Music Examples of Claude Mottier

 

Claude Mottier (1972-2002) was the great-grandson of Artur Schnabel.  Of his four grandparents three were professional musicians, and the fourth was a serious amateur violinist.  Such dominant musical genes had a profound impact on Claude’s inclinations.  From a very early age his primary interest was music, both making music and listening to music.  Inevitably he studied piano performance and received his Bachelors Degree at Hartt School of Music, Hartford, CT. He gave his Senior Recital as student of Luiz de Moura Castro in 1994.  At that time, unknown to all, he was already suffering from a brain tumor that caused him severe difficulties. Due to his illness he was forced to give up his dream of becoming a concert pianist.


Claude had an unusual love and sense for the performance of slow and lyrical music.  For this YouTube clip we have selected the first movement of the Beethoven Piano Sonata Opus 101, recorded at his Senior Recital.  Beethoven wrote the following performance indication: Etwas lebhaft, und mit innigster Empfindung (somewhat animated, and with heartfelt emotion), music Claude reveled in.

Claude wrote in an essay on his grandfather Karl Ulrich Schnabel’s teaching: “When I still aspired to be a pianist, the glamour of association [with Artur Schnabel] was soon tempered by the realization that my own playing or teaching would unquestionably be compared, not only to the reality of my great-grandfather’s playing and teaching, but to the legend.”


Claude Mottier at the Senior Recital  playing the Chopin Ballade in A flat Major, Opus 47

 

 


 Claude Mottier (Schnabel) at Senior Recital: Bela Bartok Suite Opus 14

https://youtu.be/Qa4Wk6au4Fg