my meetings with composers

Recently, i realised that i totally forgot to update my blog as i had so many things happening, many concerts and crazy projects ...

And also to keep in touch with a very close friend, i used to post a very lot of pictures on Instagram.

Yes it was fun, but after a while , well like all social medias (Facebook too) a bit boring as its directness miss some content too.

As most of you already knows, i really enjoy performing new music, meet new composers. And only recently i started to take pictures with them !

So here some nice pictures i did with them (the list might get bigger when i will do more pictures)

The pictures are put there in no special order

Denis Levaillant , Regis Campo and me

(at Denis Levaillant recording studio)

This is the last (up to Jan 2016) that i did with my 2 French favorite composers / friends

Denis Levaillant is the first composer that really trusted my piano playing. It goes back to one of my very first concerts in 2010 when i was invited in Italy to do a Chopin Recital and did .... 1 hour Chopin and 1 hours of French Avant Garde ! Denis was so happy of my idea that he gave me some piece to world premiere !!

Regis Campo on the other hand, i met him later. It was thanks to the fantastic pianist Jay Gottlieb. I was in touch with Jay as i was "supposed" to do a Philip Glass Festival in Monaco in 2011. Unfortunately the Festival (who was on its very last stage of preparation) totally failed for extremely stupid reason (well it's serious unfortunately). But, as i did not want to loose 3 months of work, i used my most crazy idea for other festivals such as the 3 Glass Concertos in a row or the Glass Marathon.

What Régis has to do there ? Well , Régis loved my ideas andwhile we were talking we got a very "strange" idea ........ and ............ if i was going to ask composers to write hommage to Glass ?

Yes ! GlassWorlds very first concept came from this discussion !

Of course Régis did a fantastic piece. He has a very fun and nice musical style !

Danny Elfman (and me)

Last october 2015, i agreed to play in an orchestra (no, not on concerto, but the pianist waaaaaaay back in the orchestra). I really never wanted to do that, but .... here it was too much attractive : Danny Elfman was there !!!!! And , come on .... everyone loves Tim Briton movies ! and ... it was on a huge huge hall (Grand Rex) and many concerts too. Well , i had my solo moment (you know when there is the piano moment in the Corpse Bride, and .... i could see myself on the giaaaaant projector ! amazing!!!) but more interesting : i was able to work directly with Danny Elfman as time to time i had solo moments with him singing ! Yeah !!!!!!!

Jaan Rääts (me) and Ebba Rääts

As many might have understood, Jaan Rääts is really my big discovery. It goes back to 2012 when i discovered his music by total luck (no words can describle that better). First the little pieces that i found on internet were not that fantastic. But once they invited me to their place, and gave me a total access to all his archives .... ho my gosh !!!!!! What i had under my eyes was so amazing ! I can easily said that i am one of the few real Rääts enthusatc (i even did his only official website!)

Here we were working on some Sonatas. It was video recorded (in case i forget), and ... it was so funny to see Ebba and Maestro agruing about Maestro own music ! Also i was so touched by their hospitality. After the piano parts , we used to talk (with a nice bottle of red wine and a candle) until very very late in the night !

I am performing his music quite often, always with a lot of success ! There will be some very interesting projects in the near futur with this composer. So .... stay tuned !!!!

Fabien Saillard (and me)

This time it was in Menton, as we just ended visiting the Cocteau museum there (it happened after the "last minute" cancellation of my BIG concert with the OPMC : the 5 Liszt concertos in a row.... That was hard time ......

Anyway, i am glad Fabien was there as we had very nice time together ! I met him in 2010 as i was jury in an international competition near Lyon. We were both jury there and liked each other very well !

Fabien is a very great electroacoustic composer, i like his style very much . We have some projects together and i can't wait for them to happen !

Frédérick Martin (and me)

A french composer that i met a long time ago. I don't remember exactly how, but once, as i was digging out of a lot of contemporary pieces and found out his 1st Piano Sonata who was pretty amazing. In Prague i performed its 2nd Movement and after posting a video on YouTube, the composer contacted me. We had some very fantastic discussions together and he also wrote me 2 pieces : his incredible 6th Sonata , and a Prelude. I am glad that slowly by slowly he is getting more and more recognition !

Jean Michel Damase (and me)

In 2011 i had the honor and pleasure to meet JM Damase during a masterclass course. As a teenager i was not very much found of his very "french music" (at this time i was really much into late romanticism) , but i was very please to meet this lovely man, who actually was the only one (in the big list of maestro who's i worked with) who gave me advices on Erik Satie music ! We also had a nice talk and .... he was really looking forward the releases of my albums.... too bad i could never gave any of them to him ....

Another picture with Régis Campo and Denis Levaillant (and me)

This one was made after a recital i did for the launch of my Liszt Christus album. It was in Paris ' American Church and my program was ... a little too long. But both of them loved it !!

Frédérick Martin was also there (as i premiered his 6th Sonata) , but too shy to take a picture with me.

Ludmilla Yurina (and me)

This was taken in Kiev last November 2015 after a fantastic 2 pianos recital of all Jaan Rääts 2 pianos music with the great Lorenzo Meo. My Kiyv friends told me for a long time about this composer, and after some talk on internet , i was really extremely pleased to meet. She also gave me some very interesting piano music scores and now i am looking forward having an opportunity to perform them 

(me and) Masashi Hamauzu

I had the pleasure to meet this legendary video game composer after a concert he did in Paris with his band. I was invited by my friends from Wayo that introduced him to me. In his hand you can see my Liszt Christus album , and i played (as i was not aware that i would meet him) Scriabin Vers la Flamme. Hamauzu compose a very nice piano music , very much inspired by Ravel. He had a very interesting talk, and i am looking forward his newer compositions (and specially his etudes)

(me and) Michel Merlet

One of the composers i was really looking forward to meet. As a student i always regarded Michel Merlet as a great french figure. And i was so happy to be pretty well matching. I am looking forward playing his music when it will be possible. We had some talk about possible projects , but ... well ... we will see.

(me) David Chaillou and François Nicolas

Here enjoying a very nice talk involving many topics about music , mysticism, russian avant garde, electroacoustic ..... and who knows .... new projects as well ?

Was very surprised to learn that David knew i was doing electroacoustic compositions when... i am so silent about it ...

Paul E. Epstein (and me)

One of the minimalist who really has his own touch. We have been talking for quite a lot of time , and we have some projects together. I really like his bell like technique (no , nothing like the Pärt thing ! luckily for us ! ) . He wrote me 3 pieces so far : One hommage for the GlassWorlds project , one short piece for my Carnegie Premiere and also a very long piece that should be recorded (by me) soon.

Jaan Rääts congratulating me after a concert were a played some of his pieces

Well everything is in the title ^^

Too bad Maestro could not come to Milan for the World Expo Closing day Recital ... i am sure he would have been extra touched by the success his music has !

Terry Riley (and me)

YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i was able to meet the Legend !!!!!!!

And also i was SOOOOOO much touched, when ... as i introduced myself he replied : "ho yes i know you, what you do is wonderful, when you come to the US, please come to see me, i want to listen to you"

Well ..... i think there is no word able to describe the state of bliss i was at this time (and still is!)

(me and) Valentin Silvestrov

Yes, i was also very honored to meet this Ukrainian Legend !

It is very fun because at first ... well .... he was like "impossible to get near" . But as some of you know, when the Maydan revolution and bloodbath happenned , i did not cancel any of my tour concerts in Kyiv (and had blasting success). Also i performed some of his music at those time. So ... after hearing what i did, he was so much touched that he started to gave me almost everything he had (musically speaking) : all his personal recordings (40 hours of piano by himself !!!) , his scores , some manuscripts .... as much as i understood it was presents for other personns , but ... well ... he really wanted to give all that to me , with an open invitation to see him at anytime in Ukrain !

Unfortunately last time i was there, i was too much over busy with the Rääts tour, but next time .... you can count on me !!!!!

Steve Kornicki (and me)

A nice picture taken on september 2015 in Orlando one day after i just performed my GlassWorlds there. Steve had written me a fantastic mix (piano + electroacoustic) piece , and i was really happy to finally meet him (yes i was there when i performed the piece). Public really loved it as it is energetic and powerful ! I am looking forward more of his pieces !

William Susman (and me)

A nice picture taken after my Carnegie debut where i performed a nice piece he wrote for my GlassWorlds project. He is a "kind of" minimal composer, but not in the way we can imagine it. He composed a fantastic cycle of pieces "Quiet Rythms" .

Also i was so happy to have finally met him as we are pretty well fitting ! Nice intense and interesting talk !

We have some great projects for a near futur ..... stay tuned !!!

Laszlo Horvàth (me) , Melaine Dalibert & Giuliano D'Angiolini

Yes not a composer on the photo ! Well Laszlo and me are not family related at all ! This great Abstract Photograph and me will do some verrrrrry nice things in a near futur !

Also Melaine is a very nice composer i know for year. He is doing some very abstract minimalist music , imagine Jean Catoire or Morton Feldman but ... more abstract !!!! He says to use some fractal technique .... but his style tends to be bit more lyrical on each new composition

Giuliano is a great italian composer , there should be some very nice things coming soon with him too

Robert Sarrade (and me)

Robert Sarrade is a pretty famous composer of Sardanes (a very special danse from South West of France) , i premiered one of his and we performed it couples of times (with danser and even once with a cello and him doing the flute ! ). It was always very fun, specially with those music , there is extremely few on the scores and everything has to follow the dansers themselves (with their strange beats )

LP Duo , Sandra & Jeroen Van Veen (me) and Antonio Correa

This pictures had been taken during a Canto Ostinato XL Festival where we performed all together for the grand finale (Simeon Ten Holt 's Canto Ostinato)

I know Jeroen van Veen for couples of years as he was one of the very very early birds to compose a Glass Hommage, he also wrote a 2 pianos pieces. Unfortunately i could never play it (as i don't do often 2 pianos concerts unfortunately). He was always kind and introduced me to a lot of very strange minimalistics pieces and composers. It is great to see his evolution thought his great numbers of Minimal Preludes. I am really looking forward the pleasure to see his new music and also to perform with him !

Antonio Correa was met during this festival. It was for me quite a stunning shock. It would be difficult to describle his style. Maybe a mixture of late Morton Feldman and John Cage 's Dreaming ?

I really liked his music and as a result he wrote a very nice piece to me. I am still hopping for a Glass Hommage as he promised it since quite a lot of time now !

Craig Shepard , Paul A. Epstein (me) and William Susman

Yes again a group picture ! I will this time talk only about Craig Shepard nice and peacefull music.  He is one of the newest composer i met, and curiously , while i was aware (and liked his style) , and was on my way to ask him if he would be interested to be part of my GlassWorlds project, he just had finished a brand new piece that was exactly meeting my expectation ! Fate !

When we met (unfortunately he could not stay for diner with all of us) , he gave me his latest (well on early 2015) album and i was very surprised by his newest compositions , the walking in NYC ...

Again, i can't wait to have more of his music !

Anna Korotkina (and me)

It was after my recital at the House of Composer in Belarus that i had the pleasure to meet Anna Korotkina. She is at the head of the Composer Union in Belarus and has a very strong and personal style, a nice mixture of spectralism and graphic notation (but not too orthodox in both way). I received a nice package of scores and cds and i am looking forward having an opportunity to perform them. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get music from this country as their musical editorial system is purely catastrophic. A whole world to discover !

Olivier Innoncenti (and me)

A wonderful picture made by Olivier 's wife Florence Innoncenti. Olivier is a very gifted electroacoustic composer from Monaco (like me). He is most famous for his ballet. I have the luck to have me Olivier since i am a kid in the Monaco Academy of Music. He was like a big brother to me as he was the very first in Monaco to have won an international competition (he is also a very talented Bayan / Accordion / Egenhard player) , study abroad, having a teacher position in a conservatory .... etc etc .... Now we see pretty often and we collaborate as much as we can (he also participate time to time in my S.A.I. Ensemble).

Kanstantsin Yaskou  (and me)

Kanstantsin is a very great composer from Belarus, i am very happy that he wrote one of the most interesting (in its conception) hommage for my GlassWorlds Project. In fact he was able to see the similarties of Glass harmonic evolution with the Moonlight Sonata and then recreated a Philip Glass version of this cult piece. While i was in Belarus we exchanged a lot and really matched very well. His piece is always very successful and this is why i chosen it to be part of my Carnegie Hall debut !

I am really looking forward his new evolution and chances to meet again !

More to come .... when i will find the pictures !!!