‘It is a certain responsibility’

Last December, you travelled to Hamburg to select a new concert grand piano for the Tonhalle Zurich at the Steinway factory. How many times have you been there?

That was my sixth or seventh time; I’ve selected grand pianos for orchestras and concert halls on several occasions. One of them is in Geneva, and I also chose the new Steinway for Bern. I’ve never been to Hamburg for my own purposes: I bought my first Steinway in Lugano, and it’s still at my parents’ house. I tried out a second one in Hanover and liked it straight away. And then I was given two instruments as gifts: one from my teacher Cécile Ousset, and a second one which once belonged to the pianist Witold Małcużyński.

Did you have a specific brief for Zurich?

It was clear that I should choose a powerful instrument. The Grosse Tonhalle is no small hall, so the sound really needs to carry. Moreover, the grand piano is used primarily in orchestral concerts, so it has to hold its own against a large orchestra. I’ve played with the ‘ Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich ’ several times and know just how much the grand piano has to deliver. At the same time, you have to be careful: a powerful instrument can quickly become garish. But we wanted a grand piano that, whilst capable of making a real impact when the score calls for it, can also sound rounded during loud passages. The orchestra has this wonderful sound, after all, and the grand piano has to complement it.

And did you find a grand piano like that?

Yes! That’s not something you can take for granted. When Ilona Schmiel approached me, I told her straight away that we might have to travel to Hamburg two or three times – the selection of instruments is different every time, after all. But we were lucky; we agreed on one pretty quickly on the very first attempt. I was able to try out eleven or twelve grand pianos, and there really was one that sounded powerful, but not just shrill and percussive – it also possessed the full richness of tone.

Which pieces did you use to test the instruments?

I had about ten excerpts from a wide variety of works with me, ranging from Scarlatti to contemporary pieces. It’s important to try out the full range. If you then play the same passages on all the grand pianos, you get a good comparison of what an instrument can and cannot do.

Now the new Steinway is in the Grosse Tonhalle …

… and this is where the second part of the work begins. Before my recital, I’ll be coming to Zurich to set up the instrument together with the technician Jean-Christoph Hannig – that’s incredibly important. A concert hall is quite different from a dry Steinway room in Hamburg – and it’s astonishing how much more you can get out of an instrument if it’s in good condition.

What do you look out for during this process?

It’s about ensuring that every register comes through clearly, that the bass notes are strong enough, and that everything sounds balanced. After all, frequencies are reflected differently in every room – so it may be that everything sounds balanced in one spot, but in another, an octave suddenly sounds too quiet or too loud. So I’ll play a few pieces, the technician listens from the auditorium, and then we discuss our impressions. Once we’re in agreement, he works on these details.

At the recital to inaugurate the grand piano, you’ll be playing works by Schubert and Liszt. What was the reason behind this programme?

On the one hand, they are two of my favourite pieces. Schubert’s Sonata in G major, D 894, with its incredible breadth and tranquillity – it is deeply moving, contemplative, inward-looking music. Even in the more folksy passages, there is always a sense of something profound and existential. Liszt’s ‘Swiss Book’ from *Années de pèlerinage* also has poetic, idyllic moments; but the nature reflected in these pieces can also be very menacing. The pilgrimage referred to in the title is not meant in a strictly religious sense, but rather as a journey through nature and, at the same time, through inner worlds. As a Swiss person, I feel a particular affinity for this music: I know these landscapes and the immediate experience of the mountains very well. That is why, for me, these pieces are far more than romantic depictions of nature – they also tell of a pilgrimage to one’s true self.

Have you tried performing these works in Hamburg yet?

Yes, because you need an instrument that allows for such contrasts. You have to be able to realise the very subtle nuances, but also the stormy elements.

When you choose an instrument, do you also feel a sense of responsibility towards all the colleagues who will be playing it?

The important thing is simply to ensure that the instrument is truly top-class: that the action works perfectly, that it’s well suited to the concert hall. I can guarantee that – after all, I’m in concert all the time and have plenty of experience comparing it with other grand pianos. But of course, ultimately it’s my taste, so that does entail a certain responsibility. That said, the grand piano will change over time: every pianist has a different vision – some prefer the sound a little brighter, others a little darker; the instrument is readjusted and tuned anew for every programme. It may well be that, in two or three years’ time, it will sound slightly different to how it does now at the inauguration.