Sounds Like Portraits

I sat with Mark at his office at the New York Philharmonic to discuss music recording. The three-time Grammy nominee has been the recipient of many more trophies for his broadcast work. He told me that "Studio perfection is false; it stops being the beauty of the music. The written page without the interpreter is nothing more than an academic exercise."

J'ai rencontré Benoît à New York, loin de sa base de travail à Jérusalem. Il m'a raconté sa vie de reporter de guerre sur les zones de front en Syrie, au Liban ou en Israël : "C'est une évidence, il faut toujours à un moment ou à un autre se dire : pourquoi est-ce que je fais ce métier-là ? C'est là qu'on est le plus créatif : dans le plaisir de ce qui nous a motivé au début."

Quand j'ai rencontré Kim à New York, elle m'a confié comment l'écriture est venue à elle : "Je m'endormais beaucoup au feu rouge et j'ai eu quelques accidents. Un des trucs qui a bien fonctionné, c'était de faire des listes. Des listes de courses, de choses à faire, de couleurs, de ville… A un moment donné, il n'y avait plus de liste. Alors, j'ai tourné le carnet à l'envers et je suppose que c'était l'écriture. Mais c'était juste des notes pour garder la tête en état d'alerte."

When I sat with Hermione, she used a description in J.M. Coetzee's novel Elisabeth Costello. It's about a writer who finally says she is a secretary of the invisible. She said: "Just seeing that phrase, it brings tears to my eyes."

Michael is a philosopher, an editor and a translator. And also a music lover. "Have the courage to really stand by what you think and be radical": when he told me that, I understood that it was a way to start a more profound conversation. That was exactly what happened.

When I sat with Christiane, she told me about her Lebanese roots and how music preserved her from the war at the time. Finding her true voice was -and still is- a challenge for her, but she adds: "I always knew that a lot of answers would come to me through my voice. "

When Nancy talks about music, she also talks about silence and life and joy. I learned a lot from her. Heres's a phrase she told me that I really like: "Listening is like not being afraid of the empty space, and building a trust that if you allow for the silence, for the empty space, then, something important will come to fill it. You will see all the treasures that are in there."

Ara is an Armenian-American musician. He is considered one of the top oud players in the world, his compositions have been recorded in thirteen different languages, which include the multi-platinum hit "Dinata" which was performed in the closing ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

J'ai rencontré Emmanuel dans son bureau à New York où il est actuellement en mission. Il m'a parlé de sa passion pour l'espace public et la démocratie. Ce qui ne va pas sans friction, ni trouble. Comment faire circuler la parole dans des situations de crise ? "Quand une situation est bloquée, soit on en sort par la force (mais on reste dans l'immobilité), soit on créé du mouvement par le dialogue. C'est de l'Aïkido."

I sat with Francois at his place in New York filled with art. His parents were huge collectors whose collection is now visible at the Menil Foundation in Houston (TX). He told me about his taste and his view of what an eye for art is: "You can recognize quality in art even though you may not respond to it as something you personally like."