Who or what inspired you to take up the piano and pursue a career in music?
There are no musicians in my family. My parents enrolled me in a music school when I was five and there I started discovering this world from scratch. I chose the piano from the beginning because it was a magnificent instrument with a huge range of registers and possibilities.
Over the years, my interest for music kept growing and I started expanding my skills. I began playing the drums in a band, I learned how to play the guitar, I became an active member in several choirs and I composed. Although I was still pursuing my main musical studies in piano, all these new experiences enriched my relationship with music and allowed me to gain new perspectives that probably I wouldn’t have had if I had solely focused on a ‘keyboard’ approach.
Nevertheless, when I started my Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics I had to prioritise and I eventually ended up focusing on the piano. During my undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the Catalonia College of Music (ESMUC) and the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London, my personal commitment to performing became even stronger and determined my pursuit for a career as a pianist. However, if I have to say what really inspired me, I think that is becoming addicted to the excitement of creating a live performance on stage that is different every single time.
Who or what have been the most important influences on your musical life and career?
My musical taste has changed a lot and I have admired and worshiped artists and bands from all sorts of musical genres: rock, punk, pop, indie, funk, jazz, and of course, classical music. Playing different instruments and styles also allowed me to experience those genres from inside, and that significantly made a difference for me. With time, classical music became the main influence, but I have remained open-minded.
Glenn Gould’s distinctive recordings was one of the earliest and more determinant musical influences for me. I found it tremendously compelling that he could play so rationally, while being extremely creative and artistic. A model that pushed me to find my own voice between mathematics and music. I truly admired his originality of thought and his conviction to build a controversial but unique sound world. Another was Friedrich Gulda, and his incredible range both as a classical and jazz pianist.
However, probably the most distinctive revelation for me was to discover the masterpieces from the 20th and 21st centuries, too often neglected by the conservatoire’s tradition. A repertoire that I felt artistically closer to and that stimulated my curiosity to work and premiere new music by living composers. Each collaboration challenged and transformed my understanding of music, especially for the core repertoire.
Probably the musician that has influenced me the most and the one I’ve been studying the longest with is my piano professor at ESMUC, Jean-François Dichamp. He taught me a very solid technique and an extraordinary musicality which significantly transformed me as a performer. While studying with him, I fell in love with the music of Messiaen and Dutilleux, and, as a consequence, I started exploring further the more recent French repertoire to which I dedicated my first album ‘The French Reverie’.
My piano professors Jordi Vilaprinyó and Stanislav Pochekin were also a determinant influence and, along with Jean-François Dichamp, have been my mentors over the years.
During my Master’s at the Royal College of Music I specialised in contemporary repertoire with Andrew Zolinsky, where I had a wide range of performing opportunities that allowed me to reinforce my experience with new music. I also became acquainted with Crumb’s, Stockhausen’s and Lang’s piano music which became an important influence for me.
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
There have been many, but probably one of the craziest ones was to combine simultaneously a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics at two different universities.
Which performance/recordings are you most proud of?
My first milestone as a professional musician has been without doubt the recording of my debut album ‘The French Reverie’, featuring works by Messiaen, Dutilleux, Manoury, Escaich, Ben-Amots, Järventausta and Djambazov. It has been a risky project because I chose non-standard repertoire by mostly alive composers. However, before I recorded it, I visited and played for all of them, and precisely for this it has become an exceptional and unprecedented experience.
In addition of recording, I have also been the producer and the fundraiser of the album, which was generously supported by 208 patrons from 28 countries across the five continents! Although at the beginning it was scary, it allowed me to gain a lot of insight on the music industry and which strategies work to engage an audience and the press to promote your project.
At the moment, I’m currently planning a concert tour of the countries of the composers involved: France, Finland, Bulgaria, Israel and USA, along with Spain and the UK.
Which particular works do you think you play best?
I think that what I play best is the Contemporary Classical Repertoire, especially because it is what I enjoy the most to perform. Also, Debussy, Ravel, Falla, Brahms and Bach.
How do you make your repertoire choices from season to season?
I have a huge predilection for rhythmical pieces, so I always try to include some in my repertoire. Above all, I focus on finding or selecting works that I’m looking forward to play and try to arrange them in terms of a story or a concept. I also try to link major works from the core repertoire with masterpieces from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Do you have a favourite concert venue to perform in and why?
I like to play in venues in which architecture has a strong artistic component. I think it adds an additional layer of spirituality to the performance. However, any venue with good acoustics, an enjoyable piano and a receptive audience is equally special.
Who are your favourite musicians?
Miles Davis, Hayk Melikyan, Alicia de Larrocha, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Maika Makovski, Martha Argerich, Glenn Gould, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Grigory Sokolov, Daniil Trifonov, Ivo Pogorelich, Elliott Smith, Zoltan Kocsis, Malena Ernman, Valentina Lisitsa, Sviatoslav Richter, András Schiff, Bill Evans, Maria Callas, Evgeny Kissin, Belle and Sebastian, Cecilia Bartoli, Friedrich Gulda, Art Tatum, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Lennie Tristano, Arcadi Volodos, Hole, NOFX, Art Blakey, Murray Perahia, Pearl Jam, Muse, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Leonard Slatkin, William Bolcom, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Anna Netrebko, Renée Fleming, Simon Rattle, Joshua Bell and Isabelle Faust.
What is your most memorable concert experience?
It is really difficult to choose a single performance because each one has something special. However, maybe one of the most distinct and unforgettable experiences I had is when I performed George Crumb’s Makrokosmos I. This is a set of twelve pieces, each one dedicated to a different sign of the zodiac, meaning that you have to portray a different character in every single one. With this work you cross all possible boundaries as a performer and you create an outstanding sound world. It literally transforms you into someone else and you discover that you’re capable of leading and communicating with the audience in ways you never suspected.
As a musician, what is your definition of success?
I think that you can consider yourself successful when you don’t need to compromise your artistic aspirations to make a living. When you are doing exactly what you want, and you get a positive response. For me, success is not about money or becoming famous. It is essentially feeling self-accomplished and to have the necessary public recognition to develop your own projects.
It is also having the certainty that with your job you’re making a difference in your field in something that you feel passionate about. To be able to communicate that to others.
What do you consider to be the most important ideas and concepts to impart to aspiring musicians?
I think it is extremely important to think about why you want to become a professional musician and what could be your contribution. In other words, to be creative, to question general assumptions in your field and to find your own voice. And above all, to be patient, proactive, persistent and determined to work hard.
Where would you like to be in 10 years’ time?
Hopefully having an established career as a musician and with lots of ideas and projects in mind. Ideally, being able to travel and to work with inspiring people.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
I tend to agree with Zygmunt Bauman when he states that happiness is the result of fighting and overcoming difficulties. Personally, I like challenges and absolutely love the feeling of accomplishment when I have been able to achieve my goals. Probably that’s why I have such a predilection for complex repertoire too. I think that perfect happiness is the result of having an enthusiastic and healthy ambition.
What is your most treasured possession?
Although it is not strictly a possession, I would say time. You can achieve anything with it and is something that money can’t buy. Everything I’m proud of and every unforgettable experience I have is a consequence of having had the time for it.
Laura Farré Rozada’s debut album The French Reverie is available now. Further information
Laura Farré Rozada is an award-winning pianist and mathematician specialised in contemporary music. She is currently based in London, where she recently completed her Master of Music degree with Andrew Zolinsky as an RCM Patrons’ Award Holder. She previously graduated with Distinction from her Bachelor and Master piano studies with Jean-François Dichamp at ESMUC (Catalonia College of Music), and from her Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia). She obtained several Distinction Awards in all her studies.
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