Interview with Richard Raymond (Piano)

The Winner of 2003 International Web Concert Hall Competition

I am not from a family of Musicians. However, while still a baby, my mother was making me listen to a lot of music. I have no idea if this had an effect later, but at three year’s old, I sat on the piano bench and started playing the tunes I heard and remembered. I was never forced to study music, but I also never felt I had chosen to do so. You can call it a destiny, I guess. Of course, in later life, the time comes when you have to choose a career, then you ask yourself on many fundamental issues. Being talented is simply not enough; I feel you need to have a proper and wise guidance, but most importantly, you as an individual need to LOVE music for what it is, not for the glory and fame.

MOL: Tell us about your teachers?

I will always be thankful to my parents for supporting me the way they did, and their sacrifice in the process. I started studying with the Nuns, as it was common at that time. First, Sr.Yvette Morneault and later with Sr.Pauline Charron. Both gave me a sense of discipline and refined taste that were necessary at the time and I carried on that afterward. Then, I entered the Rimouski Conservatory in Quebec (Canada) with Bérengère Pasquier; then four years later, admitted to the Montreal Conservatory under Lise Boucher and the well known French organist, Antoine Reboulot, who was also teaching the piano. It was the French school of thought that influenced me, and I beneficiated at a very young age from a very serious training and extremely rich influences.

Later (I was then 23 years old), I decided to look for other avenues of learning opportunities. I went to see the world renowned pedagogue Marc Durand at the Montreal University, who helped me to solve lots of problems in piano playing. I would like to say to all piano students about the importance of meeting and working with the right teacher at the right time. In this respect, you need to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses of playing, musically, and technically… and be able to find the teacher who will precisely pinpoint your needs and be able to find and teach you the needed work. Since, I began participating many competitions and my career quickly started. A few years later, I was presented to the world renowned American Pedagogues Leon Fleisher and John Perry. From them, I received precious advices from both.

MOL: Can you elaborate your learning experience with Leon Fleisher and John Perry. What did you learn from them and how long did you study with them? How often did you take lessons with them? How did they change your playing and your perception of music?

I had lessons with John Perry over two year period but not on a regular basis. I saw Leon Fleisher regularly (every two weeks) for four years. They are both very distinguished artists. If I may, I would like to elaborate on Fleisher's influence. There are many avenues I can discuss, however, I would specially like to emphasize particular: that music always comes first, and then technique is a way of producing the result that we seek. "Looking for" implies to a type of concept and an internal ear that is capable of great things. Sound travels and it is a living physical element that follows the laws of physics.

For me, this was a discovery and a ground-breaking experience. Realization of such has made my music simply come alive in every aspects.

MOL: About your practicing strategy...

For me, practicing hours is a crucial moment. Your performance is directly reflected on how you prepared yourself during your practicing hours. My strategy for practicing is, first, to have a concept about the music. Look at the music, listen internally, and understand as best as you can on deciding what you want / need to achieve. Its important to have a clear sense of overall structure. Then, sit at the piano; it is crucial not to simply read through the piece; the first time experience is the most important one, I believe. All things (technical, psychological and musical) that work or don't usually takes place at the time, and it is then quite difficult to change them later if you fail to recognize at the time. I also look for ways from the start expressing the music as close as possible to a performance level, and hope to create all musical intentions of the composer. I believe that it should work immediately. However, I also believe that we sometimes create false belief that things will get better later on. Of course it will, in some aspects because use your imagination to create new and diverse ideas to digress obstacles, but you can't allow to think of that when you practice, because you will not be able to maximize your effort that are needed.

MOL: Do you integrate any other forms of art to help you to conceptualize and prepare for the music you are about to practice? If so, what forms of art do you proceed with? For example, would you listen to and study Rachmaninoff’s symphonies and scores to give you a better insight to Rachmaninoff’s Piano concerto?

Sure, I would. To me, each composer has a secret language that you need to discover and understand. You need as much knowledge possible to enrich your vision of the composers' music. I like to use orchestration, especially. Most of the Master's were not thinking primarily for the piano, therefore, orchestration helps so much in terms of colors, character, etc.

MOL: Tell us more about your teaching... Please give a reader your university teaching experience in general...

I started teaching while I was in early stage of my performing career, first by giving Master-Classes and helping full-time teachers with their studios. I then realized that I was facing problems that I did not have. I realize that, it was a challenge to put it into words and to explain to the students clearly about your ideas on topics and issues that are most obvious things in playing the piano. Teaching definitely helped me to clarify my perception of all those aspects and be able to have a deeper reflection on many issues of interpreting music.

I am teaching now full-time at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. McGill is an exciting place to be, with a worldwide reputation. I am responsible for coordinating competition and concert for the piano department. I am thrilled to share my vision of music and be able to assist all the best young talents in their developments.

To me, you have to give back what you received. It is important to be generous and kind to others. And I find a satisfaction and joy from doing it. To teach and perform simultaneously is quite challenging, but it complements each other. Teaching allows you to go deeper in to the music and come out enriching your whole artistic spectrum.

MOL: In your opinion, how do you feel about performers starting their career at very early age? Do you feel that one must perform from very young age in order to be a good performer or it really depends on how a performer must prepare themselves as an individual?

I think you should start your career when you are ready for it. It is very dangerous to go too fast and early. And always remember that the main challenge is to last. And after all, why start so young? Unfortunately, the business prefers very young performers because they are more marketable and be able to control them easier. Overall, it can dilute the quality, and it has no artistic interest if it becomes the main purpose of it. But the world expects usually God on stage from day one. I would recommend a performer to take all the time to prepare and grow.

MOL: When preparing for the concert, how do you prepare in general?

I like to learn the work as closely to a performance level with very precise idea from day one. Then, I keep a period where I "live" with the work and feel it become gradually one with me in all aspects while exploring divers possibilities, than finally I set myself in the performance "mode" and play it as if I am on the stage; alone in the beginning, then for a selected audience.

MOL: Do you like any other forms of art?

I like painting, because I feel it feeds the "imaginaries". I use a lot of visual approach in my teaching. It helps to clarify the composer’s significance for particular work for the students.

MOL: What do you do for hobby, if any?

I like computer, it is my second keyboard!!! I like to have hobbies that allows me to be far away from music. I think we need to detached ourselves at some point, and live different experiences, that in return can enrich our artistic vision and permit us to be fresh again.

MOL: In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a good performer?

A good performer is somebody who knows how to communicate his feeling as clear as possible. It is somebody who plays FOR his audience, not for self gratification. Not for a good review. It is somebody who plays for the music itself, and share this profound love of the music with the others. It is also someone who is very strong mentally and has great focus. It is also someone who has the ability to "re-create" the music, as if it was the first time we heard it. A sense of great spontaneity and freshness should be delivered in all performance.

MOL: Do you believe a performer must attend conservatory? What is your opinion on this and what is your personal opinion of conservatory training?

I think a performer has to start very young. It makes a huge difference, in the sense that all the stuff linked to reflexes etc. needs to be fixed at a young age. We absorb things very differently at this stage of life than later, when we start to think too much...You need also special disposition (what we usually called talent) already present. As for Conservatory training, if it gives an intense training at a young age, I would say it is necessary. You can get that also from special private teachers too. However, it all depends "teachers". They make the reputation of a school, not the other way around. And there are great teachers everywhere now, in Universities as well. But you need that training when you're young. Precious!!! I would also recommend to study maybe not more than four years with the same teacher. Because it then becomes predictable for the students, too comfortable. You need to be on the edge always.

MOL: Where do you live know?

I live in Montreal South Shore, Canada. It is really a wonderful city with lots of artistic activities, quite vibrant.

MOL: What do you hope to achieve ten years from now in your music career?

I hope to still further increase my culture and level of knowledge concerning all artistic matters. There are so much out there!!! Constantly growing, in other word. Never be satisfied. Otherwise, you start going backward very quickly...I would love to do an "Intégrale" of some sort, did not decide yet! Finally, I would like to be of some help for all the young talented artists out there who deserve to be heard. Though my teaching of course at McGill University in Montreal, but to help them to achieve their goals. To give them back somehow what I received.

MOL: Do you get coached from time to time?

I rarely play for former mentors or other distinguished artists. I think time comes where you have to be your own guide. Sometimes I do, but just to have another ear, another perspective. I would recommend it however, but not to depend on it.

The fact that the numbers of concerts goes up or down, is an important issue. But most importantly, it is the lack of presence of classical music in the Media that is a tragedy. Classical music does not sell enough, so we don't make it important for people. It is a vicious circle. I think Art cannot be considered a product like any company, and to make the world turn only on those rules of supply and demand, is chaotic for artistic matters. The number of concerts might be up, but I think that the audience number is generally down. We see that with the number of orchestra concerts especially.

As for the shift, I think the world opens itself. It is a proper thing for the era. However, I think that Europe is and will keep a primary role in Music. But other things are happening outside, and it will just become more varied and full of diversity, which is fantastic.

MOL: What musical advice would you give to young gifted pianist today?

Do not put music in front of their lives, but to live full-life; it will just enrich what they will have to say. And also to not have any illusions: always be realistic in your goals, know the marketplace and face the reality. The love of music will carry you through.

MOL: On be half of MusicalOnline, we would like to thank you for your time and we wish all the success.

Interviewed by MusicalOnline on August, 2003