Anna Bondareva, composer-pianist and artistic director of Piano Revenge Festival, speaks about the new future for piano music. Since 2018, Anna Bondareva has been releasing her solo piano albums under AB NeoClassical Music label, performing her own compositions, with a total of more than 50 albums available on streaming platforms Paris based composer has a unique and introspective sound universe; her live performances are very expressive and dynamic. Piano pieces by Anna Bondareva create delicate and meditative atmospheres, where music becomes a form of personal and intense expression. The artist is committed to building sound environments that reflect her inner world, exploring themes such as introspection, vulnerability and personal growth. Anna has a strong interest in experimental music and improvisation. One can hear her innovative piano techniques expanding the sonic possibilities. This approach allows the musician to move between tradition and innovation, creating evocative and transformative compositions.
DMR: Most of us can define the word “music” as a type, genre of art. Yes, this is true, but in fact, music can be described much more broadly. Music is the art of reproducing feelings, thoughts in sounds. It represents a melody consisting of harmony and rhythm. If you think about it, music surrounds us everywhere. Listening in silence to the sound of rain, rustling leaves, whispering wind, murmuring water, we hear not just the sounds of nature, but all this is music that creates harmony. So, let’s try to understand its meaning in our lives together.
Anna: Nowadays, we are greatly influenced by information flows, and sometimes it is difficult to preserve your true self. It has been proven that piano music helps develop the thought process, and sometimes can even act as a spiritual practice. Music always helps me cope with all the current troubles and problems that arise in everyday life. It’s like meditation. I think that music should be taught more carefully and in detail so that from an early age children can be exposed to its beneficial influences and power.
DMR: Anna, you just said that many things concerning the influence of music on each of us have been scientifically proven. What can we expect next and how can we apply this knowledge?
Anna: Music makes us better, inspires and encourages, gives unforgettable feelings. I think that if you were able to recognize musical sensitivity in yourself, then you should start playing, try to study a musical instrument. Now it is incredibly easy. You do not need to be a millionaire to pay for expensive lessons with a piano professor, we have the Internet. You can engage in self-education, and this is great!
DMR: You played the piano from an early age and received an excellent musical education; do you really think it is possible to become a professional in music without studying with teachers?
Anna: Just recently, a girl of about twelve came to me who really wanted to learn to play the piano. I was very surprised when she demonstrated what she had learned herself. I think that’s what it’s all about. A genuine desire to learn something, be it music or other sciences. Mozart composed as a child, and did not ask anyone or learn how to do it, he simply knew.
DMR: Previously, you recorded a lot of songs and performed songs, why did you turn to instrumental piano
music?
Anna: Yes, many people were concerned about this question, and I heard it more than once, like, why don’t you sing anymore? It’s not that I don’t want to sing, it’s just that every creative person has their own tasks. And happy is the one who understands them. Fashion for a certain composer, for a certain kind of music is possible only in an amateur environment. True art is not subject to fashion, it lives for centuries. In piano music I have absolute freedom. Just me and the instrument. And this is a unique experience.
DMR: What is your piano music about, and how should listeners tune in to it? What tasks do you set for
yourself as a composer?
Anna: An angry and dissatisfied person rarely likes music; he is not able to perceive it. Music is always about love. If it is not there, if that warm ray of love that God has given to every person is missing, it is worth first awakening it in yourself, and only then engaging in musical creativity and listening.
DMR: We already see amazing examples of how new innovations are being introduced into all areas of our lives. How will we be able to tell in the future that music was composed by a real musician and not
by artificial intelligence?
Anna: It’s simply impossible to replace the feelings that a person gets from a live performance. Our Festival is about this. It’s a chance for musicians to play their music live, in Paris, so we open a portal to a new future for new piano music. This is our mission.
DMR: What is the ideal day of a musician, composer and pianist? Are there any tricks, life hacks and what helps you stay in shape as an artist?
Anna: Musician or composer, there is something that unites them, it is a passion for perfection. If you are a pianist, when you have a classical repertoire and you are a concert performer, discipline and many hours of daily practice are inevitable. But without inspiration, such activities quickly turn into hard labor. The artist is like a gold digger, looking for a breath of fresh air from the muses in everything that surrounds him, so that these particles of ether fill him with strength and energy to carry out creative tasks. It could be a movie, a trip to a museum, or just a nice walk, and also silence. Silence is necessary
to clearly hear your inner voice.
DMR: What will your piano music be like in the future, is there anything new you would like to bring in?
Anna: It is really difficult to invent new harmonies when it seems that everything has already been played. There are few innovations in piano music now, after composers like Alexander Scriabin, for example, who was able to really push the boundaries of piano classics back in the early twentieth century. But all this shouldn’t stop us. The main thing is to move forward. And with each step, you need to free your essence from all influences, then something new will come. I hope for this for my music too.
DMR: You mentioned a composer from the early 20s, Scriabin. Do you have a special relationship with
him? Like every artist has a mentor, would you say he is one of them, or are there others?
Anna: Yes, there is. I realized this especially when I visited the house museum of composer Alexander Scriabin in Moscow last year. I had an overwhelming feeling that we are very closely connected. I think that I consider myself a successor to his musical tradition. But piano music is unthinkable without Mozart’s works, they contain sacred meaning.
DMR: What is your most vivid musical experience, is it working in the studio or performing live?
Anna: I love the recording process, it’s like alchemy. You can’t reveal all the secrets, otherwise it won’t work. But everything is learned in battle, and live performances have their own charm, because something will always happen that you cannot control, and you have to be ready for it. And I love adventures. A good musician always knows what is good and what is not. You can’t be out of tune on stage. I always say that the best experience is yet to come.
DMR: Thank you, Anna, this is certainly true, and indeed, very soon, this year, a festival will take place in
Paris, of which you are the art director and founder. How do you see this event? What does Piano Revenge Festival mean to you?
Anna: It’s great that we were able to organize this festival, and it’s all thanks to my solo concerts last fall at the Théâtre de l’Île Saint‐Louis. It was then that I came up with this idea and the vision that this wonderful place was perfect for such an event. During the festival, we aim to unite the traditions of neoclassical piano music. Also, this year, we remember the French composer Eric Satie, a hundred years since his death. His piano works and compositional style are extremely important for many of our participants. The theatre houses a grand piano that belonged to pianist and composer Alan Kremski,
who is also the inspiration for our festival.
DMR: And finally, Anna, do you have any plans? What would you like for your festival in the future?
Anna: Our plan is to feel the atmosphere of the festival in June, make new contacts, meet artists, and hear a lot of new piano music. Piano Revenge has no limits. And I can easily imagine that one of our next festivals could take place in Venice, Tokyo, London or New York.
This summer, Paris will host the first edition of Piano Revenge Festival, an international festival of neoclassical piano music.
Find more information on the festival web page: https://pianorevenge.art/
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