MUSICA / FACCHINI & MUNNE’
/ Due cuori, un pianoforte
di Franco Borrelli (click
here for the Italian version)
An
Interview with Massimiliano Facchini and Claudette Munné: he,
Italian, she, Dominican (but New Yorkers as a choice); a duo,
very well harmonized on stage and in their married life.
Two Hearts, One Piano
By Franco
Borrelli
BAREMBOIM/DUPRÉ, Previn/Mutter, Alagna/Gheourghiu, etc. etc .:
unions of art and hearts, a substantial list in which today we
can add Massimiliano Facchini/Claudette Munné, both pianists:
he, Italian, she Dominican. Two souls, one great technique,
exceptional phrasing and an incredible capacity of penetrating
in the music they perform. It is a joy listening to them for
their natural talent, and it is a pleasure talking to them for
their striking and warm magnanimity. “America Oggi”
interviewed both of them during a break in their heavy
schedule (the two of them also teach piano), while they are
preparing for the July release of their new CD (“Two Soloists
Together- Four Hands Across The Sea”) and a recital in
Scranton, Pennsylvania, for the Columbus Day Weekend.
Who is Massimiliano Facchini the artist?
He is someone who loves to give emotions and who is
generous with the audience. “I do not see the audience when I
perform but I can feel its presence. This is very exciting and
it gives me a lot of energy. Capturing the attention of the
listener while I perform, creating the ‘momentum,’ fascinates
me very much. I could never live without playing the piano or
listening to music. Furthermore, I am a perfectionist and very
demanding with myself. This makes me very strict. I practice
every day of the week. You never finish learning. Every day
and in every recital, even with the same program, I discover
something new.”
And the man?
“I am honest, modest, spiritual and much in love with my
wife Claudette. I like very much helping others and spending
time with friends or with the family. I enjoy having guests at
home and cooking for them. I am very attached to the
traditions of my family and my homeland. Living in a foreign
country and being married to Claudette, who is Dominican,
makes me enjoy handing down the traditions and customs of my
family. I consider myself curious, interested and ready to
open my horizons to new cultures. I am organized even in my
regular life. I am very resolute and I know what I want. When
I have an idea in my mind, I do not give peace to myself until
I make it happen. When I was child, my parents used to call me
‘pneumatic drill’ because I never gave any break to anybody.”
Who is Claudette Munné the artist?
“I always look for perfection. I am always looking for a
particular phrasing, a special effect and a way to create a
sound at the piano with mastery. Listening to the sound that
we are able to produce with our fingers is fascinating and
exciting. However, perfection does not belong to this world.
It is only an illusion. I think that the concept of perfection
helps the artist to give the best. A perfect concert does not
exist! There is always something that needs to be improved or
changed. The process of learning never ends.”
And the woman?
“I am simple, honest and I like to enjoy the small things
in life. I enjoy sharing my emotions and my experience with
friends, family and especially with my husband Massimiliano. I
have always been a person who had numerous goals and dreams. I
consider myself a woman of perseverance and spirituality. This
goes along with my desire and ability of learning in life that
allow me to progress and improve everyday.”
What are your reciprocal pastimes?
[Claudette]: “A beautiful movie, walking in Central Park
on a Spring day, listening to music, a nice dinner, going to
museums and without any doubts, going shopping.”
[Massimiliano]: “Traveling, listening to music, going
to museums, going to the beach, walking in Central Park,
reading books and cooking special recipes for Claudette and
friends.”
When did you meet? Is it difficult to be married and be
partners at the same time?
[Massimiliano]: “We met at Manhattan School of Music in
1997, class of Piano Literature. As soon as I entered the
classroom, I wanted to sit next to a beautiful woman. I saw
Claudette! A radiant woman who captured me with her smile and
her exotic eyes since the first moment. She was wearing a
white shirt and a long skirt, but I could see her ankles! I
could not resist. We started to talk immediately.
Dominican……with a French name and a Catalan last name?”
[Claudette]: “Massimiliano captured my attention on
another day. We were again at school but this time in the
elevator and he was wearing a very elegant blue overcoat. His
European elegance caught my attention without any doubts. A
handsome and sophisticated man who seemed a little snob at the
first time! However, I discovered that underneath he was a
very sensitive man, sweet and kind, with a big heart.”
[Both]: “It is not difficult for us to be married and
be artistic partners at the same time. We are a ‘big team’ and
we keep our balance in everything we do. We share our tasks in
the professional and personal life. We are two artists with
strong and different personalities but we are compatible, we
understand and complement each other. Sharing the stage is an
experience that gives us big and profound emotions. The secret
lies in respecting reciprocally.”
Where did you study and what are your artistic examples?
[Massimiliano]: “The studies done at the Conservatory
of Music Ottorino Respighi under the tutelage of Maja
Samargieva, Bulgarian pianist, are the ones the guided me and
opened me to the music world. Maja Samargieva extrapolated my
artistic talent and helped me to develop it. She taught me and
gave me a lot without trying to change me. Finding a maestro
who does not try to make you a copy of him, instead of
teaching you how to develop your qualities, is very difficult.
On the other hand, the studies that improved me are the ones
done at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage on
Nina Svetlanova, Russian pianist. I studied there after
winning a scholarship of the Rotary International; I was the
ambassador of the Italian Rotary Club in New York City. Madame
Svetlanova gave me the final touch and the tools to make me
independent and to believe in my abilities. Studying with her
who comes from such a famous piano school, the school of
Heinrich Neuhaus, was an unforgettable experience. Having
studied at the Music School of San Diego State University, at
the Mozarteum in Salzburg and at the Aspen Music Festival in
Colorado was also very productive and an important experience.
My artistic example is the Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti
Michelangeli. I was lucky to hear him live in 1987 at the
‘Sala Nervi’ in Vatican City. His type of sound, pure and
crystal, and his expressive artistry fascinates me.”
[Claudette]: “I started to play piano in Santo Domingo
with Edith Hernández de Windt and Milagros Beras. I opened
myself to the musical world with them. In fact, my homeland is
the place where I gave my first performances and won national
competitions. Milagros Beras taught me also that mistakes and
obstacles in life are only part of the educational and
learning process of an artist. While I was studying piano, I
kept my interests opened and I obtained a Bachelor Degree in
Business from the ‘Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y
Maestra’ in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. However, I
never had doubts that music was my passion and I could not
live without playing the piano. After the Bachelor Degree in
Business, I moved to New York where I studied piano at the
Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Marc
Silverman. He was my final guide. Silverman improved me and
gave me the tools to develop my technique and my
expressiveness. He made me the artist who now I am. My
artistic examples are the Spanish pianist Alicia de Larrocha
and the Chilean soprano Verónica Villarroel. Alicia de
Larrocha gave me considerable technical and musical advice
regarding the Spanish repertory. She helped me especially when
I had my debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Santo
Domingo. Verónica taught me how to control and command my
emotions when I perform on stage.”
What are your future engagements?
[Both]: “A recital on October 9, 2004 in Scranton,
Pennsylvania, featuring music by Albeniz, Chopin, Liszt, and
Gershwin. In addition, we still have to confirm dates for
recitals in New York, Washington, Santo Domingo, and Italy.
The producer of our recital at Weill Recital Hall in the past
February, Mr. Oscar Rodriguez, wants to organize another one
for the Fall 2005.”
[Massimiliano]: “In the back of my mind I have a
project dedicated to Italian art as inspiration for the piano
compositions by Franz Liszt. In fact, the poetry of Dante and
Petrarca, and the art of Raphael and Michelangelo, represent
the inspiration for the piano collection ‘Années de Pèlerinage,’
Deuxième Année: Italie.”
When did you decide to live in New York?
[Both]: “The decision was made before our wedding. Still
students at the Manhattan School of Music we knew that New
York was going to be our base. When we decided to get married
in 2001, we also decided to live in this metropolis. From a
musical and artistic point of view New York is full of
opportunities and needless to say it is one of the most
important cities in the world. Living here is an experience
that a musician cannot miss.”
Who decides the programs of the recitals as a duo?
[Both]: “We decide together. The two of us must feel
comfortable with the music we are going to perform.”
What is the music period or genre that connects you the
most?
[Massimiliano]: “The Romantic music of Chopin, Liszt,
Brahms and Schubert is the one that fascinates me the most. In
addition, I like the Russian repertory, Rachmaninoff and
Prokofiev. When we perform together, there is not a specific
music genre that bonds us the most. As soon as we start
playing together, we become one and we create a blend and
balance of sounds.”
[Claudette]: “I identify myself with the dramatic
compositions of the Romantic era, Chopin and Schubert. Because
of my Spanish and Latino heritage, I also like the music with
striking and vigorous sense of rhythm such as that of Albeniz,
De Falla and Granados.”
What is the meaning of making music today?
[Both]: “Music was, is and will always be a way for the
human being to express his emotions and affections. Especially
in our time it is important to have a method of expression
like music that helps to bring people together. Claudette and
I, as artists, are a "team" that is able to give life to music
with our energy, sentiments, emotions and experience. Music
represents for us a language, a combination of sounds that
passes the horizons of everyday and reaches unexplored
depths.”
