Vanessa Wagner - Flying Over the Keys

We caught up with French pianist Vanessa Wagner on the occasion of the release of her latest album, “Study Of The Invisible”, in which she reworks with minimalist grace the music of Philip Glass, Ezio Bosso, Susanne Ciani, Brian and Roger Eno, Murcof, Moondog and many others. An album that showcases the curiosity and depth of one of the most refined musicians on the French neoclassical scene.

What was it like moving from Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Ravel to post-minimalist composers like Peter Garland, David Lang and Julia Wolfe?

I started playing this repertoire after years spent playing only what's called the “great repertoire”. I approached it in a relatively similar way, bringing to it all my technical background and the very keen attention I have for the colors and timbres of the piano. Of course the means are different, because in Rachmaninov or Scriabin, for instance, there's a different profusion of notes, and there are explosive sensations and very rich harmonies. So-called minimalist music has a barer, more inward approach, and I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to play it with any real depth of understanding if I'd approached it when I was younger.

Why did you decide to title the album “Study Of The Invisible”?

This record was made in the middle of the pandemic, when all the concert halls were closed and we had no social ties, no cultural outlook, and we artists couldn't perform on stage. I asked my label Infiné if I could record, and it was like a lifeline for me — I really feel it saved me. I worked a lot, deciphered scores, discovered new pieces, and then got down to work. I also called up a beautiful auditorium where I'd already recorded two albums, and they opened their doors for 4 days. The building was completely empty, it was just me, my sound engineer and the piano tuner. A strange, solitary feeling that also shaped the record. We were all separated, all deprived of the essence of our lives. Taking refuge in music this powerful, this melancholic, was a great comfort to me. I built the tracklist like a story, with a beginning and an end, tying everything together with invisible words, secret stories. There's a lot of sensuality in these tracks. When I later saw Laurent Pernot's sculpture in an art gallery, I found it very soft, very tender and also very mysterious. That feeling of intimacy, closeness and distance at the same time matched exactly what I wanted to express on this record.

Tell us an anecdote about your collaboration with Mexican producer Murcof. What was it like working with him, and what did it leave you with?

It was with him that I began approaching the repertoire of Cage, Glass or Arvo Part. We worked together for several years, and our album “Statea” was a real turning point in my career. That's where I started to discover what place I wanted to occupy in the musical landscape. I realized I wanted to explore paths other than the ones laid out for classical musicians. We played a lot of concerts together internationally, and I can't wait to continue the collaboration, since I regularly hear people talking about our record together.

What does the album cover symbolize for you? Why do two stone lips touch — is there a hidden meaning?

These mouths, both living and frozen, symbolize the mystery and sensuality that this music gives off.

When did you start playing piano?

I started by chance, when my great-grandmother's piano arrived at my house. I remember perfectly my first lesson, in the apartment of the person who introduced me to the piano for a few months.

What advice would you give to a young person who wants to start playing piano?

Be curious, listen to lots of music, and work. Cultivate your freedom, your curiosity, your uniqueness, stay alert, broaden the scope of your knowledge, avoid becoming envious, avoid getting sucked into the world of appearances.

You reinterpreted Caroline Shaw's “Gustave Le Gray.” What struck you about this young rising star of music?

I discovered this piece while listening to “Orange,” an album I really love. This piece is strange, it approaches different styles very freely and has a strong harmonic power. It's very mature for such a young composer.

Did you ever meet Bosso? Why did you choose “Prima delle 6”?

I discovered the pianist and the character before I discovered “Before 6.” I immediately liked his freedom, as well as his eccentricity. I don't like all of his compositions, but “Prima delle 6” is incredible and full of melancholy.

What's the most unusual place you've ever played piano?

I've played in many surprising places, and I really like the idea of stepping outside the usual concert halls. The most incredible was the time I played at the Mafate circus on Reunion Island. It was the only time in my life I agreed to play an upright piano, because it wasn't possible to bring in a grand piano. People were lying in the grass all around me - it was pure magic.

You've performed all over Europe and in Italy too, including at the Romaeuropa Festival and Teatro Franco Parenti in Milan. What's your connection to Italy? 

Italy is the country closest to my heart - part of my family is there, and my husband was born at Villa Medici in Rome. I've spent most of my travels in Italy, especially in Tuscany, which I love more than anything else.

When will a new album of unreleased compositions arrive?

There will be some remixes, and I've recorded more pieces than could fit on the album. I'll continue with a sequel to “[Inland],” my first album of this kind, and “Study.”

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