Le chant du piano, de Bach Ă Gershwin
Sergei Babayan, piano
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Salle Bourgie
4 dĂ©cembre Ă 19h30  En entamant un cycle intitulĂ© Chants, Sergei Babayan intrigue. Le piano ne chante pas, il frappe. Et pourtant, sous les doigts de lâartiste, lâinstrument devient souffle et voix. Faire chanter le piano, câest transcender la mĂ©canique pour atteindre une ligne qui respire, qui parle. Dans les Lieder de Schubert transcrits par Liszt â Gretchen am Spinnrade, Erlkönig, StĂ€ndchen â le chant sans mots renaĂźt : le clavier halĂšte, implore, murmure. Liszt lui-mĂȘme, avec ses Romances et Hymnes, explore la frontiĂšre entre son et Ă©motion pure. Les transcriptions de Rachmaninoff, Volodos et Wild prolongent cette quĂȘte : le piano y respire comme une voix aimĂ©e. Dans la seconde partie, Babayan tisse un monde de chants intĂ©rieurs : Komitas, Mompou, FaurĂ©, Poulenc ou Gershwin font vibrer la mĂ©moire populaire, entre mĂ©lancolie et lumiĂšre. Faire chanter le piano, câest faire entendre la prĂ©sence humaine dans un instrument de marteaux et de cordes : un art du murmure et de lâaveu, oĂč chaque note devient mot, chaque silence, respiration. PRENEZ VOS BILLETS  Jean-SĂ©bastien vous parle de Sergei Babayan. Anecdote: Une leçon de Chopin
Un jour, FrĂ©dĂ©ric Chopin donnait une leçon Ă lâune de ses Ă©lĂšves les plus douĂ©es. Elle jouait juste, avec grĂące, mais son jeu manquait de cette magie quâil appelait le chant intĂ©rieur.
AprĂšs lâavoir Ă©coutĂ©e, Chopin posa la main sur le clavier et dit simplement : « Vous frappez les notes, moi je les touche. Et le piano, alors, me parle. » Anecdote: Rachmaninov et le secret d’une note chantĂ©e
Lors dâune rĂ©pĂ©tition Ă New York, un jeune pianiste jouait une Ćuvre de Sergei Rachmaninov en sa prĂ©sence. AprĂšs quelques mesures, le compositeur leva la main : « Non, non⊠cette note ne chante pas encore. »
Le pianiste, dĂ©concertĂ©, recommença. Rachmaninov sâapprocha, posa son immense main sur la sienne et fit rĂ©sonner une seule note â la mĂȘme â mais dâun son profond. Puis il ajouta doucement : « Le secret, ce nâest pas la force. Câest la patience du son. Laisse-le naĂźtre et mourir comme une voix. » Notre sĂ©lection musicale autour de Sergei Babayan.
DĂ©couvrez la playlist de notre Directrice Artistique sur Qobuz  Histoire et musique Les artisans font chanter l’instrument Faire chanter un piano nâest pas seulement un art dâinterprĂšte : câest aussi un dĂ©fi de facteur. Depuis plus de deux siĂšcles, des artisans comme Ărard, Steinway ou Fazioli cherchent Ă donner Ă lâinstrument une voix vivante, capable de respirer comme un chanteur. Parce quâun piano ne peut prolonger naturellement le son, tout son Ă©quilibre repose sur lâart de faire vibrer la matiĂšre : la table dâharmonie en Ă©picĂ©a agit comme un diaphragme, les marteaux de feutre façonnent la douceur de lâattaque, et lâĂ©chappement double inventĂ© par Ărard permet le legato, cet enchaĂźnement continu oĂč la phrase devient souffle. Les facteurs de piano ont ainsi offert aux artistes la possibilitĂ© dâun miracle : transformer un instrument de percussions en instrument de chant. Encore faut-il, comme Sergei Babayan, que le musicien en rĂ©vĂšle lâĂąme. Consultez en ligne l’ensemble de la programmation du festival : PROGRAMMATION 2025 The song of the piano, from Bach to Gershwin
Sergei Babayan, piano
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Bourgie Hall
December 4, 7:30 pm  Sergei Babayan intrigues us by beginning a cycle entitled âSongs.â The piano does not sing; it strikes. And yet, under the artist’s fingers, the instrument becomes breath and voice. To make the piano sing is to transcend mechanics and reach a line that breathes, that speaks. From the Aria of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, the melody unfolds like a suspended prayer. Then, in Schubert’s Lieder transcribed by LisztâGretchen am Spinnrade, Erlkönig, StĂ€ndchenâwordless song is reborn: the keyboard gasps, implores, whispers. Liszt himself, with his Romances and Hymns, explores the boundary between sound and pure emotion. The transcriptions by Rachmaninoff, Volodos, and Wild continue this quest: the piano breathes like a beloved voice. In the second part, Babayan weaves a world of inner songs: Komitas, Mompou, FaurĂ©, Poulenc, and Gershwin stir the popular memory, between melancholy and light. To make the piano sing is to make the human presence heard in an instrument of hammers and strings: an art of whispering and confession, where each note becomes a word, each silence a breath. BUY YOUR TICKETS Anecdote: A lesson from Chopin One day, FrĂ©dĂ©ric Chopin was giving a lesson to one of his most gifted students. She played accurately and gracefully, but her playing lacked what he called âinner song.â After listening to her, Chopin placed his hand on the keyboard and simply said: âYou strike the notes, I touch them. And then the piano speaks to me.â Anecdote: Rachmaninoff and the secret of a sung note
During a rehearsal in New York, a young pianist was playing a piece by Sergei Rachmaninoff in his presence. After a few bars, the composer raised his hand:
âNo, no… that note isn’t singing yet.â
« The pianist, bewildered, started again. Rachmaninoff approached, placed his huge hand on the pianist’s and played a single noteâthe same oneâbut with a deep, vibrant sound. Then he added softly: âThe secret is not strength. It is the patience of the sound. Let it be born and die like a voice.â Our musical selection for Sergei Babayan.
Discover our Artistic Director’s playlist on Qobuz.  History and Instruments The artisans make the instrument sing Making a piano sing is not only an art of performance: it is also a challenge for the maker. For more than two centuries, craftsmen such as Ărard, Steinway, and Fazioli have sought to give the instrument a living voice, capable of breathing like a singer. Because a piano cannot naturally prolong sound, its entire balance depends on the art of making the material vibrate: the spruce soundboard acts as a diaphragm, the felt hammers shape the softness of the attack, and the double escapement invented by Ărard allows for legato, that continuous sequence where the phrase becomes breath. Piano makers have thus offered artists the possibility of a miracle: transforming a percussion instrument into a singing instrument. But, as Sergei Babayan, the musician must still reveal its soul. Have a look at the program on our web site : 2025 PROGRAM PARTENAIRES – PARTNERS  |
