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Stephane Collin tells why music is a way to enjoy a better life and how composers can show the audience a deeper reality.

What does music mean to you personally?

Music is a way to enjoy a better life and experiment deeper feelings.

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

Yes. Or I would say : deeper reality.

If you were not a professional musician, would would you have been?

I have been piano restorer for quite a while. That was more a handcraft, but the same motivation as for writing music. Searching for beauty, and how beauty works.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?

Not really. I learned quite quickly that I had to be independent from music incomes, which never were cozy.

What do you envision the role of classical music to be in the 21 century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

There are huge transformations in the means by which music reaches the audience. I feel it is a pity for me, who really preferred the way it was before, but I am perfectly confident that younger generations adapt easily to whatever comes up.

Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

For me, it is all and only about creativity. I myself can not see the point in being in a routine, or doing the usual thing.

Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?

Again, I myself try only to write the best music (to my ears) that I can, and I certainly don’t want to alter my creative process in order to make more younger audience.

Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favourite piece (written by you) How did you start working on it?

It is difficult to say if I have a favourite piece. I like them all, nearly. I write only the things that I can hear, and I wait the needed time to hear something that I like, then I write it down. Of course, the piano helps me hear more accurately what I have inside. Recently I started “writing” at the computer, with sound libraries.

We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?

Of course, I adore this. I did many pieces about poetry, sometimes recitation with music, sometimes songs. Both the music and the text benefit much from the vicinity of each other.

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

Oh yes : drop the nintendo from time to time.

Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do you see it?

Difficult question. In my carreer, good music never brought up any money, and I did my best money doing the most stupid things. I try to get my money by other means, and then spend it in my own productions.

Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?

I do my music as independently as possible, even from the audience. When it is done I put it on the table, and whoever wants to pay interest can do so. When I get feedback; I am happy.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

Right now, I am working on a music-poetry project about a poem of the french poet Paul Claudel. It is very promising, and benefits of good help and energy from a few collaborators. I was recently in Macedonia to record a large strings orchestra for this project.

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Erwin Deleux tells us about his "Silent songs" and why he hopes to reach people who find silence fulfilling.

What does music mean to you personally?

Music as a language works on a more abstract and emotional level. A well developed musical message can touch our soul !

Do you agree that music is all about fantasy?

Fantasy of course is the privilege of children. In order to create, I try to listen to the child in myself- not such a big challenge, given the fact I’m father of 4 beautiful girls!

If you were not a professional musician, would would you have been?

Perhaps just miserable, but writing could also have been an option.

The classical music audience is getting old, are you worried about your future?

Quite often, younger people have to focus on earning money, making a career and raising children… Spare time is limited, which of course changes when children grow up and leave the house. In a way, it’s understandable audiences are not so young. Still, if we stick too much in tradition, we can lose the contact with the real life!

What do you envision the role of classical music to be in the 21 century? Do you see that there is a transformation of this role?

A new approach would be to have classical musicians improvise again, like in the old days. This can create an outcome of new classical music, that connects better to audiences than theoretically constructed computer music. Of course, the use of electronic effects and samples can add new colours to our acoustic music.

When I say that classical music is searching for new ways or that the classical music is getting a new face, what would come to your mind?

There is an absurdness in pianists that want to play Rach 3 faster then the speed of light. Competitions can of course produce great virtuoso, but they generate simply too many musicians performing exactly the same magic show. Whenever we start to open our mind and heart to film, choreography, pop music, … creativity finds its way. The new social media like instagram and linkedin have the possibility of showing music that doesn‘ t fit into a box.

Do you think that the classical musician today needs to be more creative? Whats the role of creativity in the musical process for you?

We can actually learn a lot from pop musicians. Communication is what counts in the end, the power to express real feelings… A lot of imagination can be found in how we dress, move on stage, create a light plan, speak to the audience, create video footage of our music. We also need to find out what it is that makes, for example, a Shostakowitch symphony still so relevant today!

Do you think we musicians can do something to attract young generation into the classical music concerts? How will you proceed?

There’s no shame in developing projects for schools. Classical music is treated so badly in the old media, that we need to improve the situation using new media! At the same time, these new media connect with a younger public.

Tell us about your creative process. Do you have your favourite piece (written by you) How did you start working on it?

After some 20 years of performing music written by other people, I felt the need of creating my own stuff. I’ve played my Liszt and my Rachmaninoff, and even a serious amount of more avant garde stuff. But it felt unfulfilling, and I got more and more into improvising. „Transit Zone“ would so far be the piece that I love the most. I started with the idea that everything we do in life, in a way is a transition to something new. This idea created a melancholic colour. I further on worked it out in the structure of the piece, with different positioning of parts of phrases in a large scale concentric form.

We, Moving Classics TV, love the combination of classical music with different disciplines: music and painting, music and cinematography, music and digital art, music and poetry. What do you think about these combinations?

I had some fun in the past working with actors and even a cartoonist. Bringing together separate art disciplines can learns us a lot: how do other artists reflect on today’s rapidly changing society, what’s there view on tradition/renewal?

Can you give some advice for young people who want to discover classical music for themselves?

First of all: don’t let you hold back by old fashioned stiff traditions… classical composers always were adventurous out of the box thinkers! Like food or fashion, you will find out some music fits very well with your identity, other music is just not your thing.

Now it is a common practice in the media to talk that the classical music is getting into the consumption business, do you agree? We are speaking about the supply and demand rules and how to sell your “product” in your case your compositions. How do you see it?

My work as an accompanist at Maastricht conservatory sort of pays for the bills. The fee for playing a recital these days is considerably less then 10 years ago, so I am a bit more picky in performing. As for composing: I write music just to express the way I stand in life. That’s the adventure, I think for me money is not the goal.

Do you have expectations what regards your listeners, your audience?

I hope to reach people that find silence fulfilling, as it is my songs origin.

What projects are coming up? Do you experiment in your projects?

A first set of five „Silent songs“ is completed, I enjoyed performing them on different occasions this year. During the summer months, I look forward to write a second set of them. On longer term, I hope to record a full cd within these piano miniatures.

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