Pianists and the Music of Their Time: Facing the Unknown

How to approach or build a sound image from a completely unknown material?What decisions must the interpreter make to bring this image to life?In an attempt to answer these questions, Pianists and the Music of their Time: Facing the Unknown is based on a series of interviews with renowned pianists (Claude Helffer, Roy Howat, Ursula Oppens, Ian Pace, Anne Piret) responsible for the creation of works by Elliott Carter, Claude Debussy, André Riotte and Iannis Xenakis.The pianists' discourse is illustrated by musical examples, linking the visible, that’s to say, the score as a starting point and reference point, and the invisible, meaning the music transmitted by the composers to the performers.The individuality of their choices, and certain similarities, emerge: the combination of several analytical methods based on an unconventional approach; the implicit presence of gesture, crucial for the elaboration of the musical discourse in concert; the open-mindedness; the desire to discover the