Belgrade Festivals Centre (CEBEF) and once again demonstrating why he’s a worldwide favourite on the piano. After performing at BEMUS in 2022, you returned to Belgrade earlier this year. How do you see the city where you were born, is it ageing well? “Belgrade is a place that’s constantly in my heart and is an inseparable part of my being. But my sta- tus is completely unique: I feel at home around the whole world, but like a guest in the city of my birth.” Kolarac certainly arouses fond memories, given that you had your first performance there back in 1968? How do you recall that performance? “Kolarac is a magnificent hall with outstanding acoustics. And it ought to be preserved unchanged as it is, with all its characteristics, for future gen- erations.” You’ve performed in the world’s best con- cert halls. How much does an auditorium impact the musical experience? “In Buenos Aires, my favourite venue, the Te- atro Colón, was built thanks to a huge budget be- ing allocated for that project. Thus, for example, its enchanting curtains are made of silky velvet in the colour of aubergine... However, thanks to the great attention that was paid to every aspect of the archi- tecture and the hall’s interior, a good spirit has tak- en up residence there, so when an artist performs a concert particularly well, that spirit gently pats them on the shoulders with its fingers... I’ve expe- rienced that on multiple occasions.” You’ve been playing piano since the age of seven. Have you had your fill of the piano and had a desire to “cheat” on it with an- other instrument? “The piano has been my number one priority for almost 60 years and always will be.” Are there still secrets for you, as a pianist? “There are, but I won’t reveal them to you... [laughs]” In your opinion, does the audience have to be educated in order to understand classi- cal music? “No, the audience needs only to be honest. Ed- ucation is important to comprehend the meaning of a certain work, its place in a historical context or certain other contexts, but it isn’t a factor when it comes to listening to and experiencing a musi- cal composition.” Do you sometimes perform other types of music? Many classical musicians play around with genres... “I play that which appears in notes written by other people. In order for them to become compre- hensible, one must penetrate to what hides behind those notes, and for that it’s essential to take an ap-
proach that’s full of respect and to identify with the ideas and best desires of the genius authors. There can be no greater challenge than that for a pianist.” You picked Rachmaninoff for the Belgrade concert. Why? “Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 is a work that emerged as the fruit of its author’s inexplica- ble inspiration. It is packed with melodies and har- monies of timeless beauty that can never be forgot- ten once heard. However, it was precisely for these reasons that this concerto became one of his most commercially exploited achievements. Representa- tions in film or cover versions in popular genres led to the total trivialisation of this music. It was pre- cisely the hyperproduction of this “Concerto...” that drew attention away from the works’ authentic spir- it, which to this day remains among the least under- stood of Rachmaninoff’s works. My task is to strip away the layers of triviality and banal interpreta- tion to reach pure music.” The New York Times once dubbed you an artist who is 200 years ahead of your own time. Is it tough to be in such a position? “They miscalculated; they left out one zero... [laughs]” I read somewhere that if you don’t sleep aboard a plane, you sketch jewellery that you later create? “This is actually in reference to me having once fashioned semi-precious stones that I bought for my late wife, Alisa Kezheradze. The jewellery was made, following my suggestions and instructions, at a jewellery workshop in Bavaria, and then includ- ed as an example of outstanding design. But that doesn’t mean that I’m any kind of designer or an- ything like that. Apart from having an affinity for that and the material opportunity that enables me to choose and purchase semi-precious stones that are extremely enticing to me (even more than those considered precious), due to their mineral structure, colouration and the suggestiveness that they hold. For me, semi-precious stones represent the abso- lute zenith of expressiveness and the effect that a mineral can have on a person. However, I’m still among the ranks of amateurs and enthusiasts, and nothing more.” Do you like aeroplanes and travelling? “Travelling by air is kind of a daily element of my professional life. I spent decades travelling regularly on Concorde while that airliner was still in use. Me and my stepson, George, were once passengers aboard the second or third fastest transatlantic crossing ev- er, when a tailwind with a speed of 300 kilometres per hour was blowing, so we arrived in New York – where I had a Carnegie Hall concert scheduled – after a flight time of less than three hours. As a keepsake to commemorate that occasion, we received diplo- mas and fountain pens from the airline.”
Interview » Intervju | 35
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