“Why don’t you lose yourself in suggestive melodies, harmonies, disharmonies, refrains, chants, grooves, beats and vibrations.” P. Schumacher (pascalschumacher.com)
RTL Today caught up with Pascal ahead of his upcoming works with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg and we delve into his creative process, Luxembourg’s rich music scene and what driving factors are behind his ambition over a stellar career.
What is the theory behind this new piece and how does it represent where you are as a musician today?
It’s a dream come true. A rosace is a symmetrical ornamentation resembling a rose. This picture and the idea of perfect symmetry felt very inspiring to me. I’ve worked with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg in the past, but never had the great opportunity to write music for a whole evening with this fantastic orchestra and to do so in one of the most beautiful concert venues on planet earth. Rosace.8 is a ‘Suite in 10 Movements’. My early plans were to write a piece in 8 movements (therefore I called it Rosace.8)
Do you think your younger self would recognize you now?
I do. The older I get, the further I get away from my ‘study-years’, the closer I get to who I really am!
Can you remember an exact moment in your life when you said ‘music, this is for me’ and if so, when was that?
I don’t believe I ever started a sentence like this, but music means a lot to me, of course.
How long did it take you to come up with and finalize Rosace.8?
Almost a year. I started composing in early 2018 and finalized in December 2018.
How did you decide on your fellow musicians to play with you?
In this case I did not really decide. It was clear from the beginning that I would work with musicians from ‘Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg’, which is a great honour!
Have you ever considering walking away from music?
Never...where would I go?
How do you feel about the way in which Luxembourg compares to other countries - in regards to its musical output?
Luxembourgish musicians, unless they sing in ‘Luxembourgish’ have to export themselves as soon as possible. We have started to do quite well in this regard with institutions such as music:LX. But the accomplishments of this organization are only a first step. The second step is a much harder one to be take. I am very much looking forward to the Arts Council, and our new Minister of Culture when this is announced. I believe this could bring us to the next level.
What could be improved?
There should be a selection of who and what is really worth investment and promoting/exporting. At this point in time everybody qualifies very easily to have support, which is beautiful for all concerned, but it does not really help anybody on a long term basis. I hope for the future generations, that stronger decisions will be made and some artists will succeed to establish themselves on a higher level.
How do you differentiate your stylistic leanings when composing...you have an affinity for electronic music, but is it easy to separate the two?
There are no borders. Every musical ingredient can be combined. But on certain days certain ingredients taste better then others.
How does composing differ from writing a score or sound tracking visuals?
It’s different from the moment that a director has a strong idea what he wants… The challenge then is to find a common ground.
I really enjoyed listening to Drips (Stimming Remix) your work with Maxime Delpierre...is remixing a smart way to get ‘known’?
I like the idea of giving a second life to some musical material. In the first moment it is always an artisitical and chemical interchange with another musician. In a second moment it might bring you closer to that other’s fanbase and vice versa, true.
What makes the Phil such a great place to play?
Many, many things, but maybe most of all the hyper-professional environment, that allows you to dig very, very deep!!
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