Bern University of the Arts
PHILOSOPHY
At the piano, “touch is a sense as rich and perhaps more important than sight, hearing or smell”. A keyboard caressed by a hand which is “radio-active” will glow but if touched by fingers which are lifeless it will vanish. It is in the impulse and force of these delicate and powerful living instruments where lies, for me, the secret of the art of piano playing.”
Marguerite Long
This pertinent remark is relevant today when following closely major international piano competitions and observing the path taken by many of the younger generation of pianists who focus entirely on the mechanics of playing – a kind of athleticism – without asking questions about a work’s depth or emotion.
These few lines will allow me to briefly present my work at the Bern University of the Arts.
Without entering into details, I would like to guide those students who wish to join my class about the way in which I “prepare” the hand and the fingers, as it is this element which allows the pianist to build and shape a piece of music, to best express the essence of a work whilst giving it colour, perspective, sounds-plans, light and shading.
I concentrate on this aspect to help to each musician attain a greater mastery of the keyboard, to achieve a quality of “legato”, a blend of vigorous and mellow sounds. ” One must forget that the piano has hammers.” This explicit quotation by Claude Debussy should encourage each of us to engage more intensely when listening to our playing. It also illustrates my artistic direction, my attention to phrasing, my concern in drawing the lines of harmony and counterpoint by ”brushstrokes” rather than by a percussive approach.
During class, I will make frequent references to the following works :
– “The Piano of Marguerite Long” which offers suggestions on how to overcome the difficulties in playing our instrument and which opens the doors to the major Etudes of Chopin and Liszt amongst others ;
– various commented editions by Alfred Cortot, in particular one about Chopin Etudes, admired for its spirit and finesse, groomed style, elasticity of phrasing, roundness of sound,
– many of the interesting works of Paul Badura-Skoda not only about Mozart and also about the interpretation of the music of Chopin, including research on the genuine use of the pedal and the many first-hand sources about the composer’s performances – in my view essential reading before confronting his works,
– and others…
Learning is a long path which is full of uncertainty, pitfalls and resolve. Finally, to keep spirits high amidst the twist and turns of daily life, I often go back to the words of that formidable pianist, Franz Liszt: “Be patient with yourself”, an encouragement to persevere and progress modestly, one step at a time.
EXAMPLES
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STUDENT NEWS
RECORDINGS, COMPETITIONS & DEGREES in Patricia Pagny’s Class
PRIZES & DEGREES
2023
FINALIST AT « LES VIRTUOSES DU COEUR » in Paris
4th PRIZE
To XIAOYU SHEN
GREAT PIANO MASTERS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
2nd PRIZE
To LEO CUDRE-MAUROUX
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To PAOLA LEPORI
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To XIAOYU SHEN
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To ENZO GAFNER
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To SARI WEBER
FINALIST AT “LES VIRTUOSES DU COEUR” in Paris
4th PRIZE
To XIAOYU SHEN
2022
PRIZE « BACHTOP5COMPETITION ’22 » 5Stars
To MARION GROSS
CONCOURS ETUDE DE CHOPIN 2022
To SARI WEBER
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To NADIA COQUOZ
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To FABIENNE MITTAZ
2021
MASTER SPECIALIZED DIPLOMA IN RESEARCH
To CECILIA FACCHINI
CAS DIPLOMA –Advanced Study
To SHOKO NISHIZAWA
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To MICKAËL DOLCI
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To SIMONE CAGNASSO
PRIZE « BACHTOP5COMPETITION ’21 » 5Stars
To MAUDE BÜRGI
CONCOURS ETUDE DE CHOPIN 2021
To PAOLA LEPORI
2020
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To ARMAN GRIGORIAN
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To DOMINIK BERCHTEN
PRIZE “BACHTOP5COMPETITION ’20” 5Stars
To YUKI SAITO
2019
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To FABIENNE MITTAZ
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To NADIA COQUOZ
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To CASSIE BRECHEISEN
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To SIMON HUONDER
SCHOLARSHIP “RAHN-KULTURFOND” ZURICH SWITZERLAND
To CECILIA FACCHINI
2018
CAS ADVANCED DIPLOMA
To XINYI WANG
CONCOURS MUSICAL DE FRANCE – Final in Paris
First Prize to CASSIE BRECHEISEN
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To TIMOTHEE SAVARY
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To SIMONE CAGNASSO
MASTER SPECIALIZED DIPLOMA
To SO-JUNG YEON
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To TANJA BIDERMAN
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To NIKOLA PESIC
2017
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To DOMINIK BERCHTEN
BACHELOR DIPLOMA
To SIMON HUONDER
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To GIOVANNA GATTO
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To CARLA GARCIA
CONCOURS MUSICAL DE FRANCE – Paris
Second Prize to CASSIE BRECHEISEN
CONCORSO “ANTONIO SALIERI” LEGNAGO – Verona Italy
Third Prize to SIMONE CAGNASSO
XVIII CONCORSO INTERNAZIONALE VALSESIA MUSICA – Italy
Third Prize to SIMONE CAGNASSO
2016
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To NIKOLA PESIC
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To HIRGINIA VALLEJO
CAS DIPLOMA
To AIMI SUGO
2015
LEGNAGO – VERONA Italy
Third Prize at the «Antonio Salieri International Piano Competition » to TOMOMI HORI
PREMIO « ENRICA CREMONESI » MILANO
First Prize to GIOVANNA GATTO in Duo with Accordionist POLONA TOMINEC PADOVA – Italy
Second Prize at the “13° Concorso internazionale di esecuzione musicale – Premio Città di Padova” to SO JUNG YEON
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To TOMOMI HORI
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To AIMI SUGO
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To TAMAR USENASHVILI
CAS DIPLOMA
To SUNG EUN LEE
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To ANNETTE PHILIPONA
2014
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To TANJA BIDERMAN
MASTER PERFORMANCE DIPLOMA
To GIOVANNA GATTO
MASTER PEDAGOGY DIPLOMA
To ZARJA VATOVEC
CAS DIPLOMA
To SO JUNG YEON
YAMAHA – YMFE Prize Switzerland
Ex-aequo to AIMI SUGO and MRIKA SEFA
Selection to the Final Degrees at VIRTUOSES DU CŒUR in Paris
To TOMOMI HORI
2013
LEGNAGO – VERONA Italy
First Prize and Special Prize in Interpretation of the 20. Century Piano Works at the «Antonio Salieri International Piano Competition » to AIMI SUGO
CONCOURS MUSICAL DE FRANCE – Paris
Second Prize to MRIKA SEFA
PREMIO « ENRICA CREMONESI » MILANO
Second Prize to AIMI SUGO in Duo with Cellist JUAN MATEO REVILLA
STIFTUNG FÜR JUNGE MUSIKTALENTE – MEGGEN-Lucerne Switzerland
To AIMI SUGO
2010
CAS DIPLOMA
To ERNESTO ROSSI