108: Cyprien Katsaris

Nikhil Hogan Show

My guest today is the famed virtuoso concert pianist and composer, Cyprien Katsaris. One of the most renowned concert pianists of both the 20th and 21st centuries, Katsaris has performed with the world’s greatest orchestras and recorded extensively over his storied career. We talk about his transcriptions, compositions, playing the Cziffra Flight of Bumblee live in front of Cziffra on TV, being told by the world's most powerful classical music agent not to play transcriptions, his famed sightreading prowess, and much more!

0:41 Did you always improvise, even when you were young? 2:32 Are you saying anyone can learn to improvise? 4:05 Chick Corea finding it harder to play his written music vs improvising 4:56 Studying at the Paris Conservatory 7:09 His teacher Monique de la Bruchollerie being the first western female to play Rach 3 in 1945 8:56 Would you consider yourself a musical great-grandchild of Alkan and Liszt? 11:26 Did you study with György Cziffra? 11:59 Cziffra being a great jazz improviser 16:22 Did you meet Cziffra personally? 19:45 Recording Cziffra’s transcription of the Flight of the Bumblebee 24:05 What did Cziffra think of your playing? 26:06 What motivated you to become a concert pianist who created your own transcriptions? 28:17 Did you ever face any pushback from attempting to play transcriptions? 32:13 The most powerful classical music agent in the world telling you not to play transcriptions 34:17 Why was there such a negative attitude towards transcriptions in the 20th century? 35:59 What is the difference between the modern, academic way of playing vs the traditional, older way? 39:39 Why do you dislike piano competitions? 44:19 Koji Attwood’s anecdote of your incredible sight-reading feat 48:23 How important is the metronome in practice? 49:47 How do you think about music theory? 52:04 What is your compositional process? 54:43 Does your ability to play any style come from absorbing it from playing repertoire? 55:50 What is your proudest musical moment? 56:22 If you could step into a time machine and meet any great composer from history, who would it be? 56:46 What are the 3 hardest things you’ve ever had to play? 57:03 What are the hardest concertos for you to play? 57:18 Do you play any other instruments apart from the piano? 57:33 Have you ever dabbled on the harpsichord, organ or electric keyboard? 57:57 If you could have done it all over again, what would you have changed about your career? 58:31 At what age did you feel that you had your mature conception as an artist? 59:25 Who are the top 3 greatest composers? 59:36 Name me your top 3 recordings that you feel most proud of 59:48 If someone wanted to hear your music, which 3 albums would you recommend? 1:01:32 Name me your 3 most important compositions 1:02:57 Do you listen to or play jazz? 1:03:47 How does Scientology influence your music or life? 1:05:15 Who are the top 3 pianists of the 20th century? 1:05:28 Wrapping Up