WORLD-FAMOUS PIANO DUO

TALK MUSIC, MARRIAGE AND MADONNA AT HOME IN

THEIR PALACE IN ROME

THE LABEQUE SISTERS

Katia and Marielle began playing when they were five and three. In June,

they’ll play in Vienna for an audience of 100,000

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Katia and Marielle Labèque are in a league of their own. The talented French sisters are

widely recognised as the best piano duo in the world, seducing audiences in venues from La Scala in Milan to London’s Proms and the Royal Festival Hall. Of course, no one achieves this kind of success overnight. However much in tune with the instrument the two are by nature, it still took them years of hard work to develop their playing to the point where the piano seems to speak, moving all who hear it.

At least some of the credit for their success lies with their mother, a pianist herself, who sat her little

girls beside her on the piano stool when they were just five and three, and slowly but surely instilled in them a passion for music.

But they also cite another, rather surprising role model. They became firm friends with Madonna after meeting her at Sting’s house 20 years ago, and say that the Queen of Pop has been a “great inspiration to us, and it’s mutual”.

Katia and Marielle’s talent was already obvious by the time they were 14 and 12, when they moved from the South of France to Paris so that they could continue their studies at the world-famous Conservatoire. The strikingly beautiful sisters went

on to graduate together, making history and headlines by sharing that year’s first prize.

It was then that they took the decision to continue their careers as a duo, so that they need never be separated. And today, their harmonious partnership is in such demand that they’re almost continually on the move.

For their rare tranquil moments, they’ve created a haven of peace at their historic home in Rome, where they’re also able to catch up with the men in their lives, who are both musicians too. It was here that they gave us this interview, speaking, as they play, almost as one.

Clad in their preferred Givenchy haute couture, Katia and Marielle

pose by their 19th-century Silbermann fortepianos (left), only four of which remain in the world.

The sisters’ stunning Roman palace (above left) was once owned by the

aristocratic Borgia family

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Featuring stone and wood, the kitchen has a delightfully rustic feel (above and left). Wood also takes centre stage in the entrance hall (below). When the sisters bought the palace it was divided into three houses and was “horrible”

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Have you always known you wanted to be pianists?Marielle: “Katia always had it very clear. From a young age she only ever thought about music and she’d either be sitting at the piano or with a book and the dog. But I enjoyed other things too – I loved the sea and had a lot of friends… “We’re very different but we complement each other very well, which we think is part of our success. And our mother was also a great influence. She taught us to play in such a loving way and with so much passion that it was impossible not to like it. We have the same feelings to this day.”What’s been your most exciting moment on stage?“If we had to pick out one concert, it would be the one we played ten y e a r s a g o w i t h t h e B e r l i n Philharmonic, conducted by Simon Bartell, in front of a crowd of 30,000, as it was the first time

Marielle (right) is married to the conductor Semyon Bychkov, but thanks to their hectic careers they can go months without seeing each other. Katia’s partner is the musician David Chalmin, who works in the sisters’ studio in Rome, allowing the couple to see more of each other

‘Katia and I are very different but we complement each other very well, which we think is

part of our success’

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The frescoes in the bedrooms (above) and part of the living room were restored with the help of two Fine Arts students. The bathrooms (below and right) are,

say the sisters, “spectacular” and feature many subtle shades of marble

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we’d played in front of so many people. Although in June we’re going to do the unthinkable. We’re going to play with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by my husband, Semyon Bychkov, for an audience of 100,000. We’re really nervous and are already rehearsing.”At every performance you’re exquisitely dressed. Are you both fashion lovers?Marielle and Katia: “Our relationship with fashion goes back to our first concert, which was held at the Espace Cardin, the theatre owned by designer Pierre Cardin. He gave us two of his couture dresses to wear.

“We attach great importance to what we wear on stage and in every concert we do various costume changes. These days everything we wear is by Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy. His style has an artistic dimension and is timeless, so we absolutely love it. We feel good performing in his clothes because they’re empowering.”Your wardrobes must be full of dresses…M and K: (laughing) “We have a charitable foundation here in Italy and we donate everything to it. So that’s where our dresses go, since each and every one of them is a real gem. The foundation helps young artists and supports projects related to the world of music. It’s very interesting and you can check it out on our webpage, www.labeque.com.”Is it hard to have a stable personal life when you’re performing so much?M: “It’s almost impossible, which is why we don’t have children. With my husband being a conductor, we sometimes go for months without seeing each other. Katia’s partner is the musician David Chalmin, and thanks to the fact he practises and produces in our studio here in Rome, they see a bit more of each other.”You’re both great friends of Madonna. What can you tell us about her?M: “We’ve been friends for 20 years. We met at a party given by Sting at his home, when

Katia poses in Givenchy haute couture at the entrance to her bedroom (above). “We attach great importance to what we wear on stage,” the dazzling sisters tell us

‘Everything we wear on stage is by Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy. His style has an artistic dimension and is timeless, so we absolutely love it. We feel good performing in his clothes because they’re empowering’

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suddenly she came up to Katia and said she’d been told we played the piano very well. Katia said, that’s right, and if you want to see us, come to our house in Paris. Then one night, at 11pm, she turned up there with the designer Jean Paul Gaultier and we played for her. She was enthralled, and we were just as fascinated by her.

“Madonna has been a great inspiration to us, and it’s mutual. We played for her at her wedding, and whenever she can, she comes to see us. We haven’t tried to work together, though, because she doesn’t make our kind of music. Hers is more showbusiness. She’s got an amazing capacity for work; she never gets tired. She loves what she does.”You have a wonderful home. How did you come by it?“When we bought the house, it was horrible! It was divided into three houses and the ceilings weren’t so high and there were no frescoes. But we liked its history. In the past, it was one of the Borgias’ palaces. It’s in a wonderful location, right in the heart of old Rome. As for the rest, that is all down to Axel Ver-voordt, the person who taught us everything we know about decor.”What do you like most about it?“The 17th-century frescoes in the bedrooms and part of the living room. They were a discovery, and we rescued and restored them with the help of two Fine Arts students from Florence. The bathrooms are also spectacular – one of them is inspired by the Villa Pamphili, a beautiful ancient Roman house.”What about your studio?“It’s a mixture of old and new. It has the most sophisticated music equipment, along with some centuries-old furniture. But most importantly, it gives us a great space to play in and is very well soundproofed.”

‘Madonna has been a great inspiration to us,

and it’s mutual. We played at her wedding’

Katia and Marielle relax in their studio (above), which, they say, “is a mixture of old and new. It has the most sophisticated music equipment, along with centuries-old furniture.” The sisters were taught to play by their mother (below left), a pianist, and have since gone on to rub shoulders with royalty, film stars and pop icons such

as Sting (below centre) and Madonna (below right), whom they met at a party thrown by Sting

INTERVIEW: LOLA DELGADO PHOTOS: ANDREA SAVINI

CO-ORDINATION: CRISTIAN RODRIGUEZ HAIR AND MAKE-UP: MICHELE MAGNANI

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