Ever since her first Mozart disc in 2000, the French pianist Vanessa Wagner has wanted to make another recording of his music. Her ‘encounter’ with Clementi stimulated her to do so and to bring together on a single disc these two composers who have so often been compared.
Since 2008 she has also played the fortepiano in concert with a delight matched only by her initial timidity and reluctance to tackle period instruments!
Like Alain Planès, with whom she has worked, Vanessa Wagner likes to think of herself as a keyboardist as much as a pianist. Her frequentation of the fortepiano opened a new door in her musical itinerary. She enjoys the technique it calls for, the attitude required of the musician confronted with these fragile instruments, the intimate sound it produces, the nostalgic charm it exudes.
To alternate between the instruments seemed natural to her, and she now does so as often as possible in concert. Far from merely wishing to ‘make an impression’, she finds it gives genuine meaning and a new perspective to the listening experience.
Vanessa Wagner has always tried to create her own career path, a trajectory that seems natural, free and coherent to her. This disc exemplifies her approach.
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