Delicious global repertoire with a hint of Gallic

Cedric Tiberghien says he has a broad musical appetite. Photo / Supplied

Cedric Tiberghien may have chosen the most Gallic of all concertos when he plays Ravel with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra next Thursday but the following evening, in recital, the young Frenchman branches out to Liszt, Bartok and Brahms.

France, it seems, is not always as appreciative of its home-grown musicians. "There's usually more interest in a young Romanian or Chinese pianist, or the latest Russian star," he says, quoting the French equivalent of the proverb about a prophet not being honoured in his own country.

"That was the case with Jean-Yves Thibaudet. He plays a few times a year in France, but is a big star in Europe and America. He wasn't recognised in his own country at first and now, when the French want him back, he says they refused to have him 25 years ago and it's too late."

Even though Tiberghien made his name by carrying off first prize in Paris's Long-Thibaut Competition back in 1998, he was already determined to look beyond the French border for repertoire.

"I played so much French music as a teenager and I didn't want to be put into a compartment as a French pianist who only played French music. I'm very curious and, even if I can't play everything I love, I decided to stop doing French music for a while."

Yet Thursday's Ravel Concerto, written for and premiered by the same Marguerite Long who founded the competition he won, is a work close to his heart.

"It's spectacularly brilliant. You have to play it like a game or a small opera. In fact I always think of Mozart's operas when I do this concerto."

Tiberghien stresses there is so much more going on here than mere elegance and stylishness.

"It has wonderful clarity, to be sure, but it has much more. Sometimes Ravel is played with the chiselled perfection of diamonds but without that essential sensuality that reminds me of Baudelaire's poetry."

There is a strong Hungarian connection running through Tiberghien's Friday recital and the pianist's preparation entailed immersing himself in Hungarian folk-song. Tiberghien's explanation? "You hear how these people speak and how to catch the special rhythm of their music."

Brahms' Hungarian Dances may seem the odd man out alongside Bartok and Tiberghien smilingly admits these dances are closer to "tourist postcards from Hungary" than the real thing.

"I was stunned by what goes on under the melodies, with all those special harmonies. They're so fantastically written for the piano, with as many notes in the solo version as there are in the original duets."

If Friday's performance matches Tiberghien's exultant account of the pieces on his recent Harmonia Mundi CD, then this year's Fazioli International Piano series at the museum may open with one of the best concerts of the season.

Edith Piaf famously regretted nothing but this young man confesses quite freely that he envies the singers of the world, whether they be soprano Natalie Dessay, the ever-unpredictable Bjork or Beth Gibbons of Portishead.

"The voice is so alive; you can't cheat. You never stop cheating with a piano. You fake legato, you fake a singing tone. Singers can't. They have to breathe, to drive and feel the direction of the line, and that's the pianist's dream. My most beautiful moments come when I'm working with singers, because that's when I feel the power of the music most strongly.

"A piano can be so mechanical but, with the voice, you must feel deeply for the things you perform."

Again, judging from Tiberghien's playing of the Brahms Opus 76 on his recent CD, Auckland audiences can expect no less than the purest poetry.

Performance

What: Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Where and when: Auckland Town Hall, Thursday 8pm

What: Cedric Tiberghien in recital
Where and when: Auckland Museum, Friday 8pm

On disc: Cedric Tiberghien, Hungarian Dances (Harmonia Mundi, through Ode Records)