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Lucas Debargue: When Music Becomes Conversation
by Heather Weinreb
Lucas Debargue Photo: Xiomara Bender
On April 13, renowned French pianist and composer Lucas Debargue will be coming to Montreal’s Salle Pierre Mercure to perform as part of Pro Musica’s Cartes Blanches series. When the artist programs a recital, he thinks of “putting together a party” between different composers. Just as a party consists of a variety of different people talking with each other, Debargue “would like the pieces to talk with each other in the ear of the listener.”
The Montreal program includes music by Ravel, Fauré, Scriabin, and the pianist himself. These composers—aside from Debargue—were all active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Both Ravel and Fauré are from France, and Scriabin was heavily influenced by French music, “always with a score of Debussy’s La Mer on his desk,” says Debargue.
Otherwise known as La Belle Époque, late-19th century France was characterized by its artistic effervescence. The likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Émile Zola, and Maurice Ravel were all active during this period. “Paris was a big cultural platform at the time, and artists from all over the world gathered there… When I compose music, I have to admit I feel a strong connection to this period of musical history,” says the pianist.
In Montreal, Debargue will perform his first large-scale work for piano, a five-movement French suite. Though his musical influences range from baroque to modern swing, “and also include some folk and Latin jazz rhythms,” the piece itself is composed “in a very strict musical style,” explains Debargue. “The musical writing, polyphony and counterpoint 
Debargue admits he is crazy about the music of Fauré, whose pieces, he says, “all stand as exceptional jewels.” In 2024, the pianist recorded all of Fauré’s piano music in a 4½-hour album for Sony Records. Debargue believes that Fauré’s music has been largely overshadowed by Ravel and Debussy. As Fauré’s piano works are largely unknown even by piano-music aficionados, Debargue decided to include five of his lesser-known pieces in this concert. “I wanted to take (the audience’s) hand and show them some unexpected aspects of this music,” he says.
The concert will end with Scriabin’s Sonata No. 3. Debargue describes this piece as not very technically challenging, but extremely emotionally demanding. “The performer is challenged by the need to sustain the emotional tension throughout the piece,” he says. Debargue, though, thrives on the adrenaline of live performance. “I like to feel this kind of scary impression before playing a concert,” he says. “There is always a progression from the person you are when you play the first sound, and the person you are when you play the last chord.”
Lucas Debargue will perform at Salle Pierre Mercure on April 13. www.lucasdebargue.com
Pro Musica’s Cartes Blanches series continues with a performance by sibling duo Sergey and Lusine Khachatryan on May 18. www.promusica.qc.ca
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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