Round:
Date:
Concert hall:
April 18, 1985
France
cello
Graduated from the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance after which he studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart and the University of Music Freiburg (under Prof. Jean-Guihen Queyras). He has won…
Get to know him better!Which people would you invite as guests to your dream dinner party?
Roger Federer, Alain Ducasse, Radu Lupu.
What is your favorite meal?
Cheese
Do you have a favorite motto or proverb that you live your life by?
Everybody is different and everybody is the same.
Which person or people inspire you the most?
My girlfriend.
If you were 80 years old, what advice would you give to young people today?
Keep your eyes and your ears open.
What would you like people to say about you?
If somebody could say that I made some aspect of their life more interesting or more beautiful, it would make me very happy.
How do you overcome the stage fright? / What is your ritual before going on stage?
Unfortunately, I have no idea...
When you perform... who are you playing for?
It basically depends on the piece and on my mood. It can be for myself or for somebody in particular listening in the room.
What job would you least like to do?
Policeman.
Is there a joke about musicians that you would like to share with us?
What is the difference between God and a conductor? God doesn’t think he’s a conductor.
What's the "most played" non-classical track on your phone?
Tom Jobim, Chovendo na roseira.
You are on a desert island and can bring only 3 items, what do you bring?
A book of poems by Baudelaire, a chess set, and it would probably be difficult to avoid bringing a cello.
What is your favorite noise/sound? What is the most annoying noise for you?
There is nothing like a great singer’s voice. And there’s nothing I can stand less than nails scratching a violin string...
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
Venice
What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word Tchaikovsky?
Some of the beautiful melodies from the symphonies or the operas.
What is the first thing you think about when you hear the word competition?
All kind of memories, good and bad. But above all, all the great people I could get to know through competitions and everything I learnt about music and about myself.
Repertoire:
György Kurtág. Five pieces for cello from “Signs, Games, and Messages”: “Jelek I”, “Jelek II”, Op. 5b; and “Pilinszky János: Gérard de Nerval, Az hit, Schatten”
Franz Schubert. Sonata in A minor for cello and piano (“Arpeggione”), D. 821
Dmitri Shostakovich. Sonata in D minor for cello and piano, Op. 40: first movement “Allegro non troppo” and second movement “Allegro”
Gregor Piatigorsky. “Variations on a Theme of Paganini” for cello and piano
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