Ep. 108 | Cyprien Katsaris on Improvisation, Transcription, Technique & Musical Freedom

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Interview Date: November 2020

In Ep. 108 of the HMA Podcast, Nikhil Hogan welcomes Cyprien Katsaris, one of the greatest living pianists — a virtuoso whose career spans the 20th and 21st centuries, celebrated for his transcendental technique, imaginative interpretations, and legendary improvisational ability.

In this remarkable conversation, Katsaris opens up about how anyone can learn to improvise, the truth about legendary transmission lines (Liszt → Sauer → De La Bruchollerie → Katsaris), his memories of Georges Cziffra, the philosophy behind transcriptions, his views on piano competitions, practicing, sight-reading, composing, and much more.

This is one of the deepest, widest-ranging interviews ever recorded with Cyprien Katsaris — filled with history, philosophy, humor, and rare stories never previously shared publicly.

Chapters:
0:00 – Introduction
0:31 – Did you always improvise from childhood?
2:59 – Can anyone learn to improvise?
4:53 – How did the Paris Conservatory shape your musical training?
8:48 – Do you consider yourself a musical descendant of Liszt or Alkan?
11:21 – On Cziffra’s technique and why the world overlooked him
16:15 – First encounters with Cziffra & competing in his competition
19:32 – The story behind Cziffra’s Bumblebee transcription
23:51 – What did Cziffra think of your playing?
25:58 – Why create your own transcriptions?
29:36 – Pushback from the classical world against transcriptions
34:03 – Why did academic playing replace imaginative interpretation?
39:31 – Katsaris on piano competitions: are they fair?
44:09 – How did you develop elite sight-reading skills?
48:15 – Practicing: metronome, fingering, and step-by-step discipline
49:40 – How do you think about music theory?
52:00 – Katsaris on composition & improvising in historical styles
55:40 – Quick-fire questions: proudest moments, hardest pieces
1:00:05 – Which recordings should newcomers listen to first?
1:02:09 – Katsaris on his own compositions
1:02:53 – Do you play or listen to jazz?
1:03:39 – How Scientology shaped his communication and artistry
1:05:03 – The top three pianists of the 20th century
1:05:22 – Closing thanks