lsmX-1 ml1 - La Scena Musicale

CD DÉCOUVERTE
La Scena Musicale readers will receive a copy of
Canadian pianist Lucille Chung’s new recording
with XXI Records of Saint-Saëns’s piano transcriptions.
This free Discovery CD is offered
exclusively to paying subscribers of La Scena
Musicale and in copies sold at newsstands.
LUCILLE CHUNG
SAINT-SAËNS PIANO
TRANSCRIPTIONS
Wah Keung Chan
Piano transcriptions became popular
in the 19th century, as the invention
of the modern piano allowed orchestral
works to be presented in the
salon. Playing such works often
required a piano virtuoso such as Franz Liszt, who
famously transcribed all nine Beethoven symphonies.
A new recording of Saint-Saëns’ Piano
Transcriptions by Montreal-born pianist Lucille
Chung on XXI Records shines light on composer
Camille Saint-Saëns and his piano transcriptions.
“Most people don’t realize that Saint-Saëns was
one of the best pianists of his generation. His
understanding of piano playing comes through in
his compositions,”said Chung, recounting the story
of how Saint-Saëns capped his debut recital in Paris
at age 10 by offering to play any of the 32
Beethoven Sonatas by memory as an encore. He
was a multi-faceted figure who was also interested
in philosophy, science and mathematics, in addition
to being an organist and composer. “One really
can grasp all the interesting characteristics in his
music: playfulness, exoticism, rhythm, elf-like
charm, refinement,” said Chung. “Stylistically, he is
between Liszt and Ravel. A true French classicist, his
approach is very elegant, fresh, unabashed and yet
very virtuosic. I love his use of counterpoint.”
PLAYING TRANSCRIPTIONS
For Chung, the challenges of playing transcriptions
are to make the piano and the orchestra
parts sound credible as one, and to preserve the
right colours and nuances. Bizet was also a great
pianist, and his transcription of Saint-Saëns’
Concerto No. 2 was just right. “I knew of course
what the orchestra should sound like,” said
Chung. “And also the timing—an orchestra is
much more ample, vast, and takes more sound—
so the timing is different from just playing solo
parts. I studied the score and the instrumentation
to know what should come out each time. It’s
important to get the same character as the
orchestral piece, to sound like strings here or timpani
there; to also make it sound more like a dialogue.”
Chung acknowledged the immense stamina
required to achieve orchestral breadth in a piano
transcription with only two hands and a keyboard,
especially in concertos that combine an
already virtuosic solo piano part with an entire
orchestral accompaniment. For example, Saint-
Saëns’ transcription of his “Africa” Fantasy for
Piano and Orchestra is fiendishly difficult. Chung
notes that the composer himself added a note
allowing the performer to make a cut, admitting
that the work is exhausting to perform. He even
made the cut in his own recording. “But I didn’t
do the cut,” said Chung. “I did the whole thing.”
CHUNG’S BACKGROUND
Like Saint-Saëns, Lucille Chung herself also has the
pedigree of a piano prodigy. At age 10, she made
her debut with the Montreal Symphony and
Charles Dutoit – surprising given that she started
piano lessons only at age six, as a social activity
just to be with other kids. “My parents didn’t own
a piano and I never practiced,” confessed Chung,
who credits her first teacher Yolande Gaudreau for
giving her new challenges such as entering her in
frequent competitions. When Chung became too
advanced, Gaudreau took her for lessons with
Sister Lucille Brassard. “When I really became
good, my parents finally decided to buy a piano,”
she said. At age 13, Chung convinced her parents to
let her leave home to study at the prestigious
Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, followed
by the Juilliard School. She furthered her studies in
Germany and Italy and lastly the SMU Meadows
School of the Arts under Joaquin Achúcarro.
Each country gave her something different. At
Curtis, she learned all the Bach Preludes and
Fugues and became immersed in chamber music.
At Juilliard, she profited from the wealth of symphony
orchestras and operas that flourished in
the city, attending as many concerts as she could.
“In Europe, I felt more alone. There was not the
same “structure” as in America. So I traveled a lot
to master classes, opened my eyes to different cultures,
learned the languages,” she explained..
Chung’s diverse educational background is evident
in the scope of repertoire she performs.“I feel
the need to have a balance of different styles in my
programme. Some musicians can specialize in a
composer or style but I really enjoy how working
within one style can make me look at another in a
different light,” she said. A Ligeti project influenced
her later interpretations of Bach, while her knowledge
of Bach provided a solid base for interpreting
Ligeti. For Chung, music transcends its stylistic and
historical roots: “In the end we are so lucky to live
with an art form that is timeless, and this is why
classical music is still relevant today.”
ADVICE
Chung’s views on musical education for children are
relaxed and flexible. “Every student is different and
his or her relationship to the instrument is different.
But if I see deep interest, I would focus on keeping
the child’s motivation alive, making music fun,” she
asserted. She encourages a rounded education that
includes a wide range of repertoire as well as
solfège and harmony training and even some composition,
providing students with the tools “to decipher
the musical language on their own.”She urges
parents to choose schools based on individual
teachers rather than the school’s reputation. And
most importantly, “true talent always emerges no
matter where you are or where you come from.” ■
PHOTO : LISA-MARIE MAZZUCCO
10 Novembre 2009 November