Pianist Marc Laforet Comes to Atlanta

What do Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mitsuko Uchida, Ingrid Fliter and Marc Laforet have in common? Besides being brilliant pianists with distinguished international careers, they all won the Second Prize at the International Frederic Chopin Competition in Warsaw, and later proved that it is often the runners-up who make their name in the music world.

Chopin Society of Atlanta had the great pleasure of hosting Ingrid Fliter in October 2005, and now we will have a chance to admire yet another remarkable talented pianist from the list above, Marc Laforet, whose poetic touch has been widely appreciated. Audiences world wide are ecstatic, and critics are raving: “Laforet's way of playing Chopin…defies time and space,” Westdeutche Allgemeine Zeitung; “Laforet plays like one writes poems,” La Tribune; “Laforet fascinates the audience by…the extent of his expressive palette from deepest melancholy to passionate fervor,” Darmstadter Echo; “…musicality plus intelligence supported by perfect technique and supple, willing fingers,” Het Parol.

Laforet has won other prestigious awards, including First Place at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York (1985), and thus joined a list of its laureates, which includes such famous artists as Pinchas Zukerman, Emanuel Ax, Dawn Upshaw and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. When I talked to him about the stress involved with participating in music competitions, he confessed that during all those competitions he did not feel any pressure, and that certainly helped him to be successful. “Which honor do you cherish most?” I asked. “It was of course the different awards I won during the Warsaw Chopin Competition,” he said. “It is really a magical competition for pianists, especially for me, because, having been inexperienced in competitions, I had no particular expectations or objectives.” With the recognition at these renowned competitions came great success at major concert halls all over the world and collaboration with the greatest conductors, like Daniel Barenboim and Vladimir Ashkenazy.

Along with Vladimir Ashkenazy and Murray Perahia, Marc Laforet has also given master classes. When I asked him how he would compare their teaching approaches to his, he said, “I am lucky to know and to be acquainted with these two fantastic musicians, and to benefit from their precious advice. I do not have the pretension to compare my teaching approach to theirs. I would only say that Murray Perahia tends to aim his advice through his unlimited knowledge of harmony, and wants to give structure to pieces. Vladimir Ashkanazy uses more of his exceptional musical feeling to communicate life and color to every piece he plays.”

Laforet's talent was recognized at a very early age, and he had the great honor and pleasure of studying with Arthur Rubinstein. “These were some magical and unforgettable moments of my youth!” he recalls. “When you are 8 years old, to find yourself in front of your idol, who takes time to give you lessons, who gives you advice and makes you laugh at the same time, it leaves a mark on you for the rest of your life! Of course, it contributed to my passion towards Chopin.”

Chopin's music has an essential place in Marc Laforet's vast repertoire; he has recorded Chopin's concertos, waltzes and preludes. He finds it difficult, however, to choose a favorite Chopin piece. “One can always find the sparks of genius in them, even in those considered to be minor,” he adds. “Since my childhood, Chopin has been my favorite composer, who is deeply connected to my spirit and my heart, and with whom I feel to be in a natural 'osmosis.'” On October 17, 1999, on the very night of the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death, Marc Laforet played in the composer's house on Place Vend?me in Paris. He was thrilled by this event, which he called “a very special experience, and also an honor! At that very moment, the entire world was celebrating the commemoration, and there I was, at the heart of the event. That special evening I felt a very strong emotional force, which generated a 'supplement' of inspiration.”

Marc Laforet is an artistic adviser of the annual European Young Concert Artists Auditions in Paris, where he is in charge of the selection for the preliminary auditions and co-president of the jury throughout the entire competition. In 2003, he founded and has since been artistic director of Les Grands Crus Musicaux, a music festival that takes place every July in prestigious castles around Bordeaux, France, and is accompanied by wine tasting. “I created this festival because I wanted to build an artistic project to gather prestigious musicians but also young and less known ones, in a friendly, yet atypical and exceptional setting.”

Marc Laforet will be playing an all-Chopin recital on May 6, 2007, at 7:00 PM at the Roswell Arts Cultural Center. For the pianist's full biography, please visit www.chopinatlanta.org.