Le Dessous des Cordes #22 – Raphaël Feuillâtre, guitariste classique (Deutsche Grammophon)

Rencontre aujourd’hui avec Raphaël Feuillâtre, le guitariste du prestigieux label Deutsche Grammophone. Il nous parle de sa vie récente de star de la guitare classique et de comment cela basculé.

#classicalguitar #guitareclassique

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When I won that competition, I found myself doing masterclasses all over the world and I didn’t speak English very well. I had never really skipped classes, well not at the high level, that is. So it was a bit complicated. You preferred to do your concert than to give masterclasses.

So this is not the case for everyone. Hello guitarists, it’s Benjamin, I hope everyone is in good shape for this 22nd edition of Dessous des Cordes. And this time, I am very happy, very honored to receive Raphaël Feuillâtre. Hi Raphael! Hi Benjamin, thank you. Are you doing well ?

Yes very good thank you. Okay, so I’m very happy to have you because a lot of things have happened in your life in recent years. Even before that, you won the GFA award and all that. But I remember, the first time I saw you, it was at the Paris Festival and it was,

You must remember, well not me, but that you had played for death by Roland Diens. This was right after he passed away, in 2016. Yes, it’s true. There you go, and I saw you and then I said to myself, damn, what does that play,

It plays, it plays with the very instinctive and very careful side at the same time. And then, first GFA prize, now with Deutsche Grammophon, the legendary classical music label, not a guitarist label, ladies and gentlemen, but a classical music label, a bit like Warner and Erato, etc.

You’re 27 years old, a lot has happened in your life. And then, I’m very happy that you told us about it. See what has changed in your life in recent years. My pleasure. Could you introduce yourself for people who don’t know you, who are discovering you today?

So there you have it, I’m Raphaël Feuillâtre. I am someone who has developed a lot, in fact, through music, thanks to music, in conservatories, and who has had incredible encounters along the way and who, today, tries to share the music to as many people as possible.

And when you say that you built yourself in conservatories, that is to say? That is to say that I spent a lot of time in my childhood practicing the guitar. And for me, the conservatory was really a place. It was a temple, but it was a very important place.

And I think I really identified as a guitar player when I was young. And of course, along the way, I met extraordinary teachers who had a great impact on me, who helped me grow. And even also through guitar courses in the summer. So, it has always been something central.

You’ve always breathed guitar, you know. Yeah, that’s it. Well, and then, all that led you to do concerts all over the world. In Europe, Brazil, Argentina, the USA, Canada. You’ve made several records, so you’ve won a lot of international competitions.

We will still mention the Petraire competition with a record to be won in 2019. The GFA competition, same year, I believe. Yeah, 2018. 2018, and the CD was also released in 2019. So, you released two CDs in the valley. And then, in 2022, Visage Baroque at Deutsche Grammophon.

And let’s still mention that, first GFA prize, okay. But you also have a classic ADAMI revelation. Yeah, that’s it, classic ADAMI talent. Classic ADAMI talent in 2021. There you go, and so, as you said, you are a guest teacher at the Rennes sup’ pole.

And what is your role, so how many times a year do you go there? This year, I’m going there once a month. In fact, I work a third of the hours. We share this with Hervé Merlin. And so, last year it was a little more intense.

And I realized that it wasn’t entirely possible for me. With my schedule, this year, I am very, very happy to be able to do this, to keep this activity. I find it super enriching. I hope that it is interesting for the students too. And I feel like it works well.

It allows me to also live my artistic activity in parallel. It’s hard to do everything. Because we were talking about it earlier, how many concerts do you have? How many concerts do you have per year, roughly, at the moment? Yeah, 40, 50.

With all the promotion that goes with it, the record releases, the preparation. We talked about that too, because being a musician in 2023 isn’t just about playing the guitar. Well, I’m very happy to discuss all this with you because we’re going to

Try to get to know you even better, even your tastes, your guitars, etc. We have questions about Instagram. I asked about Instagram for you and your guitar. It’s a little bit of income, so you’re just going to explain it all to us a little bit.

We’re going to talk a little bit about where you’re from, etc. From your influences, from your teachers, what they built for you, precisely. And then, what does it do? What does being at Dodge Gramophone change on a daily basis? And then, even before winning GFA, how did you experience it from the inside?

Then, a little bonus question at the end, if we have time, as usual. Are you okay with ? Alright. So, you played on Greg Smallman for a long time, right? No, I’ve only had this guitar for six months, actually. It’s been six months, okay. I’ve spent my whole life, actually, on traditional guitar.

I reversed everything, okay. And before, you had a line, okay? Yeah, that’s it, I had a line for five years. So, what happened ? Explain to us. What happened ? In fact, the guitar that I have today, I’m not sure I’ll keep it that long, actually. I ordered another guitar.

So, I have a German headstock guitar, lattice, but without composite materials. OK. And so, what happened is that in fact, I was in a period where I had lots of chamber music, planned with trumpet, with violin, with bandoneon.

And so, there you have it, then I was in a period where I was touring a lot. And there you have it, after stopping, I hope for you. Yes Yes Yes. And so, there you have it, my guitar seemed less, less suited to my activity.

And there it was, I was looking for other things. And it turns out that today, I’m quite happy with the Smallman, but not in all aspects. So, if you can, what do you like about Field? It’s the sound, it’s the malleability of the sound. It’s the sound universe that is quite extraordinary.

And there you have it, it’s also a guitar that I liked because I played on it for a long time, I knew it very well. There, obviously, Smallman is more comfortable, in fact, also sound for the musicians who play with us. Around us, it creates an atmosphere

That is quite interesting for working on chamber music. So there you have it, afterwards, I’m less satisfied with the sound. Obviously, that suits me less. So there you go, it’s still this thing. You’re constantly looking. That’s it, I’m still not satisfied. I think of Emmanuel Rossfelder, who now, I think, has

Stabilized a little, but for years, every year, he changed guitar. So, it’s the search for the perfect guitar. It is complicated. And then, as they say, it also depends on whether you’re making a record. I don’t know, same baroque music in a somewhat special atmosphere.

You don’t necessarily need a guitar that sends a lot. On the other hand, if you even play with a string quarter or anything. So, each guitar also has its own specificities. And then, moreover, I planned for my next album to record on historic guitars. For recordings, it’s a tool.

Another approach to chamber music is something else. And there you have it, it’s a little note anyway to remind everyone that we are here at the guitar à rien, the shop in Paris, where you can try lots of guitars. They are more into traditional guitar, but that’s not all.

Still, there are little surprises at all prices. So, don’t hesitate to take a look. You will be well received with a little coffee and to buy sheet music and strings, they have everything you need here, so don’t hesitate. We thank him, as usual, for opening the shop for us when it’s closed.

So, before doing all that, where are you from? I come from Cholet. I spent my childhood in Cholet. Six years at the Cholet conservatory with Hacène Addadi, who was a great teacher, who really made me love the guitar, the repertoire that I didn’t know at all.

I really wanted to play guitar before and even professionally. But that was obviously a bit naive. Okay, it was a childhood dream, but you already had it. Yeah, absolutely. And in fact, I asked my parents to enroll me in the conservatory. But it wasn’t in the culture, it wasn’t something natural,

There’s no musician in my family. Excuse me, but what image did you have to want to do that at that age? I don’t know, at six years old, I wanted to play guitar, it was that or nothing. I must have heard something, I don’t have very specific memories.

That’s it, but in any case, it came naturally. And so, I had a very strong desire to learn. And I discovered the guitar at the conservatory. They gave you a plastic guitar, right? Yeah, that’s it, at six years old. You were a little upset, you didn’t want a real guitar.

But yes, yes, yes. Yes, I think I even disappointed you a little. And then I got a classical guitar at nine years old. And there, I really wanted to take lessons, it was obligatory. So you started when you were nine, right? Well no, it’s quite late. Yeah, which isn’t that early.

So you can start at nine years old and become as strong as Raphaël Feuillâtre. But generally, in the conservatory, we start in CE1. There you go, it’s a little earlier. And so, I went. And then, I crossed paths with Michel Grizard. I remember well that we received here not very long ago.

Yes, that’s absolutely it. And yeah, it was three years, so during my high school years. It’s funny, because as soon as you talk about Michel Grizard, I have the image of the trip to Seville that he organized for us. In fact, we went to Seville.

Seville, Cordoba, with the conservatory string orchestra and the guitar octet. And I played the concert dances of Leo Brouwer. So, I was asked to do this project. It was incredible luck. And then, it was a trip that had an even greater impact on me than the other school trips.

Because around the guitar, because it’s old, because there you go. So that was great. And then, it was also three years of professionalization for me, where ultimately, it’s a bit tricky, we’re teenagers. And the fact that it’s going so well. In fact, it raises an incalculable number of questions to plan ahead.

We worked a lot. This was perhaps one of the characteristics of his teaching. It’s perhaps the… I think we can say that in relation to his students, it’s that he matures, I have the impression, quite quickly artistically. So, we made a lot of stylistic differentiations, preparing for the CNSM competition.

So, there was all very precise work on different directories. Very demanding, therefore. And the fact that he had an octet, is that it, at the conservatory? Maybe he still has it, but… And we even played La Folle Jour. I know well, I know well. Even always at La Folle Journee.

There is the conservatory guitar class which is there, on the central island. For those who know Folle Journee, it’s something. It must be something, though. It was extraordinary. Not only did we play there and we also had the pass to see the concerts. Suddenly, I discovered a lot of extraordinary artists,

Works and it marked me for life. So, when you’re an artist, because I know you’re going to do Les Folles Journes very well in it. When you’re an artist, what’s crazy is that it’s also crazy for artists, because we find ourselves, we find ourselves in the toilets with people, in fact.

Because there isn’t enough room for everyone. When you go from one concert to another, because you do several concerts in the same day and then you find yourself waiting in line with people, because there are too many people. It’s an incredible craze, it’s really a Crazy Day, it’s… And what do I have?

Yes, so high school, arranged class time, is that it? Yeah yeah. What is the principle of a timetable class for those who don’t know what it is? Because I also did that in Paris, but in Nantes, for example. Yeah, actually, I only did it in high school, so not before, in elementary school.

And so, it’s actually, we’re in class in the morning, in a very small class. And in the afternoon, in fact, we are free to go to the conservatory. We have music lessons. And then we even have history and analysis classes in the morning as part of the normal curriculum, in fact.

Which means that we review the entire history of music, the great repertoire. I discovered the greatest concertos, the greatest symphonies in progress behind a table. So, it was pretty crazy. So, this is the TMD bac, right? That’s it. And at that time, let’s stay in Nantes for the moment, but as a result,

You had time to play guitar. How many hours did you do it per day? I would say 4 hours, maybe 3-4 hours. Besides, I was one of the only ones who really worked a lot. I asked myself the question, why does music take up so much space in my life?

It seemed to me, even being with young people who wanted, who were destined to do this professionally. So, yeah, that’s still the problem. When there’s a lot of time and you’re teenagers, you have to release music. Afterwards, when you like it, that’s what it’s made for, this system is great.

It will take hold fairly quickly. Well yeah, and then you’re, you know that you’re going to be a musician a priori, so. And so, you still worked quite a bit. I mean, when you think about it, the easy or no easy side, what do you have? How do you plan for the future?

Do you think you’re very easy or are you saying no? You’re like everyone else, it’s just that I worked more. Actually, I think both. I think that overall, with the guitar, it worked, it was quite natural. I always learned the pieces quite quickly, but also because I loved it.

I have also always worked a lot, really a lot. But really, without feeling obligated. It’s always been a bit natural. So, I would say that being good is not enough, actually. Well, above all. That’s it, that’s it. I think, moreover, there were a lot of young people when I was

In TMD who knew they were gifted, that’s it. And as a result, they didn’t work too much. Today, I’m not sure where they are, but often, that doesn’t help. That doesn’t help. And then, at what age did you enter the CNSM? I joined at 18, right after high school, actually. Perfect.

And so, you were in Roland Dyens’ class, right? Yes that’s it. You had a few lessons with him, so how long? Yeah, during my years, during my degree, actually. And yeah, in fact, it was a chance to rub shoulders with him, to meet him, to perform his works.

And above all, afterwards, when I did the tour that I did, everyone talked to me about it. He’s still a very important figure, really. And in fact, what’s interesting to say is that I think that when I joined the CNSM, in my idea, the guitar was going to be very present.

That is to say that for me, everyone took part in competitions. It was super interesting stuff. And in fact, when I came back, there was a whole generation coming out. The ones we know, I don’t know, there were Bogdan, Xavier, Thibaut.

They were in Master 1, Master 2, they were going out, so we didn’t see each other very much. And finally, the guitar, for me, was also in parallel with Judicaël Perroy. In fact, that’s where everything was centered. And it was with him that I worked on the competitions.

He is someone who played a very important role in my life. Even beyond the music, it was a meeting that meant a lot. A real pillar in my life as a student. And that’s it, it really happened like that.

So you even talk about it in your bio, I saw, like a mentor again. And so, that was when. And you still have pretty close ties with him, right? Yes, we are very friends. And, I don’t know, do you still show him,

When you work on new pieces, do you like to show him again? Or is it just friendly, I don’t know? The last album, in fact, yes, I played my repertoire for him. And in fact, he has very good ears. It’s always very interesting to have this feedback.

Afterwards, it was much more intense when I was younger, obviously. He played several roles and he also accompanied me at the start of my career. And supported, so he was someone who was very present. What do you mean, he supported you? I don’t know, to give examples,

For example, when I did my GFA tour, he invited me to San Francisco. We did masterclasses, we played together. And then even, how we had friendly ties, we spoke often and he supported me, whether in the doubts I might have. Because ultimately, it’s not that simple.

You know, when you win GFA or you sign with a label, there are lots of questions that arise, there are lots of issues that arise. And it helped me, I think, to experience all this a little more peacefully and to balance myself, perhaps. Because let’s face it, there are all the characters.

There are some who are very comfortable directly speaking in public, etc. There are some who are perhaps a little more shy, perhaps it’s too loud, but more behind their guitar. Maybe it was more like that in the beginning, right? Yeah, with the instrument, I think it was pretty natural.

With the instrument, I find it a bit silly on stage anyway. You arrive, boom, you send, we say to ourselves, damn, the guy, he doesn’t ask any questions… No, but it’s true, we say to ourselves, he doesn’t ask any questions. You weren’t someone who was feverish with your guitar on stage.

Well, I don’t think you’ve ever been like that, right? This was the case for me when I was a teenager, when I was 14, I was shaking. It’s over, but I had that period, you see. Have you ever had this period? No I do not think so.

I don’t think so either, because I’ve always played a lot, I have always done lots of auditions, even when I was very young. Me too me too. No, but I think it’s a question of character too. But we are not all equal in the face of stress and stalking.

And then, I don’t know, there are people we have received from here, who know how to express themselves very well. There are even some who take time off, who told me, but I even got help, took classes to learn how to express myself and all that, you see.

But it’s another facet of the job, but it’s not necessarily obvious. Plus, I imagine when you win GFA, you’re completely in the spotlight in the guitar world. And then, with Deutsche Grammophon, it’s still the same. And is this still a complicated subject for you? Well yes, you were talking about GFA.

In fact, when I won this competition, I found myself doing masterclasses all over the world and I didn’t speak English very well, I had never really taken lessons. Well, not at a high level, that is. So, it was a bit complicated. You preferred to do your concert than go to the masterclasses.

This is not the case for everyone. The easiest thing has always been to play. Ultimately, ultimately, in developing a career. For you, but… Yeah. No, but it’s true, we know good teachers who are very comfortable. And then, when it’s on stage, they work less, etc. Well, that happens a lot. Yeah yeah.

But it is perhaps also because it was central to my work, to my conception of everything. That is to say, the guitar has always been in the middle. And finally, on the one hand, it never…

I never told myself that I was going to do lots of interviews, that I was going to have this role. And so, finally, it comes a little while. There is a time for everything, I guess. So, just to come back also to Roland Dyens, because

He was also my teacher, at the time, at the CNSM. And honestly, you see, looking back, I have a bit of a regret, which is to say that at the time, well, he was a teacher with Olivier Chassain and he was… That was always been a Roland Dyens

That I would have loved to have under the strings, obviously. But he was, we can say, a free spirit who made his own arrangements. So, still the question, was it pure classical music? But he was very good at jazz arrangements and all that. So yes, classical guitarist, but colorful, let’s say.

Well, I don’t know what you think about it. And so, he was a little jealous, all the same, at the time, all the same. We can say that, because now everyone says it’s great. But at the time, he was a little jealous because… Was he in his place at the CNSM in Paris?

You see, you were playing a ring fugue for him. Well, that wasn’t his thing, you see. And honestly, I find that there were very few students at the time who played their own… Well, now I can arrange it for you.

And I tell myself that I would have loved to show my arrangement to Roland Dyens at the time. And at the time, it didn’t even occur to me, because I wanted to play baccalaureate, you see. And I don’t know, did you manage to…

What were you able to get out of Roland Dyens at that time? No, but you know what I mean? In fact, he didn’t like people to play his works and arrangements. Yes, that’s what’s complicated too. It was a little curious. No, but listen, for me, it was above all the meeting, in fact.

With him, the fact of being around him, the fact of… He’s a character who inspired me a lot. On what aspects, for example? I don’t know, he was someone who had a lot of humor, he was someone who was… Then who also had a desire to make music for everyone,

Internationally, and that shows in his arrangements and in his compositions. So, I don’t know, I think we got along well, I felt close to him in that regard. And there it is, I think he understood me, he accompanied me. There you go, that’s… And what do you…

In general, do you remember from your CNSM years? So there is the link, it was the weekend, etc. But the whole aspect, you see, I don’t know, me… There are theory courses which are extraordinary. That was honestly quite incredible. And then, it’s… So, it hasn’t always been easy,

But it’s also a way of confronting the world of music, of today, of tomorrow. That’s a lot of meetings. So, yes, it was honestly quite momentous, actually, I would say. Afterwards, as I told you, I was also at guitar festivals a lot. I did competitions.

In fact, there was a whole one next door. But yeah, the classes within the conservatory itself were quite excellent. Afterwards, there was still a problem with the timetable, because it’s not a very flexible structure. You must have seen it too, in CA training or something, or maybe there are more points…

No, no, no, no, no, no. We talked about it here with Antoine Morinière, for those who want the ref. And then, Tristan Manoukian, you had him as a teacher. How did your last years of master’s studies go? Yes, that’s it, it was… Exactly. He arrived, that’s right, when I was in master 1.

And he’s someone I didn’t know, in fact, and who has an enormous culture. In fact, I think it came at a good time too, in that, when you’re in a master’s degree, you might need something else. And he was someone who was open-minded and with whom it was frankly very interesting to work.

And who loves the arrangements and who was super present, super dynamic. So that really meant a lot too. It was the year, I think, that I did GFA, so he was all in. So yeah, there was everything there. For example, what… With everything I’ve seen on your records,

You call on a lot of friends who are guitarists or whatever, to make arrangements. But you also make arrangements. Your arrangement of GFA, of Granados, was it you who made it? And it was with him, was he the one who encouraged you? No, because that was done long before.

I started at the beginning of my studies. What arrangement did you have with Tristan, for example? It was… We revised, in fact, the arrangement. Ah OK. You’re right. Because it was really interesting, so I imagined. Yes, yes, well yes.

In fact, he understood very quickly, in fact, what was going there and what was not going there. Then you know, he’s someone who gives very structured lessons. And so, actually, it felt really good to have that type of perspective. Afterwards, we can talk about the arrangements. That’s another subject, perhaps.

Yeah, well, we do what we want here. Yeah yeah. Yeah, the arrangements are… Listen, it’s also a matter of taste, in fact, of wanting to play pieces that come from other repertoires. I have always listened to a lot of music, since I was very young. And I really like the guitar repertoire.

But I think that either that wasn’t enough for me, or I just had inspiration for other things. And I don’t know what to say. I think today where it’s interesting is that I play at music festivals. And I think it’s interesting to be able to identify the guitar

With its repertoire, but also with other directories. Make a front door, that is. Yeah, I think it’s really interesting. And then, I don’t know, it’s something that’s always interested me. So, always in your programs, you try to have an arrangement

Where ultimately, you don’t have to think about it too much or you still try to tell yourself… There is also the desire to develop the repertoire. This is something that seems quite important to me. And I don’t know, listen, I do collaborations that I really like.

I don’t know, it’s really a matter of taste to be able to play works that I like. And so, there was all the French baroque which was very present. And so, I developed that as much as possible and I really like it. And I don’t know, it’s all work that interests me.

We do lots of things, I do lots of things that I was never taught to do. And There you go. There are so many things you have to learn on your own anyway. Let’s go back to that period. Even with Judicaël Perroy, so you say “that’s where I started to do competitions with

Judicaël Perroy”, because he is a great guitarist, and he was the first to come and do the underside of the strings, who we thank again, who trained many guitarists in France. The first year with Judicaël Perroy, what did he unlock for you? Did he unlock something? How did that happen ?

I remember one thing, in fact, in the first lessons, he told me, you play the guitar, you do the CNSM and everything, that’s good, but it’s dangerous to do just that. He told me that and I didn’t really understand. And in fact, afterwards, I realized quite quickly that you don’t become

A professional just with your diplomas and that there are plenty of things to develop. And so, it boosted me from that point of view. Afterwards, he’s a great coach and I think there were lots of problems, in fact, whether technical or musical. Technically, for example, for people to realize,

Have you changed your position a little? I don’t know, have you done some exercises saying that this is my weak point? No, I think it was very artwork-driven, actually. A lot of people listen to it, the sound. And then, he was also the one who really encouraged me to make my own arrangements.

So, yes, I think he really tried to find everything he could in me and make sure I developed as an artist. And I think he does that with a lot of talent, in fact, and with a lot of young people that we know. Exactly, he managed to do that without radically changing something

Where you had to take four months before being able to play again. He managed to do this little by little, without pain. Yeah yeah yeah. Great. So, CNSM period, period of Judicaël Perroy, Tristan Manoukian, etc., which says GFA competition. So, how did you do it?

Did you have a year where you said OK, this year, I’m doing GFA, I’m doing Petrer the same year, I’m doing lots of competitions, did you have the same program for everything? How did it go, what? No, actually, I think I did the competitions almost every summer,

I don’t know, between May and July. And the rest of the year, I actually worked. And I think it’s an approach that’s quite interesting. It really allows you to work on works, to work on things in depth. And then, to see in a competition whether it works or not.

But that wasn’t necessarily the ultimate goal, actually. And it turns out that the year I did GFA, I also did Koblenz. And I had recorded my record, my first record. And I was doing EuroStrings too. It was a year when I was extremely busy. And I think actually, that probably mattered.

The fact of already having a repertoire, the fact of… Having practiced it on stage. Yeah, that’s it. And suddenly, I arrived at the GFA. Of course, it was super stressful, but I had a… In fact, I didn’t necessarily doubt the repertoire, how I was going to play, what it was going to do.

Because I was already in that perspective of… Ultimately, it was the competition that you took part in being the closest, GFA, right? Yeah, I think so. Did you do any more after that or not too much, right? No not at all. No need to adapt to it. But it’s true, you do… And…

So GFA… What happens when you win GFA, then? Well listen, for me, it was still super important. To the extent that, you know, when I was 16, 17, the guitarists that I admired and who were in my room and everything, in the photo,

It was Judicaël Perroy, it was Gabriel, it was Florent Larousse, and many others. And in fact, winning GFA also means entering a little into this sphere. And so, at the beginning, I didn’t really accept it, I didn’t feel legitimate at all. But look, it happened.

Little by little, we take on the role little by little. But for me, that was it. So, little by little, I gained confidence. And it’s also a lot of concerts, obviously. Especially the American continent, it’s the Naxos CD, it’s quite an interesting disc experience.

I had to put the CD together really quickly because I had just made one. Yeah, so I saw, there are a few small programs in common with Petrer, but not that many. I had to work in express time, in addition to some pretty hard pieces. That is to say, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, all Rameau…

So, yeah, it was a pretty intense period. You still remember it. Maybe it was harder after winning GFA than before, after all. You were experienced, you had the same program. Yeah, that’s it. Okay, so, actually, for those who don’t know too much. So, you win GFA.

The following year, that’s it, you do your 60 concerts. That’s 60 concerts on the American continent, right? USA, Canada, Mexico a little, maybe, right? For me, there was no Mexico, but I think that at one time, there must have been that. Yeah, yeah, so that’s it.

I loved it, frankly, but it fell too. Finally, Covid hit during that time. Ah OK. So how did it go? Well, I was confined, that’s what. Were you stuck there? I was stuck there, but I managed to get back anyway. But hey, it wasn’t good news, obviously.

Well yeah, so you were able to do all the concerts, anyway? I’ve actually done about 30 and I did the rest last year, actually. OK, which might not be any worse either. Which is perhaps not worse, but at the time, I didn’t have this at all…

Well, I didn’t know that I was going to be able to do it again. We didn’t know anything, in fact. So, actually, it didn’t come at a good time. That’s when we win GFA, finally. After GFA, it’s always hard. And for me, suddenly, it was completely at a standstill.

Let’s say, anyway, I don’t know how to say it anymore, because… I don’t know, for all the guys who are… Even who… I say guy and girl, be careful. But all those who dream of winning GFA, we say to ourselves… Because it’s always the same, we say to ourselves…

We’re going to join the CNSM, that’s good, I’m joining the CNSM. Then we say to ourselves, I’m going to win GFA. We say to ourselves, it’s okay, I’m going to win GFA. But in fact, it’s never over, that is to say it lasts. When we win GFA, we have the tour behind us,

For a year, come on, two years, we release the record, etc. We’re doing quite a bit, people are hearing about us. And then, you have to last. That’s what’s not obvious. And if you were broken in the middle of your tour, it shouldn’t have been… Yeah, no, that’s cool.

No no not at all. Afterwards, there was Covid and there was, obviously, this proposal from Deutsche Grammophon. So, when did this happen? It happened during Covid, actually. During Covid? Yeah, in the middle of a depression. So, obviously, that unlocked the situation for me.

So, yeah, I was very lucky to come at the right time. Afterwards, if you had fallen at another time, I would have been just as lucky. Morally, in any case, it was cool that it ended up there. Yes that’s it. And so, tell us, how does it go?

You’re at home, you get an email, you get a phone call, how’s everything going? Yeah, I got a message, actually, on Messenger, in the spam stuff. On Facebook, what? Yeah, that’s it. No way to contact me, I think, otherwise. Well done, eh, don’t do this at home. No no no.

So, yeah, having a website and having a presence on the networks, maybe that can work. In fact, you know, when you win the effect… For all instrumentalists, ultimately, winning a big competition is… I don’t know, it’s something that comes to mind,

To to be able to collaborate with a label, to be able to be represented. And finally, for the guitar, I never… Well, it never came to my mind in that way. Ah, that’s not saying, for example. Yeah, that’s it. So, for me, it was a bit supernatural.

I didn’t believe it, I thought it was a mistake. Oh yeah ? Did you tell yourself it was a mistake? Well yeah, a guy who’s under my skin, something from that time. And in fact, well no, so I spoke with them, and straight away, it was very serious.

They asked me to come to their studio a few months later. And so, the whole exchange took place, and lo and behold, it went very well. So, how is it going? For example, this Baroque music album project, was it you who came up with this idea? It’s them ?

So, I made several proposals, and they chose baroque music instead. Ah OK. So, it’s done like that. But actually, I was already playing it, I think, as something that they were interested in, and maybe they were developing that in their catalog. Then it’s a project that I wanted to carry out too, so…

So, I’m familiar with it. The subject to propose, already, is that you were there with the thing, that is. But it didn’t immediately register. There was six months from when they contacted me to when I went to the studios. OK. And so, I went into the studios,

I recorded it, there was this whole Rising Star program. Oh, did you do that? Yeah. And so, there it was, that was the recording, I had recorded a few tracks. And then I had more news. A few months later, they wrote to me offering me the exclusive contract.

And so, afterwards, it took I don’t know how long before the signing. Then there was the announcement. And then there was the recording, so it spread out, actually. I’m telling you, it’s never going to happen. Yeah, that’s a bit like it. It was a slow process, but there you go.

So, since you released your record, have things happened… What has it changed in your life? Afterwards, you did lots of concerts, there was Covid. There, you say, there are a few fewer concerts at that time, clack. What has changed? The day you released your record, did any really incredible things happen?

Or is it better? But… That is to say that Deja Mofan, therefore, is really… Propels the artists, but especially in relation to the record, in fact. So, of course, there are collaborations with agencies. But it remains… I am confronted, like all guitarists today, ultimately, with the fact that music is not…

Finally, the guitar is not completely integrated into the world of music . And so, obviously, I have both feet in the world of music, which wasn’t the case before, and that’s a big change. When you say that, what exactly does that mean?

I play in venues where there are no guitars, in fact, or very few. And so, there you have it, it allows you to reach another audience. I also do a lot of chamber music, with lots of different instrumentalists, and it’s really extraordinary experiences.

I did that very little before, because of the competitions, because of the recitals. And so, suddenly, it’s super enriching. So, it also brings me all this experience. So there. Well, it’s… And so, you didn’t have many chamber music projects before that, right? Yeah. There are things… How does it happen?

It’s happening a little… You see, for a concert, are you going to do a duet, or are things starting to establish themselves a little bit? Or is it a meeting there? Yeah, there’s a trio with Lucie Horsch and Emmy Storm, with whom we’re really doing a project that’s developing over the long term.

So that’s really cool. I played with Lucienne Renaudin-Vary, it was a one-off concert, I played with Maria Dueñas, as part of a promotional event for the albums. And that’s it, I think we’re going to record together too. Sometimes, it’s the label that solicits, sometimes, it’s the concert halls, sometimes, it’s…

Ah yes, you have the concert halls who say you’re the artist, are you the artist together? Yeah, it’s the dress label that asked Lucie Horsch and me to take it together. And so, it went from there. So, ultimately, it could be the chance of encounters,

Then also the artists’ desire to work with one person rather than another. Oh yes, yes. Very good. So, yeah, it offers possibilities in relation to that. And, I don’t know, working in chamber music a little bit, even if it’s rather recent, has it changed things for me?

In your solo guitar playing, not so much? So, I wouldn’t say that I play differently, but on the other hand, in practice, there are things that develop because we approach the repertoires in a different way. For example, I play the folia, for example, and therefore, I play the harpsichord part.

So, ultimately, these are figures too. It’s much more improvised. And, in fact, ultimately, everything we do on the guitar when we work on the solo, we work on the sound, we detail lots of things, ultimately, in chamber music. That’s not the main thing at all. So there are lots of other things.

There is also a different technical approach. It’s also a way of putting music much more at the center where our own tastes and desires are put… We put everything on the table and we discuss. So, it also brings, musically, a lot of things. It’s very complementary, in fact. Yeah, definitely.

Yeah, we’re finally moving away from… Because it’s true that the whole solo is very centered on the artist, and that’s it. We decide to do something else. And a next record has been announced by Deutsch Grammophon, or not yet, or if not, perhaps?

What I can say is that it’s going to be a Spanish music project. And I tried to play on a historic guitar. For now, it’s still… I was going to ask you about guitars too. Have you ever played romantic guitars and all that? Yes Yes Yes. Never in concert, but I’ve already tried.

There, suddenly, it would not be on a romantic guitar, but rather a Spanish guitar, early 20th century. So there you have it, it’s… So good. And so, often, I like to ask the artists for a little technical exercise and all that, or even, when sometimes they say “No,

I don’t do a technical exercise” that’s what you told me . I say “If you ever play in 5 minutes, what would you do for a warm-up exercise?” You told me “I don’t warm up when I play.” » I said: “But you’re sick!”

You still have a little exercise that you did a little regularly because people…” So, that’s not your guitar, nor your small man guitar. It’s a Vicente Carrillo… Do you have a little exercise that you do from time to time when you pick up the guitar? Today, which I no longer do,

But which I did a lot when I was in my years in Nantes. It’s an exercise that allows… which is a basis, in fact, and which allows you to work on many things around it. So it’s just… In 4, 3, 1… Up. So, what does this develop? It’s synchronization.

It also allows you to take cues on the instrument as soon as you pick up the guitar. And above all, we can work on velocity. We can also work on the gap between the thumb and the middle index finger. That is to say, we can say to ourselves “We leave a rope gap.

” I missed. So. This allows you to have the same angle of attack and therefore to operate by position at the level of the right hand. We can work on velocity. We can really… Do you do the middle index finger all the time or do you do other fingers too?

All combinations are possible. Even 3 fingers. If one wants to. Butt, pinch. So every day, we can focus on something in particular. We can even work unplugged. … … Trying to be on the metronome and trying to be precise. That’s what framed me a bit when I was young.

And which allowed me to also be psychologically stable. Once we have done it, we feel the finger, we have the impression that we have the benchmarks and we can go there. Maybe that’s not your case, but for the most part, generally, what I like

Is to do a minute, I do the same thing every time and that allows me to say “Here, here the middle finger is not well cut. » It’s a very simple little thing. As we often say in the simplest exercises, often it’s good because it allows you to refocus.

Rather than you never start doing this at full tilt, for example. No no no. I say that because… There are plenty of “amateurs” or even students who play well who have trouble working long. Yes, that’s a problem. There was something I saw on the networks.

There was a great violinist whose name I’ve lost right now, obviously, but he was… What’s the best advice anyone ever gave you? I don’t know. Maybe “think bigger”, something like that. Oh yes ? I don’t know, you’re taking a little lesson from me. I know, it’s on purpose.

But it’s a good answer, already. Yes. Listen, if it comes up to me during the interview, I’ll tell you this. And how are you progressing today? Listen, there is one thing that has changed a lot, I have the impression, in any case it is developing.

The way I work is much more focused on the music and the issues of each work, in fact. I have the impression that I approach the works according to their issues. And finally, the work on the specific guitar is much less important. But there are other things that take a lot more time.

Analyze the works, is that it? Listen to other works by the same composer, other instruments, that kind of stuff? Yes, for example, when I worked on the first part for the recording, I took one movement per week. I had concerts too, I did other things.

I don’t know, I read all the arrangements that were already made, I listened to lots of versions, I made my own version, so I wrote. And afterward, there is a whole lot of ear work, fixing the fingerings, so in successive layers of work. And ultimately, it encompasses more things.

So it takes more time. But I spend less time on the instrument. And I have the impression that… For example, if I’m working on Bach, I might sing a lot to hear the voices. If I work on Hassad, I think I’ll be a lot more on the instrument,

Try lots of things, try to be more spontaneous. So I feel like my work is much more varied, much more dependent on what the work is, I think. Isn’t it also because you worked on your guitar a lot that now you can also afford to free up some time?

Yes. You don’t need to practice your guitar many hours a day as much as you did when you were 18. Afterwards, I still think that… When I give masterclasses, I don’t know if it happens to you too, where you still see that ultimately, what can be missing in the students,

It’s because the fingers , often, they walk. So, they may be missing things, but ultimately, it’s more what’s in their ears. On one level, this is clear. Yes. But even, I have the impression, for young people who are in 3rd Cycle, who are even in 2nd,

There may be missing other things which could perhaps save time. Because we choose our fingerings also based on the music. And there are lots of things. So ultimately, working, exercising, doing lots of things with a goal that is quite vague, I don’t know if it’s always better.

I don’t know if I’m clear about that. Yes. What is certain is that me, my students in the specialized cycle, in the first months, we do a lot, a lot of techniques for the sound, for the attack, to optimize everything. And then after that, we hardly talk about it anymore.

But we often have to put… Well, for me, in any case, that’s how I work. It’s that we set a bit of a level at the beginning, and then afterward, normally, it’s more time-consuming. Anyway, it’s not just the sound that’s the problem. Afterwards, we can only talk about music.

And what blocks, generally, afterwards, is no longer really the technique. Finally, everyone has their techniques, their limits. For example, there are some who will be much faster in the ranges. There are some who are very… Pepe Romero, he goes very quickly in the ranges.

Finally, I will never go as fast as Pepe Romero, even if I work a lot. But that’s how it is. There are some who are very strong and very soft, there are some who are less strong and softer, I don’t know.

In any case, there is still a minimum level to be had where you have to forget about technique. I’m not saying that. But I think that ultimately, forgetting the whole cultural contribution side, ultimately, is not to be neglected, even when I am younger, I think. – Of course.

And then, you don’t do a sonata, a scale in a Turina sonata like you do in the baccalaureate. It has nothing to do. What is the thing you are most proud of today? Is there really something you’re proud of or… Can you be proud?

Is there a lot of things you can be proud of? – I don’t know. Maybe to still have the same connection with music, in fact. The same appetite, to always be so happy to work on the guitar. Because in fact, there are quite a few requests and it could fluctuate,

But I have the impression that there is something that holds me to that. So maybe that, actually. – When you pick up your guitar, you are happy. – I am happy. – Because there, we talked about your journey. There is still everything that has worked for you when you see it from afar.

Are there really failures? – Yes. There were plenty of competitions where it didn’t work out the way I wanted. And then there are even lots of concerts where I’m not happy. I would have liked it to be done differently. – Is there one where you think it didn’t go well?

Because ultimately, I got something positive out of it. – I remember a competition in Kutna Hora where I felt like I had performed well, but in fact it wasn’t enough. Of course it wasn’t enough and it gave me a bit of a boost from behind.

I told myself it was my fault. – Because you got off stage and you said to yourself it’s good, and then you understood why it didn’t happen? Because sometimes we say to ourselves I wasn’t caught, it’s not normal, we blame everyone, we blame the jury.

And you, didn’t you have that reaction? – No, that is to say that in fact, when we think back on what we have done, it is never perfect and there are plenty of points on which it could have been much better.

And I think that in fact, when you do a competition especially, it’s never enough anyway because the first thing is that we could have played better, ultimately. I think it’s a good state of mind to say that it’s ultimately about yourself that it happens.

Or on the other hand, yeah, I would go. – Would you have one last thing to add for a 16 year old who watches the channel, who discovers you a little, or who saw you at GFA a few years ago, what would you like to tell him? – I think it’s really perhaps

That in fact, listening to music, immersing yourself in the language and styles, is perhaps one of the most important things, it’s not the most important In fact. I often notice in masterclasses, even elsewhere, that ultimately, it’s not always at the center, it’s not always something

Important and I have the impression that that’s what should take precedence. Maybe we listened to music – and went to concerts too . – And go to the concert of course. – Yeah, great. It’s okay, we’ve said everything.

Well thank you Raphaël, I am very happy to have received you in any case, it’s a very good time. Don’t forget to like the video so that it goes viral and gets featured on YouTube, thumbs up, well done! Subscribe to the channel if you want other interviews

Like the one we did with Raphaël. To Fred who opened the doors for us today, Maxime who is behind the camera and we wish you a good day. Beautiful music to all and see you soon!