuberance if jazz and the uplifting nature of this music.  I would very much like to learn the piano concerto at some point in the near future.

PP: Why do you play? What inspires you in your piano performance?
BG: I play because I love music,  and because I love the act of communicating (or trying to communicate) the essence of that music to an audience.

PP: If you weren’t a pianist, what career would be your second choice?
BG: I’m not sure.  I decided that this is what I would like to do at quite a young age (10) and have been on that path since then. I suppose at times I thought I might like to go on to study English or Science,  but where it would have gone from there I do not know.

PP: What are your hobbies?
BG: I enjoy reading very much,  which encompasses a lot of things (I am currently reading Bleak House).  I enjoy acquiring knowledge on a variety of subjects and take a moderate interest in politics and current affairs.  I enjoy movies and comedy and have been trying to learn German,  though my progress in this moves in fits and starts as I find the time and inclination.

PP: Do you still practice scales every time before you warm up? What warm up exercises do you use?
BG: I actually don’t do much in way of exercises.  I will make sure not to jump straight in with something too demanding (as with anything else that is physically demanding a warm up is a good idea) but will usually use an appropriate passage from a piece I am playing.

PP: Is there a day in a week when you don’t practice and just rest?
BG: I met a conductor recently who takes a day off a week from music,  quite consistently,  and this does seem like a good idea in some respects.  I haven’t attempted it consciously myself, but life can become busy so that there are invariably days on which you find you cannot practice as much and when, on tour for example,  you might not be able to access a piano for very long.  What is important is managing time efficiently and working when you need to, so that you don’t have to so much at other times! I aim to have two blocks of about 4-5 weeks free from concerts a year when I learn new repertoire,  but also during one of these periods I try to have an extended period of time free from touching a piano. A vacation,  if you will..!

BenjaminGrosvenorAlbumsBenjamin Grosvenor Albums – Available on iTunes and Amazon.com

PP: What other pianists inspire you?
BG: I admire a great number of pianists.  Firstly, a number of pianist-composers through their writing, and I take a strong interest in historical recordings. It is fascinating to be able to hear people like Rosenthal play (OBM) – a towering figure who had direct contact with someone such as Liszt (OBM).  It is a kind of playing that is very different to that which we may be used to, but interesting to consider that this is playing much nearer in time and lineage to people like Liszt and Chopin (OBM) than we are now. I love Cortot (OBM),  Moiseiwitsch (OBM),  Hofmann (OBM),  Horowitz (OBM),  Schnabel (OBM), to name a few.  Some in certain repertoire more than others and some in certain works in particular.  They were all astounding artists with their own distinctive voice at the keyboard and then own strong personality.

PP: What qualities in a person do you find most essential?
BG: I like people who treat others in the way in which they themselves would like to be treated.

PP: What was the first music piece that you remember connecting emotionally to?
BG: I remember playing a piece when I was 6 called the Stegasaurus Stomp, which I very much enjoyed since I was going through a huge dinosaur phase! But on a deeper level,  I suppose it was perhaps the first piece of Chopin I played – a waltz – which had a mournful quality that I could feel but perhaps did not fully understand.

PP: Do you compose your own music?
BG: I tried this a little when I was younger,  but haven’t attempted for a while. I didn’t think I had any particular gift or talent for it.  I haven’t tried in a number of years,  so perhaps there will be a time soon when I can start afresh and see if my suspicions are reconfirmed.

I like people who treat others in the way in which they themselves would like to be treated.

PP: How did you feel when you first performed with an orchestra? How old were you?
BG: I first performed a Mozart concerto with a student orchestra when I was 11, but later that year I performed Ravel (OBM) with the BBC Scottish Symphony.  It is an exhilarating and exciting experience to have the body of an orchestra behind you and to be able to become immersed in that wonderful variety of colour and sound.

PP: How many hours a day did you practice when you first started piano vs. now?
BG: I’m sure when I first started it was very little indeed, less than half an hour a day.  It increased gradually over the years.  This is probably the question I get asked most frequently after performances.  I suppose the answer I usually give is six hours a day,  to which the response is often one of shock or surprise at that level of commitment.  It’s worth pointing out though that most people work for that amount of time a day and longer!  It is sometimes more than this however,  and sometimes less, and my advice would be not to focus on the quantity of practice.  It is the quality that is important.  One should practice intelligently.

PP: Does your wardrobe effect your performance? Do you prefer a suit or t-shirt and jeans?
BG: I do not think my wardrobe has an effect on my performance –  though when I was very young I had a ‘lucky blue shirt! I used to wear various coloured shirts for performances,  but now stick with a blue suit.  I enjoy wearing a suit for performances, and see them as special events that call for that kind of dress, but I have never worn tails.

PP: Do you have dreams about music?
BG: I dream about many things,  and occasionally music comes into them.  There have been times when I feel I have heard passages of what seems like original music in my dreams,  only to wake and find myself struggling to remember them after a few seconds.

PP: Do you meditate/pray before your performances?
BG: I try to clear my head before a performance,  but I don’t think if it counts as meditation.  At one time,  I used a technique where I pictured in as much detail as I could a particular country scene I remembered in my head,  which at the time I found helpful. I don’t find myself needing to do this any more, but think correct breathing is important and try to take deep breaths before going on stage.

PP: What feelings do you experience when you are on stage after a performance?
BG: I suppose it depends on the performance and how I feel it went!  Ideally, some degree of satisfaction at having done something that is extremely difficult to a standard at which I am at that moment contented and a sense of privilege in having it (seemingly)  appreciated by the
public. Of course, sometimes, exhaustion, but that usually comes after a short while.

PP: Do you do special exercises to be in a better shape to play piano?
BG: I try to swim or run when I can.  As pianists we can sit for a long time, so stretching is advisable.  I am very interested in taking up yoga and intend to have some regular lessons next time I have a stretch of time free from touring.

PP: Do you have pets?
BG: I have recently acquired a number of goldfish,  left behind by the previous owners of my house. Other than various goldfish and a stick insect (called ‘Sticky’) my family never had any pets as my Dad (MGBH) has allergies.

PP: What is the hardest music piece you ever played?
BG: That’s a difficult question,  as obviously different pieces are hard for different reasons.  I suppose, for a solo work one that comes to mind is perhaps the Liszt sonata,  for the immense physical and intellectual challenge of it.

PP: What are your Sundays like?
BG: Often not hugely different from any other day,  but with the bonus of not having respond to emails..!

It is an exhilarating and exciting experience to have the body of an orchestra behind you and to be able to become immersed in that wonderful variety of colour and sound.

PP: What is your favorite place to travel to?
BG: I enjoy visiting places for the first time of course,  but it is great to return to places where you may have met people and formed connections. For example,  I recently returned to Miami for the fourth time where I now know a few lovely people. Minneapolis/St. Paul and Singapore come to mind as examples for the same reasons – they are places a long way away, but where I have visited repeatedly over the years.  There are also cities I love to visit for the unique vibe of the themselves like Hong Kong,  New York,  San Francisco, etc.  I often enjoy visiting small towns as much as large cities  and am very fond of the countryside,  particularly, in my home country of England. I have had some wonderful experiences playing in churches and other small venues in villages up and down the country.

PP: Could you share some of your insights with our readers about the most valuable lessons that you have learned so far by being a piano performer?
BG: A lot of things I have learned have been too specific to me to be of use to anyone else. I think as a generalization relating to performance,  that when you go on stage,  you have to be fearless and give everything that you have.  It takes a great deal of courage to be able to do that.