14. Pierre-Laurent Aimard: what he learned from Ligeti, the expectations we have of performers, and why the piano world isn't his priority

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard is widely known as an authority figure in contemporary music, and also for shedding new light on music of the past. His international concert career has already spanned several decades, with an enormous discography to boot, all of which he has carried out alongside a dedicated commitment to teaching. In 1973, at the age of 16, he won first prize in the Messiaen Competition, and three years later was invited by Pierre Boulez to be the first solo pianist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. In addition to Boulez, he has collaborated very closely with leading composers like Kurtag, Birtwhistle, Ligeti, and Messiaen, having given countless world premieres over the course of his career.In this episode, Pierre-Laurent talks about his new recording of Schubert Ländler, what he learned from Ligeti and Messiaen, what we expect from performers as members of an audience, and why he’s not actually *that* taken with the piano world.-------------------Buy Pierre-Laurent's new release, 'Schubert: Ländler' here-------------------Pierre-Laurent's links:WebsiteInstagramX (formerly Twitter)Facebook-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*No offence taken if not.--------------------This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel--------------------Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les MaillotinsPerformed by Daniel Lebhardt--------------------The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.