BIG CONCERT OF MAGICAL SOUNDS

Umay Gasimzade is a young pianist and performer of contemporary modernist, postmodernist, neo-romantic and pluralist music written in the 20th and 21st centuries. Umay also performs the works by contemporary Azerbaijani composers. Repetitive textures, tonal techniques, and total serialism are the manner and style inherent to contemporary classical music. This has opened up a new world for Umay to express her creative potential. The young pianist also defended her doctoral thesis on the development of contemporary Azerbaijani music. Her work was recognised as the best thesis of the year at the Bowling Green State University (USA).

"Contemporary music. Why did you choose this direction?"

"My mentor at the Azerbaijan State Music Academy was Prof. Adila Vekilova. That is where I first started performing works by young contemporary Azerbaijani composers, including my brother Turkar Gasimzade. Thanks to him, I got the right direction and determined my career path. A year later after my graduation in 2011, I travelled to Norway to study performing arts in Einar Rottingen's class at the Grieg Academy of Music, University of Bergen. In Norway, I discovered a new page of contemporary music, learned new names of composers whose works inspired me. I particularly liked the works of George Cram. He's an American composer characterised by a unique musical style and technique. His work Macrocosmos is a hallmark of world contemporary music."

"How did you discover the world of music in the US, where did you go after completing your studies in Norway?"

"Frequent performances at concerts and festivals in Norway were an invaluable experience for me. But to become a professional, I needed to improve my knowledge and skills. Unfortunately, contemporary music is not taught in every country. So I decided to move to New York. That is where I got a second master's degree.

"The Manhattan School of Music, where I studied contemporary music, was a new stage in my career path. During my studies, we worked on the most complex programmes. I learned to read notes at top speed, became more attentive to the smallest details that ultimately created the overall picture of a piece. Then I decided to pursue a doctorate. I applied to the Bowling Green State University, Ohio and was notified a short time later that I had been selected."

"Your research paper was chosen as the best thesis of the year at that university..."

"Yes. The theme of my research paper was to analyse the piano works of three Azerbaijani composers: Said Gani, Turkar Gasimzade and Tahir Ibishov. Each of them uses a different style. They honour the national origins, have deep knowledge of the canons of traditional Azerbaijani music, yet their music does not repeat the centuries-long musical works known in our country. Their compositional thought is influenced by Azerbaijani national musical traditions and skilfully combines modern musical principles of the Western musical canon. The news of my thesis having been recognised as the best research paper of the year was quite unexpected. After that, many became interested in our national music. Unfortunately, there is a stereotype abroad that only exotic, oriental music is composed in Eastern countries. They are very surprised to hear that we have many composers who can contribute to the contemporary world music."

"Another good news is your collaboration with Innova Recordings of the American Composers Forum. Your album was selected as the best among 15 projects from around the world on the Spring National Call list..."

"This was another important and pleasant news! While living in the USA, I made the recordings of contemporary Azerbaijani composers, which I wrote about in my thesis. I uploaded this album to Bandcamp and sent the copies to the American record company Innova Recordings, which had just announced a programme for performers. I was lucky that they chose my recordings among the participants from all over the world. I met with them recently. Now my album will be placed in Spotify and Apple music tops and distributed on other platforms in 2024. This will contribute to a wider promotion of Azerbaijani music around the world and will create an opportunity to get feedback from the world's best critics. My album will now go travelling in the digital world."

"What categories were used to select the winners, and why did your album attract the label's attention?"

"The album features piano pieces by Ayaz Gambarli, Tahir Ibishov, Said Gani, Turkar Gasimzade, and Elmir Mirzayev. According to Innova Recordings, their compositions deserve special attention. Their works embrace various contemporary music trends of the Western canon and are not regarded as oriental music, although the influence of the Azerbaijani national musical tradition can be seen in them. There is no imitation or direct reference to the folk, traditional music of Azerbaijan in their music."

"This is indeed a great achievement! Do you think success is proof that you are on the right track?"

"Success is the result of our efforts. We live in a world where talent alone will not get you far. That is why you have to be in constant search, record your works, make contacts, make yourself known to the world. This is the only way to grow and develop in the modern world."

"Contemporary music is characterised by a peculiar style and manner of performance, improvisation that is not immediately clear to the listener. What attracted you to it?"

"We live in the 21st century, with emerging new realities. I want to keep up with the times, to be in line with the needs of today, but at the same time paying tribute to my roots."

"Scepticism about contemporary visual art is well known. What about contemporary music?"

"Contemporary music is not new. It includes serial, electroacoustic, spectral, atonal and other types of music. The styles are diverse, too.

"Some musicians are very critical of modern music. Sometimes I hear them say: 'What you play is not music!' Sometimes they express their opinions so rudely. Others, on the contrary, think that you have to be a high intellectual to understand modern music, as the style of its performance is very multifaceted. What does it mean to understand music? One believe understanding music means listening to something familiar."

"What about Azerbaijan?"

"Interest in contemporary music in Azerbaijan is certainly growing. For example, every month the Cadenza contemporary music orchestra holds concerts in Baku. In addition to classical music, they demonstrate the best examples of contemporary music. Another distinctive feature of these concerts is that before the performance a little information about the author and the work is provided. That is how they prepare the audience for the perception of the music. It is a pleasure to see how the number of our listeners is growing with each concert. In May 2023, the Cadenza Orchestra also organised the Festival of Contemporary Music. It was a great event in academic music life."

"During concerts, the performer is in contact with the composer..."

"That's right. After all, there is no chance to talk and get guidance directly from Bach, but in our case it's easy (laughs). My main goal as a performer is to faithfully convey the author's thoughts to the audience. It's important to understand what the composer has put into his work. When one communicates with the composer, there is an opportunity to absorb his spirit, to understand his ideas and philosophy, and then to reveal this world to the audience.  But there is one important thing here. The performer is the link and carrier of the idea that the composer has put into the musical composition. In fulfilling this responsibility, he must concentrate not on additional roles, but on his function of the transmitter. There are times when you and composer think about the same, come to some decision together. Sometimes they may change their decision or add some other elements, relying on each other's vision of the piece. The process of communicating with composers is very exciting."

"Do you often refer to the works of your brother, Turkar Gasimzade? According to you, he is your creative guide."

"My brother is very demanding. But I'm lucky that I've always listened to and played his music, so it's easy for me to accept it. Often during a video call, I would play for him. He listens carefully, makes corrections when necessary. He knows how to guide me, knows my strengths and weaknesses, knows my preferences. He can, with a single word, completely change my interpretation of his piece."

"And how did this creative alliance emerge?"

"I think it was a natural process. That is why I consider myself lucky."

"Meanwhile, you both chose to become musicians. Were you guided or was it a personal choice?"

"Everything was just so natural. We lived in the building of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan. Next door to it was the building of the Composers' Union, where Professor Khayyam Mirzazade lived, who taught my brother music. In addition, our father graduated from the tar class at the music school. We spent our childhood under my father's performances on tar. I have found myself sensitive to sounds since my childhood. For example, I would press a piano key and watch how the colour of the note changed throughout the sound, smoothly dissolving into the air. I liked to listen to everything around me. It used to happen that guests would come to our house and spend hours discussing something I could barely understand. But I was interested not in what they were talking about, but how they were talking. The sounds of voices, the noise of conversation, the falling and rising tone of speech, laughter: all this turned into a kind of melody that I loved to listen to. But it was only our own decision to pursue music professionally."

"Depending on your situation, the melody of sounds has eventually changed. What sounds are close to your spirit?" 

"Interesting question. The sounds of my family's voices. Living abroad, I realised my attachment to my family and friends, as well as to the city where I grew up. Every time I found a reason to come back here. 

"How would you describe the sounds of Baku?"

"It is the contrast of sounds of the big city with a pinch of the Old City's (Icheri Sheher) atmosphere. All this creates a unique harmony of Baku."

"How do you plan to develop further?"

"I have established contacts with many local composers. We prepare interesting concerts, I play in the Cadenza Orchestra directed by Turkar. Of course, it is very important to visit different countries, to tour, to take part in international festivals. Online festivals are very popular now. In 2020, I had my first taste of the American Contemporary performance competition, which was held online in Italy during the pandemic, and I won the Contemporary Music Performers' competition.  For me personally, it was an amazing experience to perform online. I discovered a unique opportunity to simultaneously perform and read the comments of the audience immediately after the concert. They expressed their opinions about each piece. I could understand how my listeners felt. At live concerts, you play, you hear the applause, but what the audience felt at any particular moment remains a mystery. There are also negative sides. For example, during online concerts, it is difficult to get the energy from the hall, to understand the scale of the concert."

"Every stage in life influences our development. After which concerts did you feel that you left the hall a completely different person?"

"Every performance is a big responsibility. But there were two concerts that impressed me deeply. The first one took place in the German Kirche in Baku. At that time, I was a 9th grader and studied with Khanym Maharramova at the Bulbul Music School.  I performed one of Prokofiev's works with the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rauf Abdullayev. The second concert was at the Manhattan School of Music, the university where I received my master's degree. I performed Elliott Carter's Tripple Duo with Tactus Contemporary Ensemble, which greatly influenced my inner development. After the concert, my teacher came up to me and said: "Now imagine that you have suddenly and unexpectedly found yourself at the top of a high mountain."

"So what is waiting for you up there?"

"It would be very boring and predictable to know where our life path leads us in advance. I want to continue my journey with deep gratitude to Allah."