Piotr Anderszewski in an interview

"My ideal sound is silence."

Piotr Anderszewski is one of the most prominent pianists of his generation and a regular guest in all the world's major concert halls. He has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, the London and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, which he has also conducted from the piano. Recitals have taken him to London's Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Carnegie Hall, and Hamburg's Laeiszhalle.

Classicpoint.net: You took a six-month break from performing to rest and recharge. Did you change during this time?
No, I didn't notice any change.

What is most important to you when interpreting a work?
What is most important to me is that the work is interpreted in a lively, personal, and authentic way.

You have very high standards for yourself. Do these standards always remain the same, or do they change with age?
Of course, they change with age. You become more demanding about certain things and less critical about others. You develop; that's normal.

Do you prefer playing live or in the studio?
Those are two different things that can't be compared. That's why I can't choose one over the other.

How would you describe your ideal sound?
Silence.

As a pianist, you spend a lot of time alone. How do you deal with this loneliness?
There are a thousand ways to overcome loneliness: books, meditation, your thoughts, cooking, wine.

You live in Lisbon and Paris when you're not traveling. Where do you feel at home?
I feel at home wherever I am.

You read a lot. What books are currently on your waiting list?
There are so many books I'd love to read...

You also made a film about Warsaw: Je m'appelle Varsovie. Can you tell us something about it?
It's a very personal film. Warsaw is my birthplace. This city has shaped me profoundly. With this film, I wanted to free myself from a burden. It was a kind of self-therapy. These are personal images of the city, through which I try to express what I feel about it.

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.net | July 1, 2018
© Photo: Simon Fowler