NEWS

Lucas Debargue

3 days ago

A concert review about Lucas' recital in Turin at the MITO SettembreMusica.
"The long-distance dialogue between Fauré’s classical pieces and Delplace’s contemporary experiments found its interpreter in this particularly sensitive and high-class pianist..."
... See MoreSee Less

Torino, concerto Debargue, 20/09/2021

www.apemusicale.it

Il dialogo a distanza tra i classici brani di Fauré e i recenti esperimenti di Delplace premia la sensibilità fuori dal comune di un interprete di gran classe

Lucas Debargue

3 weeks ago

Lucas' disc "Zal: The Music of Milosz Magin" is NPR radio (National Public Radio in Washington) "The best music of August" pick. ... See MoreSee Less

The Best Music Of August: NPR Staff Picks : All Songs Considered

www.npr.org

Every month, we ask the NPR Music staff: What's the one song you couldn't escape? What's the one album to which you'll return all year? In August, we got vulnerable with James Blake, leveled up with F...

Lucas Debargue

4 weeks ago

🔴 Lucas talked about his new disc and collaboration with Gidon Kremer to Gramophone magazine for James Jolly.
www.gramophone.co.uk/podcasts/article/lucas-debargue-on-the-magical-music-of-milosz-magin
🔴 Resume:
JJ: The name of polish Milosz Magin does not mean much to many music lovers, and if it does, it’s perhaps he is a pianist. In the early 1960s he recorded the complete works of Chopin for Decca. How did you first encounter Magin’s music?
LD: It’s a story connected to my very first steps in learning piano, learning classical music because my first piano teacher was a student of Milosz Magin. So that’s how I got to know Magin as a piano master. She made me read some of Magin’s pieces for children. He has a very nice collection of easy played pieces, and it was very good for me to learn Clementi, Mozart but also Milosz Magin. They are great pieces for children: easy to play but already with some musical depth. That’s how I got to know him, and my teacher also made me to listen his recordings playing Chopin music. It influenced me a lot in my musical conception. He has a very personal way to play Chopin, it’s not standard or very academic, not what you would expect by “correct” interpretation of Chopin as a reference you can see on Chopin competitions. He participated in Chopin competition without winning it, but he stands apart in that sense that he has a very personal approach and a very natural approach. I was completely fascinated by his recordings of Chopin. I still listen to them, and I strongly recommend listening if you have occasion. It’s quite precious, quite rare to have Chopin complete works that are so exciting. When I open the box with Milosz Magin all Chopin records, I feel excited. It’s not always the case with all Chopin complete works recordings where you feel… again this ballade, again this etude. Magin is quite unexpected tempo-wise and dynamics, really something special. And his approach to the repertoire and instrument influences me a lot in that sense that – I understood quickly when I was a child and started to play piano that the score is very important but there is not anything in score. You cannot just play the notes and respect what is indicated in score - there is something behind this score, there is the spirit of the music. I discovered it too through the interpretation of Milosz Magin but also through of his music. Because if you look at score of Milosz Magin, it looks quite simple it’s not like the core of contemporary music with its crazy notation, it’s quite classical. If you go through it, if you look behind it, it’s less easy than it seems. There is some depth and something to feel that maybe it is not so obvious on the score.
Magin maybe understood it thanks his approach to interpretation and composing and made me understand of hidden dimension of the classical music
JJ: In your note of recording, you draw parallels between Chopin and Magin. Both were born in Poland, they were settled in Paris. You gave to your album this word that kind of crystallizes the sort of feeling you feel what is actually behind both composers’ music. Can you explain “Zal”?
LD: It’s like in Portuguese culture saudade. Some other cultures in the world have this concept I see the common point, even when they are all different. There is a common point like nostalgie, sehnsucht but from the future what is not yet but you feel already nostalgic, melancholic about it. So, there is a mix of expectations and sadness. It’s a bittersweet feeling. You wait for something but at the same time, you feel like it’s already here and you feel kind of regret. Because you wait for it it’s like you wait for something that you already have, and you feel quite melancholic about. It’s a strange feeling. But it connected also to homesickness
JJ: If you listen Milosz Magin play Chopin, do you feel the sense of “zal” in his interpretations?
LD: Of course, I feel something. If you talk to Polish people, they know what zal is and it is really something really strong in their culture. I am not a polish man, and I can only guess what an interpretation can be. I feel some longing and it is what I feel in some interpretations but not in all interpretations. I would say in Horowitz interpretations there is already what I would call “zal”, because he allows himself to take time between the notes and you are disexpection of this extension and that’s the connection I made of this conception of zal. Because the mystery of musical time that there is more music between the notes than in the notes themselves.
If you hear the recording, Gidon recorded some pieces for violin and piano. In the opening of the album there is Andante. In the beginning, there is like perpetuum mobile on the piano, arpeggios, that are very strictly in the rhythm. But violin line is very free and Gidon - that’s why I had the idea to do this project with him – I know him many years and I know that he has incredible musical intuition and freedom in timing and sound production. I was certain that if he will discover the music of Magin, he will make this music - his music.
I am always smiling when the question in chamber music or concerto is – we must be together. Actually, musical emotion comes when it’s not really together. You can see for example the interpretation of great Bach performer of our times, Andras Schiff. When he is playing Bach, he has sometimes hands not together. You have this space, this kind of longing between the notes and emotionally it’s very strong and there is a lot of music in this distance. Of course -it must be not exaggerated. It must be the right amount of time.
JJ: When I was listening to this music for the first time - and it was absolutely my first time to listen to the music of Magin - if we put him to the musical map on dates on 1929 to 1999. He is very much a XXth century composer but a thing that distracted me listening this repertoire – it’s incredibly difficult to date. When you hear pieces on the album - Andante, the earliest is 1963, Nostalgie du Pays” from 1982 – it’s impossible to say when this music might be written. It has got a sort of extremely timeless quality. It’s largely tonal music. It's harmonically, I’d say - conservative buy it is surprising sometimes, some of the twists and turns of his music. What attracts you in this music?
LD: Actually, this very special harmonic language, I felt very attracted by it because I was sensitive to it. It’s a very strange mix. One can hear Ravel or Debussy harmony, but at the same time - no. For instance, “Stabat mater’s” A section, the beginning and ending is very tonal, one would say, they are very normal harmonic progressions. Modulations are in the middle section B what is made on 4th chords, Magin is able to use harmonic tools to express different feelings. I was very impressed and very attracted by the talent, he really created his own voice. In that time from 1960 to 1980, his active period as a composer, standard contemporary music had nothing to do with this. It was either crazy atonal experimenting, either minimalist like American composers did, Steve Reich, John Adams, and Arvo Pärt. He stands apart from it. He had his own style, and he found his own style only from things that existed before but the combination of all the elements is unique. One can hear classical elements, romantic elements, modern elements. Rhythmically there are some things that could not be made before XXth century, but forms are quite classical, never experimental, you recognize very well themes and melodies. I felt attracted by this combination – accessible, it’s music where is not difficult to enter but at the same time it is very refined. You can’t get bored with it. When I practice his pieces, I always find new things. And there are colours, some atmospheres that I don’t find anywhere else. I am not only a performer, but I am also a music lover. I spend days to discover music, to discover scores, recordings, music what is not very famous, and I never found something similar Magin music. [---]
Generally speaking, his concertos are really great music. There are not so many good concertos for chamber orchestra. Magin has only 3 concertos with symphony orchestra: 1st piano, 2nd violin and clarinet concerto. All the others he did, they are for chamber orchestra.
JJ: On the disc, you got the 3rd piano concerto what is your concerto and the 2nd violin concerto what is Gidon Kremer’s concerto. But I am very much reminded, listening to your (own) concerto for piano and percussions – just a sort of textures like in Bartok’s Concerto for strings, percussion and celesta. Both composers have drums and strings which is an unusual combination
LD: It is true that it has that negotiation something, what is quite primitive with drums what are quite straightforward and in the same time you have these harmonies of strings what are very poisoned. But it actually works together.
For me, instruments are like characters. I can’t stop thinking about the forest when I play this music and studied this music. It has this mystery like you are by dusk and you are alone in the forest. There is no light, only the natural light, light is fading more and more and there is the feeling of uncertainty and danger. At the same time, you feel protected by the forest and at the same time there is something that is not so comfortable. It is a mixed feeling. Music of Magin is like this for me. At the same time, you feel like in a warm place like in forest but at the same time there is danger everywhere
It’s XXth century music, talking something about great tragedy’s but in a very refined way. Because there are many compose who wanted to put drama like blood, hammers and catastrophe. It talks also about drama and catastrophe but in a more refined way.
JJ: Are you been impressed by Gidon Kremer’s for the kind of philosophy? I was very impressed to read your notes and you tell how you work together, and he basically offered you the opportunity to work more or less like carte blanche and just do what you want to do. [---]
LD: Gidon for me is a kind of a new musical father. We are great friends now after few years working together, he is an example for me, more than an inspiration – he is really a mentor. He is not only a musician, he is also a philosopher. He is also a great personality of our times, not only because of playing well the violin. But when you listen to him playing or talking or when you listen to some of his projects with Kremerata – there is this unique voice and special vision of the world, of art. We need more people like that. He is what I call artist! There are so many performers who are just living with their instrument, practising, and playing another interpretation of a Beethoven sonata, Chopin sonata. They just feel ok - I will learn a new piece and deliver it to the audience
But with someone like Gidon - he is always hungry, he needs to “eat” new music, he needs to read new music, he needs to feel excited about a new project, he needs to be excited about a new challenge and I am fascinated by that. He can’t stop, he is creating so many opportunities, that also give energy - to give energy to musicians, to give energy to audience. This feeling of pushing boundaries what is really connected to me the necessity of art.
When there were all these discussions about art how the pandemic changed our lives, what about the life of musicians now – is art necessary or not? Is it essential like supermarket? And the answer for some people was – yes, yes, art is absolutely essential. I agree, for me art is completely essential. But one must define art then. For me art is essential - if it pushes the boundaries. Because if it doesn’t push boundaries, it would be just some kind of routine, a decorative thing.
For me, the definition of art is always pushing the boundaries, go as far as possible on your own artistic path, and then bringing it to the audience to discover more things and rediscover some things, to have this restless feeling.
Gidon is this kind of person – he is restless. He has always a new thing to discover, to practice.
He made a lot of Weinberg music. But he also commissioned works from hardcore contemporary composers - like Luigi Nono but he also did a lot of music of Arvo Pärt what is completely different aesthetics.
He was able to be one and to be several at the same time. Which is also for me a good definition of an artist. Gidon - he has so many different faces. It’s wonderful to hear him play Mozart, he is wonderful in Bach and at the same time to experiment Weinberg preludes for solo cello what he transcribed from solo violin. And what he does with Magin music. I made him discover this music, he knew nothing about this music but very quickly he took this music and was experimenting with his own sound and intuitions. And as a result, I was very impressed with what he was able to do with these pieces what he knew nothing about before. ... See MoreSee Less

Lucas Debargue on the magical music of Miłosz Magin

www.gramophone.co.uk

The French pianist, joined by Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, has recorded an album of the Polish composer, an album he's called 'Żal'