Philosophy
For me, music is never a matter of pure display. It is not about brilliance for its own sake, nor about the superficial seduction of virtuosity. Music is a path toward truth, purity, and inner necessity.
I believe that interpretation begins where the ego ends. The performer must not place himself between the composer and the listener. He must become a patient and demanding mediator, one who listens deeply enough to allow the work to speak in its own voice.
My relationship to the piano has always been shaped by a search for sincerity. Technique is indispensable, of course, but it is only meaningful when it serves a higher purpose. To play well is not enough. One must seek the exact sound, the necessary breath, the just balance, the living line.
I have always felt that sound must be worked like a material. It must be refined, sculpted, purified. A note cannot be merely struck; it must be born, carried, and brought to completion. This requires discipline, humility, patience, and a constant return to the work.
The great masters taught me that interpretation is an act of faithfulness, but never of passivity. One must respect the score infinitely, while bringing to it the fullness of one’s inner life, one’s listening, one’s culture, and one’s silence.
On Sound
Sound is at the very heart of my work. It is through sound that the invisible becomes perceptible. A pure sound can move the soul before the mind has even begun to understand. It carries emotion, structure, colour, breath, memory, and mystery.
I try to obtain from the piano a sound that is never harsh, never empty, never mechanical. I seek a sound that is inhabited.
On the Composer
Every composer contains a world, and each world demands a different way of listening. One cannot approach Mozart as one approaches Chopin, nor Chopin as one approaches Prokofiev. To play truly is to enter into the language, the breathing, and the spiritual architecture of each composer.
My task is to come as close as possible to that inner necessity without ever reducing the music to a personal effect.
On Transmission
Teaching is for me a natural extension of this artistic path. To transmit is not merely to explain, but to awaken. It is to help a student discover not only how to play, but how to listen, how to search, how to demand more from oneself, and how to grow inwardly through music.
True teaching does not produce imitation. It helps each student to move toward his or her own truth.
