Our December Recording of the Month is a refreshing new interpretation of Bartók’s three piano concertos by Pierre-Laurent Aimard recorded with the San Francisco Symphony under Esa-Pekka Salonen. Sweeping away the dust of received tradition, the French pianist’s readings are as crisp and clean as a newly restored Old Master.
Clive Paget caught up with Aimard to learn more about his enthusiasms for Bartók and all things Hungarian, the various demands of these cornerstones of 20th-century repertoire, and the joy of making music with such a special conductor.
What were your earliest experiences with Bartók’s music?
It goes back to very young years, with Mikrokosmos, a fascinating pedagogical adventure that immerses you in all musical dimensions. It teaches you how to speak, how to sing, how to organize, how to play, how to imagine, how to construct. Bartók really is a composer who invites you to share the heart of music making.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Photo © Marco Borggreve
I believe you spent time in Hungary and even learned Hungarian.
That’s true. My God, 35 years ago, something like that, if not more! I went very often. In the 70s and...
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