In the past two weeks, he has appeared in Nuremberg, Indianapolis, and London, in between he was briefly in Berlin, where he lives. And now, Francesco Piemontesi is sitting in the Zurich train station buffet and ordered an ovaltine: “there’s otherwise nowhere to be.”

Else he misses in Switzerland. The Pride in their own talents, for example, a Plan for how you could you bring to bear: “in Order to have success, the way I had to once.” Until a few years ago, the Swiss organizers reported more hesitantly, while he had arrived abroad a long time ago on the big addresses.

Piemontesi then tells the story of the “big Tartarov”, which was announced in 1968 as a Russian Virtuoso, a celebrated concert in the sold out Tonhalle zürich, and the next day, at a media conference as the Swiss Pianist Jean-Jacques Hauser came out. Piemontesi is convinced that the Experiment would still work today: “at Least in the field of art, the Stranger in Switzerland, is always perceived as more attractive than their Own.”

“In Japan, the wings run all by itself.”Francesco Piemontesi

He says it left. On the one hand, because he has as the artistic Director of the Settimane Musicali of Ascona, in the meantime, even the opportunity for local young musicians to provide a platform. And on the other hand, because the Radius has become as a soloist so that he can group his concert experience to the continents. In the USA there is the most impressive orchestras in Europe, the informative test audience – and in Japan, the most ideal conditions: “The rooms there are wonderful, and the wings run all by itself.”

It was a long road up to this point. Piemontesi was never a part of the up-and-comers, he was not a “media career”, as he calls it, but a career in music. As conductor, invited him again and again; the chamber music colleagues, with whom he developed exchanged and goods; and, of course, Martha Argerich, the it on a regular basis to your Ticino Festival, Progetto Argerich invited and now in its programmes occurs.

The greatest happiness Piemontesi, however, had already as a 14-Year-old. At the time, he was in a crisis, “I had the impression that it is easy for me not succeed in my musical ideas to put into practice”. In Bellinzona, he heard the pianist Cécile Ousset, which seemed to create exactly this – and the young pianist, then with technical Exercises trimmed, until he was so far.

Francesco Piemontesi plays Liszt’s “Au lac de wall city”. Video: Youtube

The ideas which he followed since then, however, not in two, three key words define; Piemontesi nurtures very aware of not a trademark. He was “between from time to time, and often” shocked when he hear colleagues, he says. “Since everything is pushed to the Extreme, all the time. It whispers or screams, plays in the Hells or a snail’s pace.” He himself is interested in the Tradition of earlier Masters such as Samson François, Alfred Cortot or Edwin Fischer, rather, of what lies between the Extremes: “there is so much to explore!”

What he means by that on his current CD with the last three Schubert sonatas listen. It is not a bold Interpretation, but one in which each set has its own character, its tone, its attitude. One can also be found in the third Hear New. And smells a bit of incense.

no false awe!

Because the mag Piemontesi almost even less than the interpretation of idealism extreme: live in concert, widespread “high priesterei”. Of course you had to bring the works of respect, he says, “but this is a false reverence is terrible”. That you should dare to attempt some first approach, if the retirement age is in sight, he finds absurd: “Schubert was 31 when he died.” The important thing is that a musician is honest with themselves: “For Beethoven’s piano Sonata around I’m not ready, I just don’t understand.”

Chopin’s first piano Concerto, with which he is now on a tour of Switzerland, on the other hand is quite to his taste. A very free work was, he says, “because it is important that the performers trust each other – and on the edge of your chair, to sit, to respond to each other”. The Roman Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, the accompanied him, he knows already for a long time, even with the conductor, Antonio Pappano, he is understood “without many words and without long samples”.

debuts in the top League

Meanwhile, the ovaltine is empty, Piemontesi must continue. But he would like to stress to all of the critical comments, but still, how happy he feels Because he can make music; because his adopted home of Berlin culture, and colleagues offers everything a Pianist (and also good Restaurants, “has improved much”). This includes two debuts with orchestras in the next time, he is not permitted to reveal to the public, but is undoubtedly high on the wish list of every pianist. And he had to call once Tartarov for it.

Francesco Piemontesi plays Chopin’s piano Concerto in the series of Migros culture percentage Classics: Friday, 8. November, 19.30 Uhr, Tonhalle Maag.

Created: 07.11.2019, 12:12 PM