Interview with Pavel Shatskiy  (Piano)

The Winner of 2009 International Web Concert Hall Competition

 "... Pavel's performance in Munich proved that the Russian school remains as before - in avant-garde of piano-playing."  Züddeutsche Zeitung
 
 " ...it should be  specially marked that mr.Shatskiy carries a highly refined taste as something inborn. A deeply heart-felt manner is combined with a truly aristocratic self-possession."  Russian Music Newspaper

   "... His repertory is quite wide. A deeply intellectual attitude to what he is doing, allows him to come in touch with Bach, Mozart, Schubert; yet fresh emotion finds itself in a definite sensation for romantic music. His purely technical capability is quite impeccable and, with some very strong personality added, it makes always an impression, listening to him." Nikolay Luganskiy. Concert-pianist of worldwide acclaim. Winner of the X Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow

How did you begin to play the piano? Was a family member a musician?

To tell the truth, everyone in my family is a musician. So, in my childhood I was surrounded by music at all times. When I was around five, besides numerous recordings heard already, I remember watching my brother Alexey practicing the violin (he later became a conductor, a quite successful one), and my Dad playing the flute (a professional flutist who have been a member in a major orchestra in Moscow), and my Mom studying Scriabin at the piano (she was working on her doctoral degree in musicology). So, I had a large array of musical instruments to choose from. However, it was the piano that attracted my interest - quite naturally, although no one forced me to play the piano. I never asked myself why I have selected the piano. Now I think about it, it must have been the harmonic exuberance of the instrument that has fascinated me.

How did your teacher influence you as a musician?

In many ways…. I started my music lessons under the tutorship of Irina Turusova, a representative of a very curious stratum in Russian culture, which is a great honor to meet and learn from an artist like her. Irina Turusova (Termarukova – her maiden name) was a student of Heinrich Neuhaus and Gregory Ginzburg; she personally knew Alexander Goldenweiser, Samuel Feinberg, Nikolay Igumnov, Stanislav Neuhaus, Julian Sitkovetskiy, Mstislav Rostropovich and many other musicians whom we (in my generation) can only get acquainted with through CDs and memoirs of others who may have known them during their time.  So, studying under her, I found myself covered in a stream of inspirational vibration at all times, which helped me so much during my first, most important, step as a musician.

After entering the Ippolitov-Ivanov Music College, I took the piano course under Professor Aida Isakova, an outstanding and impulsive musician; both pianist and composer. Time to time she reminded me "Okay Pavel, you play well, however, you need to broaden the scope of your understanding and feeling on the way you play. So, which b-minor sonata do you prefer? Liszt or Chopin?"  I took the latter. Studying under Mrs. Isakova had to be the toughest experience I've ever had. However, later on, I can feel myself arriving at a new level of practicing and performing.

I entered the Moscow Conservatoire in 2002, a year which astrologically was supposed to be very fruitful year for me. It turned out to be so, because I became a student of the People's Artist of Russia, Professor Yuri Slesarev.  Mr. Slesarev is an outstanding pianist, having under his belt the winning of several major international competitions.  It's always a great pleasure to work with him; you often feel there's nothing impossible on the piano and it gives you a new level of confidence that you can not simply gain from elsewhere.

Do you have a practicing method you follow everyday?

Sure. It goes like this: "Always do what should to be done, the way it should to be done, at the time it should be done."

Do you have a practice routine?

We all strive for some kind of practicing system that works best for us. I believe that this is a never ending search for most performers today, as well as in the past.

Tell us about your strengths in piano playing.

This is a point where one has to refer to the listeners – not to the performer.

What period of music do you enjoy playing the most and why?

I can't answer this question in a single statement. I try to widen my view every possible way… and it's much easier to say, what period or, rather, particular piece I would never perform than the contrary. However, I hesitate to make any statement at this point... partly out of the respect for opinions of others, but mainly because I am not a polemicist. When it comes time for me to learn a new piece, it's not a matter of like or dislike. It's very important to give yourself adequate time to understand the composer’s intention and what his delivery of expression through music was meant to be, especially in contemporary works. Only then, I can ask myself if I feel involved in playing this music or treat it with indifference. Besides, it is, to a very large degree, a question of your level of understanding and "purely pianistic" nature which altogether makes you feel extra ordinary when playing the pieces by one composer or the other.

Based on this, it's always a relief for me to play Russian music; especially, S. Rachmaninov, A. Scriabin, S. Prokofiev … I can't help it.  And with Scriabin, it’s something special … long search for the meaning in Scriabin’s music is not necessary for me because I feel at home when I start sight-reading his work. Due to my natural inclination to Scriabin’s works, I have developed a long collaborative relationship with the Scriabin Museum in Moscow. I’m very grateful to this institution as a whole and personally grateful to the director of museum – Tamara Ribacova.  With her generous permission, I will be giving a recital next year performing on Scriabin’s Bechstein.

Have you focused on performing any American composers’ work?

Some day, I want to study "Concord - Massachusetts" by Charles Ives. A sort of a paradox, showing that music can remain itself without any formal structure being stated. But I'm not sure when I can explore this work. I believe that this work should be investigated thoroughly in a replica of the environment of when it was first written. Among many American composers, I also prefer G. Gershwin and S. Barber... and there is one more genre that truly fascinates me – Jazz! It's my most preferable way of taking a break from a hectic schedule. Some of my favorite performers are Tatum, Armstrong, and "Chick" Corea. One thing I adore in jazz is the rhythmic zest and its intensive and rapidly moving melodic motif that spices the mood and generates the festive atmosphere. And I believe this is exactly what we (classical musicians) sometimes lack in our playing. Before playing a concert, I hate seeing performers with a serious expression on their faces; frozen pale faces, as if they are attending their own funeral. Luckily, they are not the prevailing part of my colleagues, rather – a very minor one.

What was the music that changed your life? 

It was a book, actually. "Zen-guitar" by Philip Toshio Sudo. It helped me to overcome a very deep emotional crisis some seven years ago. It was the most wonderful book on performing arts I've ever read. I recommend this book to anyone trying to overcome the "to be - or not to be" dilemma. It's strange because I've never heard the author of the book playing a single note (and I'm reluctant to do so), but his book literally brought me back to the life I have as of today.

In your opinion, what are the characteristics of a good performer?

Never thought about that!!  It's like falling in love - better not to analyze it, if you don't want to rattle the comforting sensational zone you already established. All definitions on the characteristics of a good performer that people have used sound way too ordinary and have been overly used. A good performer might be the one, who luckily combines perfect technical skill with a deep artistic merit. But these qualities are the two sides of the same coin. If I need to evaluate a pianist in a heart beat, I simply ask the performer to play a scale.

Do you have a hobby?

I had many of them, but they are all in the past. I get absorbed very easily with many things in life. For example, after visiting the Vatican Gallery, I was crazy about painting for awhile. One time it was philosophy and another I was heavily involved in sports. But then I'd always come to the point when I had to draw a line, especially when it began to demand a lot more time and strengths than I was able to handle.

What will your doctoral thesis be? Have you decided on the topic?

Yes. I'm going to study the piano variation cycles by Beethoven. A large amount of work has been done already. I have analyzed the special traits of Beethoven's style and techniques of writing the variations. I have also researched on how the work is shaped as a whole and what type of structural background he used. From this study, I want to understand what a musician must bear in his mind to perform Beethoven's variation cycles successfully.

What do you hope to achieve as a pianist and artist?

I hesitate to make any long-term commitment on this. Partly because things never stay the same and you cannot be sure to fulfill your plan(s)... and partly because it always made me feel a little depressed to see one’s life being pre- arranged for the next five years. But in general, I hope to overcome self-remoteness. It is not a loneliness or isolation. It refers to widening the scope of ability to express myself beyond what I can express in words. The rest is peripheral.

Do you have any upcoming concerts in the US? Scheduled concerts in Europe or Asia?

It was my virtual debut in the US through the Web Concert Hall and I greatly thank you for that and I hope it will not be the last time. In terms of the concerts, I mostly perform in Russia and Europe. In the fall, I have engagements in Salzburg, Paris, Moscow, and Russian province.

How did you learn about the International Web Concert Hall Competition?

On be half of the Web Concert Hall, we would like to thank you for your time and we wish all the success.

Contact Pavel: shat_ski_y@hotmail.com

Interviewed by Webconcerthall in March, 2009