Cedric Tiberghien

French pianist Cédric Tiberghien is one of the 12 participants in the BBC's New Generation scheme and he will be performing two of Robert Schumann’s pieces at the Edinburgh International Festival this year.

Cédric, aged 30, started learning to play the piano when he was five-years-old, but insists his parents never pushed him.

“It was so long ago I don’t remember much about it, but when I was two or three-years-old I was allowed to make some noise on my parents’ friend’s piano.  After that I kept asking my parents about learning to play.  I started lessons on my fifth birthday.

“In the beginning I didn’t practice much; I only played for an hour a day. In fact, my parents never asked me to practise. After two or three years, it became a lot more than just a hobby. When I was 14-years-old, I entered the Conservatoire National Superior de la Musique in Paris. I was quite young to enter the school since a lot of people enter when they’re 21-years-old,” says Cédric.

After finishing his training, Cédric won the 1999 Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris. Since then he has performed and recorded with prestigious orchestras all over the world including the Orchestre National de France and the Orchestre de Paris. However, nerves aren’t a problem for him.

“On the day of a performance, it takes me all day to prepare mentally,” says Cédric. “Before a performance I am quiet and calm. I am not nervous. I just let the energy inside me get bigger, so when the concert starts I have this energy within me that I can use.

“Playing in a competition is just like performing in a concert. I just want to share the music with everyone there. In competitions I think it’s important to forget that you are competing. You should just think of the music as a way of telling a story.

“Although I don’t get nervous before a concert, sometimes when I am working and I have a lot of pieces to prepare I do feel worried. I know I am worried because I just want to do my best to make people feel the same emotions as I do. Then I get nervous because I’m not sure I can achieve that. However, when I get to a concert, I just forget about everything and play.”

Although Cédric has performed all over the world, he is yet to see Scotland properly. The BBC’s New Generation Scheme provides 12 up-and-coming international groups or artists with opportunities to develop their talents. Cédric has already recorded with the BBC orchestras and appeared at the Proms.

“My favourite country is the UK. The quality of the audiences in this country is stunning. They love and understand the music and they expect a lot each time they come to a concert. The BBC’s New Generation Scheme has given me the opportunity to perform with a lot of people and I feel most fortunate,” says Cédric.

“Although I have played in Glasgow and Perth I don’t know Scotland very well. I came to practice and then ended up performing in the concert halls but I hope to have more time to look at the cities and learn more about the history.”

Apart from sightseeing, Cédric is looking forward to performing in the Scottish capital. He says, “When I was told I could perform at the Edinburgh International Festival I felt great joy but I was also a bit scared because it is such an important place to play. I chose my programme carefully and I love the pieces I am playing.

“With the piece, Kreisleriana, I felt I needed time to develop its sense and meaning.

“With the other piece, Davidsbündlertänze, it was just a dream. It’s just the most beautiful piece. It shows the whole personality of Schumann. Between these two pieces you get to understand how human he was and I will try to show this in my interpretation.”

From the amount of work Cédric puts into his music, it’s obvious how much he loves the piano.

“I think to be a good musician you have to live with intensity. It’s not just about being intense in front of your instrument, you have to feel things intensely everyday,” he says. “You have to be curious too. I think that’s important.”

Apart from sharing the music when he performs, Cédric also wants to connect with his audiences when he comes to Edinburgh. He says, “With the pieces I am playing at the Queens Hall, I feel that there are a lot of feelings involved. It is difficult to express with words. For example, maybe there is betrayal and trust, love and hate. I feel that Schumann was expressing what was in his heart, mind and soul with his music. The theme of duality features strongly in his music and I will try to communicate this to audiences.”

Although he has achieved so much, Cédric insists he is not being modest. “I don’t want to think that I am a good musician. No, I am not being modest; I just want to do my best.

“If one day I wake up and feel fed up with the piano I would stop playing. But it will definitely not happen. I have too many ambitions and so many dreams of playing new pieces, meeting other musicians and travelling. Everyday my ambitions get bigger. I feel I have found the perfect way to express myself. I don’t think there is a better way to do so. I will never grow bored with it. Music is not my job, it is my passion.”

Information correct at Apr 2007.

Related Links:

• www.cedrictiberghien.com
• www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/newgenerations
• www.eif.co.uk
• Glasgow Accueil