SMALL TALK
Award- winning and world- renowned pianist Cecile Licad shares her thoughts about life, music, and the constant pursuit of excellence
World-renowned pianist Cecile Licad shares her thoughts on life and music
Discovered as a musical prodigy at a very early age, Cecile Licad began her piano studies at the age of three with her mother, Rosario Buencamino-Licad, and later came under the tutelage of the famed pedagogue Rosario Picazo. Over the years, Licad’s mastery of the piano has won accolades both in the Philippines and overseas. She had the distinction of having been the youngest woman to ever win the prestigious Leventritt Gold Medal in 1981 when she was only 19.
In a celebrated career spanning five decades, she has performed with some of the world’s greatest orchestras and has earned critical acclaim for several recordings. She is set to perform with cellist Alban Gerhardt on 17 February for The Philips Collection in Washington DC.
Licad’s most recent release, American Landscapes (the third volume of her Anthology of American Music), has received rave reviews from critics overseas. She is currently working with conductor Gerard Salonga on recording a choice selection of pieces by the legendary American composer George Gershwin.
You have been described as “the pianists’ pianist.” There are a lot of ways with which to interpret those words, but would it be all right to say that it means you are a role model for other artists?
You could interpret it that way; but all I know is that, whenever I play, I want people to say [at the end of the performance], “Oh, I can’t wait to practice! I feel encouraged to practice!” That’s what I’d like: that people get inspired—not through talking or through explaining stuff. You just have to listen; you have to use your senses—you have to live it.
I’d like people to be able to relate to the music; [in that way, I’m like] a missionary. For me, music is like my religion—I feel like I can relate better with God through the music.
A society columnist once wrote that watching you play was like watching Franz Lizst or Frederic Chopin perform. What do you think about that?
I’d say he’s right!
(laughs) But, really: my thing is that I channel the composer, but I also innovate.
I’ve talked to some musicologists in New York, and they think that I can imagine what the [original artists] must have felt. Of course, I don’t really know as I’m not a musicologist myself! But they say [a piece] should sound like that, and I can channel it.
Since I was a kid, people who have heard me play would tell me, “You make me believe that you were born in Poland!” In that way, I feel like an actor: I’m stepping into a role.
You have been playing the piano for over 50 years, but would it be safe to say that you’re still working on your skills and expertise?
How to channel my passion is what I work on, and I work on it every day like a carpenter. [When I make music] it’s like I’m building or creating something I wasn’t even aware of.
I like to discover myself in my work and I’m doing things that most people cannot even begin to imagine. Everybody has their own way of doing things, so I enjoy myself with my work.
What has been the greatest lesson you’ve learnt?
It’s just to persevere: to do what you believe in and don’t give up. I never give up.
I preserve my energy for what is important, and I give it my all for the two hours I’m performing, even if it hurts my hands. I save my energy for the times when I give it to the people who come to listen to me. I’m not just going to sit there halfheartedly and leave it all to my fingers. It’s 200 per cent or nothing.