WE MUST EDUCATE THE AUDIENCE

Nargiz Kangarli is a laureate of national and international competitions. She is a teacher at the Baku Music Academy, who could have been an actress. But thanks to music, we can enjoy and admire a talented pianist, a thoughtful musician and simply a wise person generously gifted by the Almighty.

"You are a laureate of international competitions. Do you think that participation in competitions is a must for a musician? After all, it is the competitions among performers who are perhaps equal professionally, but completely different in temperament and individuality that determine their threshold limit to endure such stressful events. Is it possible to build a successful career without participating in international competitions? If yes, then how can young musicians show their skills at them?"

"I know from my own personal experience that preparation for a serious, international competition means going beyond one's abilities, which is a positive moment. This is the main victory. The result, or awards, medals and prizes received at competitions have never been important for me. The greatest joy and happiness lies in the process of preparing for the competition. Musicians will probably agree with me. There comes a moment when you realise that you can do it. Every musician, albeit subconsciously, has a certain limit of abilities beyond which he dare not to go. But in the course of preparing for the competition, I suddenly realise that I can do more. So I think competitions are simply necessary, especially for the youth. But, of course, if it goes beyond emotional capabilities, which can causes psychological trauma affecting the rest of life, it is better to give up. Not everyone can cope with performance anxiety, lack of self-confidence. There are musicians, talented performers who do not take part in competitions just because they think they don't need it. They give concerts only. It's all individual. However, it is competitions that contribute to a musician's career growth, and I personally think of them positively, as a valuable means of training, growth and development. It is very stimulating. Unfortunately, there are some injustices. I remember the competition in Spain, which consisted of two rounds. After the first round attended by 55 pianists, only five of them made to the second one. It suddenly turned out that one of the jury members didn't remember me, meaning that he had no interest in what was going on..."

"What is the situation with performing arts in Azerbaijan? How do you find the level of concert life, including the local and foreign tours, joint performances with foreign musicians, public interest, audiences? Does academic music in Azerbaijan have a large audience? Could it have been better?"

"Concert life in Azerbaijan is quite intense. There are a lot of concerts. Plus, there are also various events and scientific-performance conferences. There are three or four concerts a week in the large hall of the Baku Music Academy, the Philharmonic Hall, the Chamber and Organ Music Hall. This also stimulates the young generation of performers. I am glad that the Gənclərə Dəstək project supports very young, talented and gifted performers. Yeni Adlar gives more mature performers an opportunity to perform on the philharmonic stage with a symphony orchestra. This is so great. We can only thank all the organisers who try to make all these events a reality. On the other hand, as a performer, I feel a growing desire for more. We have pop pianists such as Keiko Matsui performing on the stage of the Heydar Aliyev Palace. They do not try to impress the audience with their deep knowledge of the composition, expressiveness, stylistics, and sound production, but give an external, superficial impression. They perform light music, which is not even piano music, thus becoming famous and receiving good fees. There is no intention to go to such concerts, and it is a pity that others go to them. This only spoils the taste of the audience, thinking that this is the way it should be. In fact, it shouldn't be like that! Because the piano can convey a much deeper and more intelligent impression of life. Beethoven said that music is the greatest philosophy, much deeper than any other philosophy. The language of music can convey the smallest nuances, emotions that human speech cannot. That's why art exists—to convey what cannot be conveyed otherwise. That's why it's a shame. If Mitsuko Uchida, a Japanese pianist, one of the world's best interpreters of Mozart and Beethoven, or Martha Argerich, Grigory Sokolov, Nikolai Lugansky visited us, then maybe our students would study more diligently. Because after a concert of a great master, one feels that sense of own imperfection. It is not about techniques, rather waking up with the desire to work further."

"There are many talented young pianists now. You mentioned Mitsuko Uchida... Last year, 18-year-old Lim Yoon Chan won became a winner of the Van Clyburn Competition. He is quite an interesting pianist. We're all used to giants like Sokolov, who is an outstanding performer of Bach, but you have to invite young people too. Don't you think so?"

"Musicians can always learn something new by listening to big masters. The thing is we accept revered musicians wholeheartedly, without question. But young and talented performers are just as stimulating as mature ones. Listening to them, watching them develop is very rewarding. Whether we like it or not, we have to compare ourselves with young performers, there's no point in looking up to big names. This helps to educate the audience as well, especially if there is a high-level professional on stage. But listening to Keiko Matsui leaves no room for comparison, because what she does can be done by a 10th grade student. What young Lim Yoon Chan does is worth a lot."

"Apart from concerts, you also teach. So you are surrounded by classical music all the time. What do you listen to in your spare time? What styles of music are close to your soul? Classical, romanticism or impressionism?"

"I very rarely listen to classical music. Apart from lessons and my own classes, I have very little contact with it. I especially don't like to listen to piano music, hence the paradox - I don't listen to pianists in recordings. At concerts, with a symphony orchestra, I listen with pleasure. I feel that the classical music in recordings is some kind of dead. I listen to Azerbaijani, American, and French rap. I love Eminem's performances. I also love classical rock, like that of the Queen, Linkin Park... Pop music, all of Michael Jackson's works, jazz, Nina Simone. You see, when you're deep into it, when you listen to classical musicians from the outside, you can't just enjoy it anymore, you start analysing what you hear. And instead of relaxing, you work even harder."

"I think great works of classical music or painting, literature or theatre can also heal us. They purify, even save our bodies and souls. Do you agree with this idea?"

"It's a difficult question. Of course, a musician performing great music is immersing himself in harmony, emotions, philosophy, cleaning his soul, sort of recovering, if I may put it this way. It is true that author's thoughts put into an artistic composition plays a role, but it is not always therapeutic, positive. In general, in most classical music, there is a certain nerve, backbone based on an internal conflict, confrontation, drama. It does not depend on the era or style. This nerve, the main idea that we have to convey, is our creative mission. For me, working on Beethoven's Appassionata was an absolute nightmare. Not in terms of complexity, but because it is so monumental, complex inside and perfect in form... I fell ill with that sonata, I couldn't play anything else, but I couldn't bring it on stage either. And it lasted for four years. There was a feeling of insecurity, as if something was wrong. We are sick of what we perform, so much so that the real world doesn't seem real to us. And the only thing that feels real is what we're doing. I don't know if that's right, good or bad, but it's never happened to me otherwise ."

"Do you think geniuses are born or become geniuses? So far none of the definitions has explained the nature of genius."

"Talent is a thirst for self-improvement and cognition. The need to create. I won't rest until I understand. It's an agonising process of search. It's not about technical perfection, beautiful vocals, not at all. Someone once told me that a skilful pianist hears a single note, but a talented one hears hundreds of variations of that one sound. A talented person's performance is characterised by consciousness, individuality and conviction. Not only does he understand what he is playing, but why and in what context. I would also add that genius is an aspiration for colossal labour."

"One of the movie characters complains about some people making music during wars, ignoring the deaths of people, as if nothing is happening. Do you think art is something we should consider frivolous, a superstructure, entertainment? What is the purpose of art, especially music?"

"During the Second Garabagh War, the question that was bothering me was whether I was doing the right thing sitting here, studying, teaching, while the guys were freezing in the cold, risking their lives in difficult military conditions. How come? Actually, I am a very good shooter, so I wanted to volunteer for the war and, as a citizen of Azerbaijan, to defend my homeland. But they wouldn't let me even close. Then I realised that every citizen of Azerbaijan, be it a doctor, a teacher or a scientist, would be more useful and effective where he works. Such people, doing their job honestly, with full commitment and responsibility, are not much different from a soldier at the frontline. I teach, and my students completely depend on me in their professional life, on how conscientious I am with regards to my work. It is a pure moment of joy to see the fruits of my labour, even though we have to repeat the same thing every day. I think it is a worthy effort. The most important thing is that we serve our Motherland, we do what we can do best where we are. In fact, the development of art has never stopped - neither during wars, nor during other cataclysms. On the contrary, it has reflected everything that has happened in the history of mankind. We serve art, but art does also serve us. To answer your previous question, I'd say that the therapeutic effect of art is its giving us a sense of happiness."

"What do you think about contemporary experimental music?"

"It depends… There are compositions that I like and some that I absolutely hate. For example, I would really like to perform Piano Phase by Steve Reich, an American minimalist composer, one of the brightest representatives of minimalism in art. It's an amazing and very challenging piece. But there are some things I don't agree with. However, this music has its own audience. For example, John Cage's 4' 33", where the performer comes on stage, sits there absolutely still and the audience listens in silence. It's a sort of social experiment, but not music."

"What would be the three options for your life without music?"

"I've asked myself this question many times, but I can't imagine my life without music. It's hard. I like modelling with clay, making jewellery with epoxy resin. In general, I like a lot of things. But the meaning of life is to show oneself as brightly as possible, to use the opportunities given by nature, to use your energy. Hence the satisfaction, happiness that you are doing something good and necessary. You can speculate, of course... I think I could be a sniper, because I am shoot well. Or a teacher, or an actress. But whatever I do, I would definitely lead the people, that's in my character."