February 20, 2025 • 48 mins
Nicola Avramovich is not only considered one of Serbia's finest classical pianists, but one of the best of his generation. He is a sought after performer giving numerous recitals and chamber music concerts worldwide, including prestigious festivals and leading concert halls here in the UK, Nicola Avramovich is the recipient of numerous prestigious scholarships and awards, including the Benjamin Britten Piano Fellowship at the Royal College of Music in London. This fellowship is only awarded every two years to an outstanding pianist preparing for a career as an international soloist. He is an exciting, incredibly disciplined talent. Nicola is recognized as an exceptional talent, and he also has a deep appreciation of folklore. He interpreted Serbian folk music that he grew up with from a very early age on the piano. As an accomplished classical pianist, he has also celebrated these musical roots in his forthcoming release, Origins, which brings together music by composers from Serbia, Hungary, Romania and other Eastern European countries. Nicola has composed and improvised folk melodies in this unique classical recording, which he has performed in several countries, including China, to a wonderful response and a European tour is to follow. His repertoire is described as “superb and authentic.” There is a beautiful message in his work that music has no boundaries. It is both transcending and unifying a common humanity that can be shared. In this episode you will also hear a performance extract, Nikola's own, stunning transcription of the Serbian folk dance, Vranje.
Discover Nikola Avramovich on Instagram @n_avramovic_
Nikola Avramovich performs Vranje https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQfrDQB8oTA
Genuin Record Label https://www.genuinclassics.com/_new/artist_1.php?k=848
Series Audio Editor - Joey Quan.
Series Music - Courtesy of Barry J. Gibb
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Welcome to thispodcast series asking the
question, Can art save us? I'mstarting the first national and
international conversation aboutcourage and curiosity. What do
these qualities really mean, andwhy does it make a big
difference to our mental,societal and democratic health?
I talk to award winning anddiverse artists across the arts
(00:24):
to explore these qualities intheir lives and work both to
inspire and for us all to learn.I'm exploring why we need these
qualities to help change theglobal epidemic of mental
illness, loneliness,polarization of our community
and even global conflict. If thearts cultivate courage and
curiosity, I'm asking thequestion, Can art save us?
(00:49):
My guest today is not onlyconsidered one of Serbia's
finest classical pianists, butone of the best of his
generation. Nicola Avramovich isa sought after performer giving
numerous recitals and chambermusic concerts worldwide,
including prestigious festivalsand leading concert halls here
in the UK, Nicola Avramovich isthe recipient of numerous
(01:13):
prestigious scholarships andawards, including the Benjamin
Britten piano fellowship at theRoyal College of Music in
London. This fellowship is onlyawarded every two years to an
outstanding pianist preparingfor a career as an international
soloist. He is an exciting,incredibly disciplined talent.
(01:35):
Nicola is recognized as anexceptional talent, and he also
has a deep appreciation offolklore. He interpreted Serbian
folk music that he grew up withfrom a very early age on the
piano as an accomplishedclassical pianist. He has also
celebrated these musical rootsin his forthcoming release
(01:55):
Origins, which brings togethermusic by composers from Serbia,
Hungary, Romania and otherEastern European countries.
Nicola has composed andimprovised folk melodies in this
unique classical recording,which he has performed in
several countries, includingChina, to a wonderful response
and a European tour is tofollow. His repertoire is
(02:19):
described as "superb andauthentic." There is a beautiful
message in his work that musichas no boundaries. It is both
transcending and unifying acommon humanity that can be
shared. And after chasing Nicolaaround Europe and recently
China, I'm delighted to say hecan join me today. Hello, Nicola
(02:41):
and welcome. Hello. Hello. It'smy honor to be your guest today,
and
I'm very happy to have a chanceto talk.
It's very kind of you, and thankyou for making the time. I know
you've been incredibly busyrecently back from China. I'm
really looking forward to ourconversation. And I wondered,
(03:03):
Nicola, if we could begin withyour childhood, your childhood
roots, growing up in a smalltown in Serbia, but in a very
musical family. Can you tell mewhat the musical culture was
around you?
Yes. Oh, that was an incrediblechildhood, indeed. You know, I
(03:26):
grew up with this sound ofaccordion in my house, since I
listened my father every daypracticing, you know, folk
dances on accordion, you know,and as well as
my uncle, who lived just afloor under us, he was doing the
(03:50):
same things on the guitar. Andeven my grandfather used to play
violin when he was younger. Sobasically I was first. At first,
I was facing only folk music inmy life. You know, I didn't know
anything about classical musicuntil the age of
(04:15):
eight or nine,
yes. So basically, I enteredprimary music school when I was
eight years old. And, you know,because my parents wanted me to
be an
educated musician, because theother members of my family who
(04:40):
play folk music, they are alllearn how to play music by ear.
Was mostly improvised. And youknow, it is, it is really a
great ability that to learneverything by ear. And actually,
I was very lucky to be in suchan environment.
Because, you know, it reallyaffects a lot what I am now.
(05:05):
And, you know, all my childhood,I listened
to many improvisations, evenbefore I went to the primary
music school, I did play alittle bit of this folk songs on
the piano.
You know, it was just, you know,for fun. But yes, my parents
(05:26):
wanted me to go to the musicschool. I started really being
focused, like, on the classicalmusic since then. And,
you know, I didn't play folkmusic at that time at all. So,
because classical music wasreally something extraordinary
for me in that moment, you know,I didn't have a chance to hear
(05:49):
classical music at all untilthat until that moment, you
know. So I entered that newworld for me at this and that
moment. So, so, you know, mywhole soul and heart was in it.
And yes, the music school was inmy hometown called I went for
(06:09):
six years there, and then afterthat, I moved to Belgrade, where
I finished high music school and
my Bachelor studies. And yes,after that, I got the full
scholarship for my master, mymasters in the Royal College of
Music in London, and then onemore year at
(06:33):
artist diploma course, also atthe Royal College of Music. But
you know, all these years, likeI was bringing everywhere with
me, this my tradition, and, youknow, the music of my country.
And overall, I can say, likemusic from Balkan countries,
like beautiful Bosnian music.And for example, or, you know,
(06:55):
because we my my family alsoperformed a lot of Bosnian music
as well. And, you know, it was abig part of me, indeed. And I
always, you know, I practiced, Iremember, always, like, four or
five hours I was studying newpieces, preparing for the
concerts. Always, wow, yes, yes,yes. Incredibly disciplined.
(07:21):
Well, it has to be, it has to beotherwise, and then sometimes
you just have to study all thesebig... Your repertoire. Yes, yeah,
the repertoire, yes, yes. Youcannot do it in a short with
very little practice. You needto memorize this all. So the
point is, after all thispractice, sometimes I would just
(07:42):
sit and relax and I wouldimprovise. And, you know, maybe
in folk style, maybe even Iwould play a little bit of jazz,
you know, but it was all, youknow, all,
I never studied it properly. Itwas just in my ears somehow, you
know, it stayed there. Butthat's beautiful, isn't it?
(08:03):
Because your childhood, I mean,it really is musical blood, if
you like, and also, Serbianculture has a long, long, long
tradition of storytelling,whether it's music, dance or
poetry. Since the sixth century,it's been documented. So you
(08:23):
must feel you have such a strongemotional power and connection
with music. Absolutely,absolutely, yes, it's in genes.
And, you know, just severalyears ago, I wanted to, maybe I
can even say experiment, youknow, I maybe I could, I
thought, why not to bring whatis in my blood, you know, in my
(08:47):
genes, you know, together withmy classical performing and
repertoire, why not to do alittle bit of a mixture and to
to Mix it together, to make itsomehow, to make a unique story,
you know, because it certainlyYeah, at some point I felt very
(09:09):
free, very free as an artist, toexperiment. I started composing.
I started rearranging somethings, making transcriptions of
already existed
folk music, and put it in, I cansay, like
classical music form. So I didmake some transcriptions, and I
(09:33):
recorded an album calledorigins. Yeah, I would really
love to talk to to you aboutOrigins. It's, it seems such a
unique project because of thatblend of folk music. But of
course, as a classical pianist,and I was really interested in
(09:54):
what you wanted to say with thatalbum and with that combination
of music. So forexample, the idea of combining
folk music, classical music,composers from Hungary, Serbia,
Romania, other Europeancountries, for example, that
(10:17):
it's an example of how youtranscend borders, perhaps?
Okay, of course, of course,yeah, first of all, like, I
realized how much all thesegreat composers actually were
doing the same things as I'mdoing now, like they were taking
some,
(10:38):
you know, like folk melodies,for example, like Franz Liszt, what
he was doing, he was taking somefolk melodies and making
Hungarian rhapsodies. And, youknow, he's not the only example.
There is so many composers whichalso I chose to perform in this
album, like such as Béla Bartók,you know, Johannes Brahms,
(11:02):
Frédéric Chopin, as well asmany others, you know. And
really, there is so much that itwas taken from, from the folk
music. And that really makes,you know, music very special.
Because, to me, Nicola, it's, itsounds like really wonderful
(11:23):
musical curiosity.
And improvisation gives you somuch freedom, and it's being
curious, isn't it, to explorethose musical roots and the
influences of those differentcomposers.
Yes, absolutely like you know,in some moments I thought, you
know, classical music, we alwaysget it like something that is
(11:47):
very, very serious. And ofcourse it is, but it's very
often it is very free andimprovised and very simple. I
could say, yeah. And when youmentioned the composer Liszt, my
understanding of Liszt is astory of innovation and multi
layered arrangements. Soclassical music has certain
(12:12):
traditions, and sometimes, as acomposer, you take a risk to do
something differently. So yeah,that's very interesting
question because, you know,when I started this,
experimenting with folkstyle, I was actually, like, a
little bit afraid, you know,like, how people will react. Is
(12:34):
it going to be like too far fromclassical, you know, is it going
to sound, maybe, like too muchin a folk style. You know, I was
a little bit worried, becauseI'm, I'm not used to go far
from classical music, right? I'mnot used to it so I, I wasn't, I
was a little bit worried, like,how people will react to this
(12:59):
freedom. So, yes. And then Ihad, thanks to the social
networks, I was
promoting some of my works,like, basically, I was just
sitting and practicing in theroom, and I was posting on my
social networks, like,Instagram, Facebook, whatever,
yes. And you know, I getextremely, like, the best
reactions I ever actually had
(13:21):
really encouraged me to keepdoing it. And when I performed
in the public, I did severalconcerts with this repertoire.
You know, honestly speaking, Idid play so many great pieces by
great composers, but somethingthat was my own. So all these
transitions got the bestreactions. It's wonderful. Yes,
(13:41):
it was really a big success.Every time, no matter where I
perform. I remember, I wasperforming in Germany, a private
concert in the house, and, youknow, people started almost
dancing in one moment. So, youknow, I was like, Oh, they're
they are dancing, you know,listening to the Serbian music
(14:03):
in the piano, and they'redancing, I was like, Oh, I'm
doing the right thing. And, youknow, I was like, Okay, let's do
in my country this concert. So Idid perform in my hometown. And,
you know,
everyone was happy about thewhole repertoire. But I remember
everyone's, you know, supportingso much this idea of,
(14:28):
you know, Serbian dances on thepiano. I think it sounds very
beautiful and very joyous andhappy. Yes, actually, yes,
exactly. That was
the pure happiness, you know,yes, let me add one more
example. You know, recently Idid perform in China, you know,
(14:49):
which is obviously verydifferent culture, and, you
know, different audience. And Idid, you know, at the end of the
concert, I performed one dance
which is,
you know, probably my favorite.And you know, audience started
clapping in the rhythm of thispiece. So, you know, I realized
(15:10):
how much we are all actuallysimilar. And so, you know, I
played one piece in severaldifferent countries, I get the
same reaction. I can feel thejoy that you know, people are
having, and you know it justdefinitely gives me so much wind
(15:32):
to my back to keep doing it.It's such an important
experience and important thingto witness. It shows,
doesn't it, despite our culturaldifferences, music can really
transcend those boundaries, andit's it's one beating heart. I
saw a lovely example, Nicola, ofyou performing. It was Vranje,
(15:56):
which I understand is a dancefrom a dance suite of music you
and it was incredibly beautiful,very fluid, very fast, but very
disciplined music, and you couldhear the dance very, very
(16:19):
clearly.
Yes, okay, that's very dance. Ithas a very specific rhythm. We
call it nine eighths, and it'smaybe on the first listen, it's
a little bit hard to
to get it, but you know, after,I don't know, after half a
minute of listening, you getabsolutely the right feeling. So
(16:43):
this is a dance from Serbia, butit's very much being played in
Bulgaria and especiallyMacedonia, I must say. So all
very close. You know, SouthSerbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria,
like it's, it's
within, within onearea, if we if we don't look at
(17:03):
the boundaries, yes, so yeah,this is one of my, my favorite
pieces. It's beautiful. And Iencourage the listeners to go
and see this on YouTube, and Iwill signpost all of Nicola's
sites and links for you on hisepisode page. But Nicola, I'm
very interested to understandmore about the nine eights rhythm
(17:25):
and what that musical heritage is.So for people like myself, that
may not be expert in classicalmusic, but love music, how can
we understand where that comesfrom? The nine eight rhythm like
it actuallybrings a lot of fire and
excitement. And for me, this islike a combination in some party
(17:50):
or whatever, like there is notsomething
further after this. So it's likethe highlight
of something. So, you know, Ican imagine,
you know, like fire on the stage
and screaming, you know, likemany jumps while dancing, even,
(18:13):
you know, I saw some videos whenthe whole orchestra is
performing it. So it's so muchpassion inside and so many
movements in dancing. It'sprobably like
a very long tradition, yeah, buta beautiful part of your musical
heritage, and I love thisemphasis on dance and joy and
(18:38):
how actually it changes theaudience. So I think normally at
a classical concert, theaudience can be very serious, of
course, but isn't that lovelywhen you see an audience wanting
to dance?
Oh yes, like my aim is also forthe future. So this mixture, I
(19:01):
would say, like 60 or 70% I keeplike
classical and the rest should beall this, my stuff
that is maybe less serious, butlet's say, like serious enough.
(19:21):
You know, there is a dose ofseriosity, but in, you know, I
would always keep it for thelike second half maybe of the
concert. So to make it goodbalance. And, you know,
I don't know how it would be ifthe whole concept would be just
(19:43):
dance, you know, and yeah, inthe full style, I think this is
a perfect combination. Yeah,it's a, it's a beautiful balance,
isn't it? Because you canappreciate both worlds. Exactly,
exactly, yes, but still, wemustn't forget that all this is
connected these two worlds. Itmakes me curious Nicola, when
(20:05):
you had studied and you'dsuccessfully completed your
scholarships, and perhaps youreturned to your hometown in
Serbia and gave maybe your firstperformance there as a classical
pianist. What was the impact?What was the reaction? Because I
(20:30):
imagine it was unusual forpeople to be able to experience
a classical pianist in theirhometown.
Okay, okay, that's a very nicequestion. Actually, when I moved
to London to study in London, itwas really a big thing for me.
And, you know, actually bigthing for one Serbian to be
(20:53):
honest, you know, especially forpeople in my hometown, they were
all very proud, yeah, of me.And, you know, I was everywhere,
all the articles, you know, wow,
it was
really a big thing. And when Ireturned
(21:15):
to give the concerts, so I waslike, first year in London, and
I returned to give first concertin my hometown. It was an open
air concert.
It was a huge audience thatappeared there. And as I
previously said, I waseverywhere in all articles.
And yeah, it was, it was, youknow, actually, it was also the
(21:40):
first open air concert in ourarea, like and even, like, first
proper classical musicconcert. Wow. Yes, at that time, I
didn't do this folk style, and Ifelt this is what we needed
there, and we still need it moreoften. So for example, like I
(22:02):
feel
that in my country, this kind ofmusic is not represented enough.
Maybe I can say the same for thefor the rest of Balkan
countries. So it should be muchmore in focus. Because once
people hear it, every time theywant to hear it again. You know,
they they ask, When is the nextconcert? And they just ask for
(22:26):
it, because they all enjoyed itvery much. Yeah, yes, yes. So
it's definitely what, what, youknow, it's always like this,
what we actually present topeople.
People will consume it, right?Yes. So
I just
(22:47):
felt
we need more, more, more andmore presentation of the culture
there, yeah, more opportunity.Because,
yeah, I saw that in a reallypositive statement, you were
referred to as a classical musicactivist, or you could say a
(23:07):
classical music educator,reflecting exactly what you just
said, that it's really importantto be able to reach more people
and for more people to haveaccess, either to experience the
music or to study the musicthemselves. Do you think that's
(23:29):
changing slowly in the Balkans?
It's not fast. Definitely. It'schanging very slowly. Yes. And
actually, I will come back tothe project Origins again.
That's one more reason why Ichose to do such a thing,
because I think you know thiscan this is definitely more for
(23:55):
a wider audience, and I can meetpeople with the piano faster by
doing this, by doing thisproject. So it's not only
typical classical repertoire,but the mixture. And you know,
actually what I see nowadays atmany people, many great
classical musicians,
(24:18):
they mix things in order to, ofcourse, become more popular, but
also in order to, you know, getmore and more audience. So yes,
maybe they take some morepopular stuff, mixing it
together with the classicalmusic, and then that's how they
make bigger and biggeraudiences. So yeah, I think that
(24:42):
these projects for me definitelyit is, yeah, the way to make a
bigger, bigger audience formyself as well. Yeah, when you
tour Europe, will it also be anopportunity to tour the Balkans,
to tour specifically in
Serbia? Of course, of course, Ithink I will promote it equally
(25:04):
also in Serbia. I'll try alsoother Balkan countries in
Europe. I don't see anydifference, you know, like, I
just know that the reaction willprobably, I'm sure it will be
the same everywhere, becauseit's just people get the same
feeling always in listening toit. And
(25:26):
yeah, I tend to make a concerttour in Europe. I hope the CD
release
will happen in June or July. Istill don't know the days, but
this is for now. This is theaim, so for the summer and after
that,
(25:47):
yes, I would love to presentthis CD in London, as London is
like my second home. Yeah, of
course, of course, yes. And youknow, even you know, before
release, I will keep performingOrigins like I plan to travel at
least once more to China
(26:10):
to do performance in severalcities there, and perhaps there
will be One concert in Serbia sobut I think a city launch,
I think it should happen inLondon. Amazing, and I
will be able to come.
(26:30):
Yeah, it would be great to haveyou as a guest.
It would be lovely to see youperform live. And Nicola, you
actually lived and worked inChina, so you have very
interesting culturalexperiences. You know, growing
up in Serbia, living andstudying in the UK, living and
(26:51):
working in China. So you have avery interesting perspective in
terms of how music can talk toeverybody. It's like music is
one language. Yes, music isdefinitely one language. And I
just do it with my heart.
(27:13):
Anywhere I am in this series,Nicola, I've also interviewed
musicians from Syria, and themusicians I spoke to because of
the war at the time, they hadleft Syria, they were living in
the UK, either studying ortouring, and there was a really
(27:37):
beautiful and important emphasison the therapeutic benefits of
music for themselves, personallyand with each other, but also
for the audience. They wantedtheir music to be a message of
love and of peace.
Can you relate to that as aperformer? Yes, things are
(28:00):
actually,
things should be so much moresimple, right?
I don't see the any reason whywe should have, you know, bad
things in this world, hate andsuch, and you know,
you know. And really, music canremind us on this you know, to
(28:21):
be good,
to live in peace, and
you know, so, like, even, eventhis
lively pieces, which I mentionedcouple of times today, yeah,
it's just pure joy andhappiness. Why we don't just
(28:42):
be simple and just enjoy, likesimple things in our lives, and
just spread love. And you know,it could be all simple. I don't
know why it is complicated.Yeah, yeah. And so many of us
have the same question. There'sso much conflict in wars of the
(29:04):
world, past and present, butit's not what people choose. So
we all ask the same question,and I saw on your website, when
I first looked, the very firstline on your website said, "Music
is the language of the heart."
(29:27):
Is that the best summary for youthat music is the language of
the heart? I think music is sucha powerful, powerful thing, it
can
await so much emotions, youknow, I don't know how, if there
is someone actually in thisplanet, how someone can, cannot
(29:49):
be touched by some music, youknow, for example, like Chopin
music that is all obviously
written by huge heart. You know.
So if you listen to any ofshopping ballads, it's, it's,
oh my god. It's, it's, you know,like how someone could not
(30:13):
cry in some moments, you know,like, a little bit far from the
subject, but, but reallyemotional power, isn't it? It is
really, really
an extraordinary, extraordinarypower. So, you know, maybe,
maybe there is the key music.Maybe, maybe we just need to
(30:35):
turn more to music. You know, wemaybe we have it to sit alone.
Yeah. And for example, listen toChopin and music. It's very
interesting. Yes, yes, yes. Imean, well, I mentioned Chopin
music. There is so much
other beautiful music in thisworld, but, but that was, for
(30:58):
some reason, the first thoughtin my mind, probably because I'm
a big Chopin lover,
I think, yes, music isdefinitely the language of
heart. Absolutely, I'm veryinterested in your album Debut
on a German label, because, ofcourse, that included Chopin in
(31:21):
the program, would you like totell us more about that album
and what you were exploring as aclassical pianist? All right, so
this album, yes, I record in itin 2019 it was released in 2020
and
at that period of my life, I wasreally a lot into,
(31:44):
like a Romantic composers. So,you know,
Schmann, Liszt and Chopin, and that was the composers which I
performed there.
Well, there were, like pianistcomposers and friends, three of
them, right? Yeah, yeah. So thatwas the, like, hidden team
(32:10):
behind and for me, I didn'thave, like, how to say, like, a
special message with this album.I asked myself, What at that
moment, what was
the closest to my heart, what Ican bring with the most
emotions. And, you know, I chosethis,
(32:30):
those pieces.
So, yes, I'm still a very so ifI choose to repertoire for
conscious, I often choose thesecomposers. So I could say, I'm
really like,
how do you say like
a romantic performer? Yes,yes. That's really interesting.
(32:54):
That's really interestingbecause everything you're saying
is about love. And the composersyou've spoken about are famous
for romance. It is about joy anddance and also freedom. Yes, and
(33:14):
we mustn't forget also, youknow, I learned the passion in
romantism, you know, like fire,you know, which, with
romanticism brings, there is
so much energy and passion inthis music, so
(33:34):
which also wakes,
you know, electrifying, and youknow,
emotions. Yeah, yeah andfreedom, of course, has such an
important relationship withimprovisation. Absolutely,
absolutely, again, theimprovisation and, yes, it's
(33:56):
probably all, like, part of mypersonality, I don't know, like,
yes, it's it's attention tofreedom, which, yes, yeah. So I
can imagine growing up with yourfather playing the accordion,
for example, every day in yourears, in your heart, in your
(34:19):
mind is as important asstudying for example, Chopin.
Yeah, I could easily say it'sequally important for me,
honestly speaking. I mean, it's
sometimes I cannot say what Ilike more? Yeah, they're all
important as important as eachother. All important and all
(34:41):
come, all come in, want to me,right? Yeah, separated, yeah,
yeah, no, it's beautiful. It'sone language. So there must be
such a wonderful story in thisfor your father, for your
family who had their own musicallife, but they knew they wanted
(35:06):
you to study formally and to seeyou achieve so much you know, to
have won such prestigiousscholarships to be recognized as
one of the most importantclassical pianists of his
generation. What is that likefor your family, for your
(35:28):
father, your uncle?
Yeah, I mustn't forget, like,even my mom,
she has a good pitch, yeah, yes.And I forgot also my brother is
also a pianist. He's youngerthan me, and he started playing
piano plus like three yearsafter, after I started,
(35:49):
since he's younger, so andactually later, many of other
young cousins and so on. But formy family, you know, they didn't
have such expectations.
When I was kid, you know, theywere like,
very spontaneously, they heard onthe radio about, you know, like,
(36:10):
entrance exam for a primarymusic school. And they were
like, oh, maybe you should
go for it if you want. Yes, Iwant, of course. So I went, I
went. And already maybe, maybefirst year wasn't really
successful for me, but in thesecond year of my studying, I
(36:31):
started going to somecompetitions within Serbia. And
then after several years, I didbigger competitions, you know,
and you know, they startedthinking, Oh,
this is going in a very, youknow, interesting direction.
And, yeah, yes. So after,
(36:55):
in total, after seven or eightyears, I gave my
first performance. It was notlike a solo recital. It was
actually just a performance of10 minutes at the main concert
hall in Belgrade called Kolarak concert hall. So yes, I was
like maybe 15 or 16, and I gotthe chance to perform there. So
(37:20):
in front of the fullconcert hall, my parents came.
Wow. Yeah, so they were,they were, you know, at that
time, we already knew what, howmy path will continue. So, you
know, I
was always getting theirsupport. No, that's, that's
beautiful. It must be so scary
(37:42):
as a performer, especially youknow, 16, 17, 18, you're very
young, but even perhaps today,do you find performing can
sometimes feel frightening insome way, with a huge audience,
with so much attention?Actually, the older I am, the
(38:04):
less nervous. For some reason Ijust believe in myself and
well, there is always, like alittle dose of
stress. There must be like alittle bit of pressure,
otherwise, you know, theperformance will be good. I'm
sure about this. I think, yes,we all learn how to deal with it
(38:28):
with years. And, yeah, first,first performances for quite
stressful. And, you know, likestuff you like, you cannot eat
during the day of performance,like I sometimes I couldn't eat
at all, you know. And
I don't know if I should givemore examples now, but I don't
(38:54):
know, like, maybe a couple ofyears ago I started, you know,
having
a very new attitude,
you know, I decided to be lessnervous. And, you know, because
I think it's also I performed somuch and always got a great
feedback. And,
(39:17):
you know, I realized
it's all about just sharingmusic with the audience. No one
is there to judge you. They alljust come to feel what you feel
as a performer.
So it's just changing ofperspective. I think, you know
they are not waiting for mistakefor sure. So
yeah, and it's, it's a reallylovely emphasis, because
(39:42):
you could make that decision totrust yourself, because
everything you're doing isauthentic. It's from the heart.
It honors heritage andtradition. Yes, yes. Everything
is on the heart, absolutely and
yeah, I mentioned so much theword heart. You'll be famous.
(40:04):
You'll be famous as the mostromantic classical musician in
the world. Yeah. I also likeconnect, connect hearts with
also like braveness, right? Yes.So, so
I will just return once againto,
like, be nervous on stage ornot. So many times it happened
(40:26):
behind the stage. You know, youfeel the heart beats is so it's
so high, you know, you're scaredand so on. But once I go on the
stage, all that disappears, youknow it, you know, I just I am
absolutely normal.
Yeah, the music gives you yourenergy and your confidence
(40:50):
absolutely yes, I don't knowwhat happened. Maybe it's hard
to explain, but from the momentI step on the stage, it's, you
know, everything is going to begood. Yeah. It's very
interesting. The othermusicians, including the Syrian
musicians I mentioned, talkedabout once they play, once
they're on the stage performing,all of their worries disappear,
(41:15):
worries about family or the waror conflict, everything could
disappear, and they weretransformed through the music
and through the rhythm. Doesthat make sense to you?
Absolutely and the most specialmoment for me when I perform, I
think it's overall like, notonly for me, but for
(41:38):
majority of artists, in themoment of absolute silence in
the concert hall when youachieve this as a performer. I
mean, this is nothing canreplace this, this feeling
indeed. So this is the heaven
when you, when you when youdon't hear any single breath,
(41:59):
you know. That means, thatmeans, you know, you are all in
one line somewhere, yeah, abovethe earth. I don't know how I
would describe it. It's a gooddescription, because that
silence is a statement ofconnection. Everybody is
connected in that one moment.Exactly, exactly. So if we can
(42:25):
connect in one concert hall, wecan also connect globally, like
this. We can all be on thatlevel. I think, I think it is
possible. I think it ispossible. I think, well, since I
touched this subject now, Ithink nowadays, young people are
(42:45):
becoming more and more awarethat this is possible and that
good will win in the end.
Oh, that's a beautiful,beautiful statement, and a
statement the world needs tohear every day. So Nicola, this
is a good point to ask my lastquestion, and that's the series
(43:09):
question,
Can art save us?
If we all involve,
if we all involved in it, as Ipreviously said, an example from
the concert,
you know that we all can be onein one thought, you know? I
(43:33):
think this also explained thatart can save us. But
yes, many of us have to work onit. I don't know what we have to
do, how to
organize it, but if somethingcan save us, it's It's the power
(43:54):
of of art and music and
I don't know what Iwould add more. It's, it's a
very philosophical
question, but miracle ispossible. Yeah, yeah, and your
(44:16):
music Origins is a beautifulexample. The fact that you will
tour that spreading that verymessage is a great example of
showing what's possible, that wecan connect with each other in
far kinder and far happier ways.Exactly, exactly, I think
(44:39):
my project is
a very good example, at leastfrom my experience.
And, you know,
I remember, actually fromGermany, doing this private
concert in Germany.
You know, I was doing concerts
(45:00):
and then later in the night,
well, now it's, you know, we hadsome fun. We had some wine, and
friends asked me again toperform some of, you know, this,
Serbian dances, and maybe somedances or music that I didn't
perform during the concert. So Idid some more.
(45:21):
And, you know, I
then I had the real dance there.I had a party. I was performing,
you know, I was thinking, like,
I'm like, I'm like, at home, youknow, like, yeah, it's, it's
absolutely the same feeling.
So it really connects us,
(45:43):
really connects us. You know, itwas,
it was so much love and so muchgood vibration in that one room
there,
you know. So, yeah, why? Whynot? If we have it actually, on
a bigger level, I think it ispossible. Yes, we just need to
(46:05):
work on it somehow. Yeah, yeah.And your music, your
compositions, Origins, are abeautiful example of what's
possible. Yes, they are justexamples, and there are many
other examples in the world. Ofcourse, I'm becoming an optimist
recently, you know, with theawareness of young people. And
(46:29):
you know, young people fight,
and you know, we don't want any
bad world, even for our kidslater and for us, you know, we
all want the peace, and we arebecoming aware more and more,
(46:51):
you know that we just want thepeace and a normal life. You can
say, if I can say, in verysimple words. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
absolutely, absolutely. Icouldn't agree more. Nicola,
thank you so much for your timetoday, for your generosity and
to create this time and for suchbeautiful and important
(47:15):
messages. Thank you so much forjoining me today.
Thank you so much for having meas a guest. It was really again,
my honor, and I was extremelyhappy to share my very, very
personal
feelings about everything. That'slovely. Thank you. And for the
(47:36):
listeners, thank you for joiningus, and please do remember to
share this episode or to sharethe series. It's free to listen,
and you can help make the artsall of ours. Thank you again,
and thank you Nicola, it's beenan honor. Thank you so much
again.
Welcome to thispodcast series asking the
question, Can art save us? I'mstarting the first national and
international conversation aboutcourage and curiosity. What do
these qualities really mean, andwhy does it make a big
difference to our mental,societal and democratic health?
I talk to award winning anddiverse artists across the arts
(00:24):
to explore these qualities intheir lives and work both to
inspire and for us all to learn.I'm exploring why we need these
qualities to help change theglobal epidemic of mental
illness, loneliness,polarization of our community
and even global conflict. If thearts cultivate courage and
curiosity, I'm asking thequestion, Can art save us?
(00:49):
My guest today is not onlyconsidered one of Serbia's
finest classical pianists, butone of the best of his
generation. Nicola Avramovich isa sought after performer giving
numerous recitals and chambermusic concerts worldwide,
including prestigious festivalsand leading concert halls here
in the UK, Nicola Avramovich isthe recipient of numerous
(01:13):
prestigious scholarships andawards, including the Benjamin
Britten piano fellowship at theRoyal College of Music in
London. This fellowship is onlyawarded every two years to an
outstanding pianist preparingfor a career as an international
soloist. He is an exciting,incredibly disciplined talent.
(01:35):
Nicola is recognized as anexceptional talent, and he also
has a deep appreciation offolklore. He interpreted Serbian
folk music that he grew up withfrom a very early age on the
piano as an accomplishedclassical pianist. He has also
celebrated these musical rootsin his forthcoming release
(01:55):
Origins, which brings togethermusic by composers from Serbia,
Hungary, Romania and otherEastern European countries.
Nicola has composed andimprovised folk melodies in this
unique classical recording,which he has performed in
several countries, includingChina, to a wonderful response
and a European tour is tofollow. His repertoire is
(02:19):
described as "superb andauthentic." There is a beautiful
message in his work that musichas no boundaries. It is both
transcending and unifying acommon humanity that can be
shared. And after chasing Nicolaaround Europe and recently
China, I'm delighted to say hecan join me today. Hello, Nicola
(02:41):
and welcome. Hello. Hello. It'smy honor to be your guest today,
and
I'm very happy to have a chanceto talk.
It's very kind of you, and thankyou for making the time. I know
you've been incredibly busyrecently back from China. I'm
really looking forward to ourconversation. And I wondered,
(03:03):
Nicola, if we could begin withyour childhood, your childhood
roots, growing up in a smalltown in Serbia, but in a very
musical family. Can you tell mewhat the musical culture was
around you?
Yes. Oh, that was an incrediblechildhood, indeed. You know, I
(03:26):
grew up with this sound ofaccordion in my house, since I
listened my father every daypracticing, you know, folk
dances on accordion, you know,and as well as
my uncle, who lived just afloor under us, he was doing the
(03:50):
same things on the guitar. Andeven my grandfather used to play
violin when he was younger. Sobasically I was first. At first,
I was facing only folk music inmy life. You know, I didn't know
anything about classical musicuntil the age of
(04:15):
eight or nine,
yes. So basically, I enteredprimary music school when I was
eight years old. And, you know,because my parents wanted me to
be an
educated musician, because theother members of my family who
(04:40):
play folk music, they are alllearn how to play music by ear.
Was mostly improvised. And youknow, it is, it is really a
great ability that to learneverything by ear. And actually,
I was very lucky to be in suchan environment.
Because, you know, it reallyaffects a lot what I am now.
(05:05):
And, you know, all my childhood,I listened
to many improvisations, evenbefore I went to the primary
music school, I did play alittle bit of this folk songs on
the piano.
You know, it was just, you know,for fun. But yes, my parents
(05:26):
wanted me to go to the musicschool. I started really being
focused, like, on the classicalmusic since then. And,
you know, I didn't play folkmusic at that time at all. So,
because classical music wasreally something extraordinary
for me in that moment, you know,I didn't have a chance to hear
(05:49):
classical music at all untilthat until that moment, you
know. So I entered that newworld for me at this and that
moment. So, so, you know, mywhole soul and heart was in it.
And yes, the music school was inmy hometown called I went for
(06:09):
six years there, and then afterthat, I moved to Belgrade, where
I finished high music school and
my Bachelor studies. And yes,after that, I got the full
scholarship for my master, mymasters in the Royal College of
Music in London, and then onemore year at
(06:33):
artist diploma course, also atthe Royal College of Music. But
you know, all these years, likeI was bringing everywhere with
me, this my tradition, and, youknow, the music of my country.
And overall, I can say, likemusic from Balkan countries,
like beautiful Bosnian music.And for example, or, you know,
(06:55):
because we my my family alsoperformed a lot of Bosnian music
as well. And, you know, it was abig part of me, indeed. And I
always, you know, I practiced, Iremember, always, like, four or
five hours I was studying newpieces, preparing for the
concerts. Always, wow, yes, yes,yes. Incredibly disciplined.
(07:21):
Well, it has to be, it has to beotherwise, and then sometimes
you just have to study all thesebig... Your repertoire. Yes, yeah,
the repertoire, yes, yes. Youcannot do it in a short with
very little practice. You needto memorize this all. So the
point is, after all thispractice, sometimes I would just
(07:42):
sit and relax and I wouldimprovise. And, you know, maybe
in folk style, maybe even Iwould play a little bit of jazz,
you know, but it was all, youknow, all,
I never studied it properly. Itwas just in my ears somehow, you
know, it stayed there. Butthat's beautiful, isn't it?
(08:03):
Because your childhood, I mean,it really is musical blood, if
you like, and also, Serbianculture has a long, long, long
tradition of storytelling,whether it's music, dance or
poetry. Since the sixth century,it's been documented. So you
(08:23):
must feel you have such a strongemotional power and connection
with music. Absolutely,absolutely, yes, it's in genes.
And, you know, just severalyears ago, I wanted to, maybe I
can even say experiment, youknow, I maybe I could, I
thought, why not to bring whatis in my blood, you know, in my
(08:47):
genes, you know, together withmy classical performing and
repertoire, why not to do alittle bit of a mixture and to
to Mix it together, to make itsomehow, to make a unique story,
you know, because it certainlyYeah, at some point I felt very
(09:09):
free, very free as an artist, toexperiment. I started composing.
I started rearranging somethings, making transcriptions of
already existed
folk music, and put it in, I cansay, like
classical music form. So I didmake some transcriptions, and I
(09:33):
recorded an album calledorigins. Yeah, I would really
love to talk to to you aboutOrigins. It's, it seems such a
unique project because of thatblend of folk music. But of
course, as a classical pianist,and I was really interested in
(09:54):
what you wanted to say with thatalbum and with that combination
of music. So forexample, the idea of combining
folk music, classical music,composers from Hungary, Serbia,
Romania, other Europeancountries, for example, that
(10:17):
it's an example of how youtranscend borders, perhaps?
Okay, of course, of course,yeah, first of all, like, I
realized how much all thesegreat composers actually were
doing the same things as I'mdoing now, like they were taking
some,
(10:38):
you know, like folk melodies,for example, like Franz Liszt, what
he was doing, he was taking somefolk melodies and making
Hungarian rhapsodies. And, youknow, he's not the only example.
There is so many composers whichalso I chose to perform in this
album, like such as Béla Bartók,you know, Johannes Brahms,
(11:02):
Frédéric Chopin, as well asmany others, you know. And
really, there is so much that itwas taken from, from the folk
music. And that really makes,you know, music very special.
Because, to me, Nicola, it's, itsounds like really wonderful
(11:23):
musical curiosity.
And improvisation gives you somuch freedom, and it's being
curious, isn't it, to explorethose musical roots and the
influences of those differentcomposers.
Yes, absolutely like you know,in some moments I thought, you
know, classical music, we alwaysget it like something that is
(11:47):
very, very serious. And ofcourse it is, but it's very
often it is very free andimprovised and very simple. I
could say, yeah. And when youmentioned the composer Liszt, my
understanding of Liszt is astory of innovation and multi
layered arrangements. Soclassical music has certain
(12:12):
traditions, and sometimes, as acomposer, you take a risk to do
something differently. So yeah,that's very interesting
question because, you know,when I started this,
experimenting with folkstyle, I was actually, like, a
little bit afraid, you know,like, how people will react. Is
(12:34):
it going to be like too far fromclassical, you know, is it going
to sound, maybe, like too muchin a folk style. You know, I was
a little bit worried, becauseI'm, I'm not used to go far
from classical music, right? I'mnot used to it so I, I wasn't, I
was a little bit worried, like,how people will react to this
(12:59):
freedom. So, yes. And then Ihad, thanks to the social
networks, I was
promoting some of my works,like, basically, I was just
sitting and practicing in theroom, and I was posting on my
social networks, like,Instagram, Facebook, whatever,
yes. And you know, I getextremely, like, the best
reactions I ever actually had
(13:21):
really encouraged me to keepdoing it. And when I performed
in the public, I did severalconcerts with this repertoire.
You know, honestly speaking, Idid play so many great pieces by
great composers, but somethingthat was my own. So all these
transitions got the bestreactions. It's wonderful. Yes,
(13:41):
it was really a big success.Every time, no matter where I
perform. I remember, I wasperforming in Germany, a private
concert in the house, and, youknow, people started almost
dancing in one moment. So, youknow, I was like, Oh, they're
they are dancing, you know,listening to the Serbian music
(14:03):
in the piano, and they'redancing, I was like, Oh, I'm
doing the right thing. And, youknow, I was like, Okay, let's do
in my country this concert. So Idid perform in my hometown. And,
you know,
everyone was happy about thewhole repertoire. But I remember
everyone's, you know, supportingso much this idea of,
(14:28):
you know, Serbian dances on thepiano. I think it sounds very
beautiful and very joyous andhappy. Yes, actually, yes,
exactly. That was
the pure happiness, you know,yes, let me add one more
example. You know, recently Idid perform in China, you know,
(14:49):
which is obviously verydifferent culture, and, you
know, different audience. And Idid, you know, at the end of the
concert, I performed one dance
which is,
you know, probably my favorite.And you know, audience started
clapping in the rhythm of thispiece. So, you know, I realized
(15:10):
how much we are all actuallysimilar. And so, you know, I
played one piece in severaldifferent countries, I get the
same reaction. I can feel thejoy that you know, people are
having, and you know it justdefinitely gives me so much wind
(15:32):
to my back to keep doing it.It's such an important
experience and important thingto witness. It shows,
doesn't it, despite our culturaldifferences, music can really
transcend those boundaries, andit's it's one beating heart. I
saw a lovely example, Nicola, ofyou performing. It was Vranje,
(15:56):
which I understand is a dancefrom a dance suite of music you
and it was incredibly beautiful,very fluid, very fast, but very
disciplined music, and you couldhear the dance very, very
(16:19):
clearly.
Yes, okay, that's very dance. Ithas a very specific rhythm. We
call it nine eighths, and it'smaybe on the first listen, it's
a little bit hard to
to get it, but you know, after,I don't know, after half a
minute of listening, you getabsolutely the right feeling. So
(16:43):
this is a dance from Serbia, butit's very much being played in
Bulgaria and especiallyMacedonia, I must say. So all
very close. You know, SouthSerbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria,
like it's, it's
within, within onearea, if we if we don't look at
(17:03):
the boundaries, yes, so yeah,this is one of my, my favorite
pieces. It's beautiful. And Iencourage the listeners to go
and see this on YouTube, and Iwill signpost all of Nicola's
sites and links for you on hisepisode page. But Nicola, I'm
very interested to understandmore about the nine eights rhythm
(17:25):
and what that musical heritage is.So for people like myself, that
may not be expert in classicalmusic, but love music, how can
we understand where that comesfrom? The nine eight rhythm like
it actuallybrings a lot of fire and
excitement. And for me, this islike a combination in some party
(17:50):
or whatever, like there is notsomething
further after this. So it's likethe highlight
of something. So, you know, Ican imagine,
you know, like fire on the stage
and screaming, you know, likemany jumps while dancing, even,
(18:13):
you know, I saw some videos whenthe whole orchestra is
performing it. So it's so muchpassion inside and so many
movements in dancing. It'sprobably like
a very long tradition, yeah, buta beautiful part of your musical
heritage, and I love thisemphasis on dance and joy and
(18:38):
how actually it changes theaudience. So I think normally at
a classical concert, theaudience can be very serious, of
course, but isn't that lovelywhen you see an audience wanting
to dance?
Oh yes, like my aim is also forthe future. So this mixture, I
(19:01):
would say, like 60 or 70% I keeplike
classical and the rest should beall this, my stuff
that is maybe less serious, butlet's say, like serious enough.
(19:21):
You know, there is a dose ofseriosity, but in, you know, I
would always keep it for thelike second half maybe of the
concert. So to make it goodbalance. And, you know,
I don't know how it would be ifthe whole concept would be just
(19:43):
dance, you know, and yeah, inthe full style, I think this is
a perfect combination. Yeah,it's a, it's a beautiful balance,
isn't it? Because you canappreciate both worlds. Exactly,
exactly, yes, but still, wemustn't forget that all this is
connected these two worlds. Itmakes me curious Nicola, when
(20:05):
you had studied and you'dsuccessfully completed your
scholarships, and perhaps youreturned to your hometown in
Serbia and gave maybe your firstperformance there as a classical
pianist. What was the impact?What was the reaction? Because I
(20:30):
imagine it was unusual forpeople to be able to experience
a classical pianist in theirhometown.
Okay, okay, that's a very nicequestion. Actually, when I moved
to London to study in London, itwas really a big thing for me.
And, you know, actually bigthing for one Serbian to be
(20:53):
honest, you know, especially forpeople in my hometown, they were
all very proud, yeah, of me.And, you know, I was everywhere,
all the articles, you know, wow,
it was
really a big thing. And when Ireturned
(21:15):
to give the concerts, so I waslike, first year in London, and
I returned to give first concertin my hometown. It was an open
air concert.
It was a huge audience thatappeared there. And as I
previously said, I waseverywhere in all articles.
And yeah, it was, it was, youknow, actually, it was also the
(21:40):
first open air concert in ourarea, like and even, like, first
proper classical musicconcert. Wow. Yes, at that time, I
didn't do this folk style, and Ifelt this is what we needed
there, and we still need it moreoften. So for example, like I
(22:02):
feel
that in my country, this kind ofmusic is not represented enough.
Maybe I can say the same for thefor the rest of Balkan
countries. So it should be muchmore in focus. Because once
people hear it, every time theywant to hear it again. You know,
they they ask, When is the nextconcert? And they just ask for
(22:26):
it, because they all enjoyed itvery much. Yeah, yes, yes. So
it's definitely what, what, youknow, it's always like this,
what we actually present topeople.
People will consume it, right?Yes. So
I just
(22:47):
felt
we need more, more, more andmore presentation of the culture
there, yeah, more opportunity.Because,
yeah, I saw that in a reallypositive statement, you were
referred to as a classical musicactivist, or you could say a
(23:07):
classical music educator,reflecting exactly what you just
said, that it's really importantto be able to reach more people
and for more people to haveaccess, either to experience the
music or to study the musicthemselves. Do you think that's
(23:29):
changing slowly in the Balkans?
It's not fast. Definitely. It'schanging very slowly. Yes. And
actually, I will come back tothe project Origins again.
That's one more reason why Ichose to do such a thing,
because I think you know thiscan this is definitely more for
(23:55):
a wider audience, and I can meetpeople with the piano faster by
doing this, by doing thisproject. So it's not only
typical classical repertoire,but the mixture. And you know,
actually what I see nowadays atmany people, many great
classical musicians,
(24:18):
they mix things in order to, ofcourse, become more popular, but
also in order to, you know, getmore and more audience. So yes,
maybe they take some morepopular stuff, mixing it
together with the classicalmusic, and then that's how they
make bigger and biggeraudiences. So yeah, I think that
(24:42):
these projects for me definitelyit is, yeah, the way to make a
bigger, bigger audience formyself as well. Yeah, when you
tour Europe, will it also be anopportunity to tour the Balkans,
to tour specifically in
Serbia? Of course, of course, Ithink I will promote it equally
(25:04):
also in Serbia. I'll try alsoother Balkan countries in
Europe. I don't see anydifference, you know, like, I
just know that the reaction willprobably, I'm sure it will be
the same everywhere, becauseit's just people get the same
feeling always in listening toit. And
(25:26):
yeah, I tend to make a concerttour in Europe. I hope the CD
release
will happen in June or July. Istill don't know the days, but
this is for now. This is theaim, so for the summer and after
that,
(25:47):
yes, I would love to presentthis CD in London, as London is
like my second home. Yeah, of
course, of course, yes. And youknow, even you know, before
release, I will keep performingOrigins like I plan to travel at
least once more to China
(26:10):
to do performance in severalcities there, and perhaps there
will be One concert in Serbia sobut I think a city launch,
I think it should happen inLondon. Amazing, and I
will be able to come.
(26:30):
Yeah, it would be great to haveyou as a guest.
It would be lovely to see youperform live. And Nicola, you
actually lived and worked inChina, so you have very
interesting culturalexperiences. You know, growing
up in Serbia, living andstudying in the UK, living and
(26:51):
working in China. So you have avery interesting perspective in
terms of how music can talk toeverybody. It's like music is
one language. Yes, music isdefinitely one language. And I
just do it with my heart.
(27:13):
Anywhere I am in this series,Nicola, I've also interviewed
musicians from Syria, and themusicians I spoke to because of
the war at the time, they hadleft Syria, they were living in
the UK, either studying ortouring, and there was a really
(27:37):
beautiful and important emphasison the therapeutic benefits of
music for themselves, personallyand with each other, but also
for the audience. They wantedtheir music to be a message of
love and of peace.
Can you relate to that as aperformer? Yes, things are
(28:00):
actually,
things should be so much moresimple, right?
I don't see the any reason whywe should have, you know, bad
things in this world, hate andsuch, and you know,
you know. And really, music canremind us on this you know, to
(28:21):
be good,
to live in peace, and
you know, so, like, even, eventhis
lively pieces, which I mentionedcouple of times today, yeah,
it's just pure joy andhappiness. Why we don't just
(28:42):
be simple and just enjoy, likesimple things in our lives, and
just spread love. And you know,it could be all simple. I don't
know why it is complicated.Yeah, yeah. And so many of us
have the same question. There'sso much conflict in wars of the
(29:04):
world, past and present, butit's not what people choose. So
we all ask the same question,and I saw on your website, when
I first looked, the very firstline on your website said, "Music
is the language of the heart."
(29:27):
Is that the best summary for youthat music is the language of
the heart? I think music is sucha powerful, powerful thing, it
can
await so much emotions, youknow, I don't know how, if there
is someone actually in thisplanet, how someone can, cannot
(29:49):
be touched by some music, youknow, for example, like Chopin
music that is all obviously
written by huge heart. You know.
So if you listen to any ofshopping ballads, it's, it's,
oh my god. It's, it's, you know,like how someone could not
(30:13):
cry in some moments, you know,like, a little bit far from the
subject, but, but reallyemotional power, isn't it? It is
really, really
an extraordinary, extraordinarypower. So, you know, maybe,
maybe there is the key music.Maybe, maybe we just need to
(30:35):
turn more to music. You know, wemaybe we have it to sit alone.
Yeah. And for example, listen toChopin and music. It's very
interesting. Yes, yes, yes. Imean, well, I mentioned Chopin
music. There is so much
other beautiful music in thisworld, but, but that was, for
(30:58):
some reason, the first thoughtin my mind, probably because I'm
a big Chopin lover,
I think, yes, music isdefinitely the language of
heart. Absolutely, I'm veryinterested in your album Debut
on a German label, because, ofcourse, that included Chopin in
(31:21):
the program, would you like totell us more about that album
and what you were exploring as aclassical pianist? All right, so
this album, yes, I record in itin 2019 it was released in 2020
and
at that period of my life, I wasreally a lot into,
(31:44):
like a Romantic composers. So,you know,
Schmann, Liszt and Chopin, and that was the composers which I
performed there.
Well, there were, like pianistcomposers and friends, three of
them, right? Yeah, yeah. So thatwas the, like, hidden team
(32:10):
behind and for me, I didn'thave, like, how to say, like, a
special message with this album.I asked myself, What at that
moment, what was
the closest to my heart, what Ican bring with the most
emotions. And, you know, I chosethis,
(32:30):
those pieces.
So, yes, I'm still a very so ifI choose to repertoire for
conscious, I often choose thesecomposers. So I could say, I'm
really like,
how do you say like
a romantic performer? Yes,yes. That's really interesting.
(32:54):
That's really interestingbecause everything you're saying
is about love. And the composersyou've spoken about are famous
for romance. It is about joy anddance and also freedom. Yes, and
(33:14):
we mustn't forget also, youknow, I learned the passion in
romantism, you know, like fire,you know, which, with
romanticism brings, there is
so much energy and passion inthis music, so
(33:34):
which also wakes,
you know, electrifying, and youknow,
emotions. Yeah, yeah andfreedom, of course, has such an
important relationship withimprovisation. Absolutely,
absolutely, again, theimprovisation and, yes, it's
(33:56):
probably all, like, part of mypersonality, I don't know, like,
yes, it's it's attention tofreedom, which, yes, yeah. So I
can imagine growing up with yourfather playing the accordion,
for example, every day in yourears, in your heart, in your
(34:19):
mind is as important asstudying for example, Chopin.
Yeah, I could easily say it'sequally important for me,
honestly speaking. I mean, it's
sometimes I cannot say what Ilike more? Yeah, they're all
important as important as eachother. All important and all
(34:41):
come, all come in, want to me,right? Yeah, separated, yeah,
yeah, no, it's beautiful. It'sone language. So there must be
such a wonderful story in thisfor your father, for your
family who had their own musicallife, but they knew they wanted
(35:06):
you to study formally and to seeyou achieve so much you know, to
have won such prestigiousscholarships to be recognized as
one of the most importantclassical pianists of his
generation. What is that likefor your family, for your
(35:28):
father, your uncle?
Yeah, I mustn't forget, like,even my mom,
she has a good pitch, yeah, yes.And I forgot also my brother is
also a pianist. He's youngerthan me, and he started playing
piano plus like three yearsafter, after I started,
(35:49):
since he's younger, so andactually later, many of other
young cousins and so on. But formy family, you know, they didn't
have such expectations.
When I was kid, you know, theywere like,
very spontaneously, they heard onthe radio about, you know, like,
(36:10):
entrance exam for a primarymusic school. And they were
like, oh, maybe you should
go for it if you want. Yes, Iwant, of course. So I went, I
went. And already maybe, maybefirst year wasn't really
successful for me, but in thesecond year of my studying, I
(36:31):
started going to somecompetitions within Serbia. And
then after several years, I didbigger competitions, you know,
and you know, they startedthinking, Oh,
this is going in a very, youknow, interesting direction.
And, yeah, yes. So after,
(36:55):
in total, after seven or eightyears, I gave my
first performance. It was notlike a solo recital. It was
actually just a performance of10 minutes at the main concert
hall in Belgrade called Kolarak concert hall. So yes, I was
like maybe 15 or 16, and I gotthe chance to perform there. So
(37:20):
in front of the fullconcert hall, my parents came.
Wow. Yeah, so they were,they were, you know, at that
time, we already knew what, howmy path will continue. So, you
know, I
was always getting theirsupport. No, that's, that's
beautiful. It must be so scary
(37:42):
as a performer, especially youknow, 16, 17, 18, you're very
young, but even perhaps today,do you find performing can
sometimes feel frightening insome way, with a huge audience,
with so much attention?Actually, the older I am, the
(38:04):
less nervous. For some reason Ijust believe in myself and
well, there is always, like alittle dose of
stress. There must be like alittle bit of pressure,
otherwise, you know, theperformance will be good. I'm
sure about this. I think, yes,we all learn how to deal with it
(38:28):
with years. And, yeah, first,first performances for quite
stressful. And, you know, likestuff you like, you cannot eat
during the day of performance,like I sometimes I couldn't eat
at all, you know. And
I don't know if I should givemore examples now, but I don't
(38:54):
know, like, maybe a couple ofyears ago I started, you know,
having
a very new attitude,
you know, I decided to be lessnervous. And, you know, because
I think it's also I performed somuch and always got a great
feedback. And,
(39:17):
you know, I realized
it's all about just sharingmusic with the audience. No one
is there to judge you. They alljust come to feel what you feel
as a performer.
So it's just changing ofperspective. I think, you know
they are not waiting for mistakefor sure. So
yeah, and it's, it's a reallylovely emphasis, because
(39:42):
you could make that decision totrust yourself, because
everything you're doing isauthentic. It's from the heart.
It honors heritage andtradition. Yes, yes. Everything
is on the heart, absolutely and
yeah, I mentioned so much theword heart. You'll be famous.
(40:04):
You'll be famous as the mostromantic classical musician in
the world. Yeah. I also likeconnect, connect hearts with
also like braveness, right? Yes.So, so
I will just return once againto,
like, be nervous on stage ornot. So many times it happened
(40:26):
behind the stage. You know, youfeel the heart beats is so it's
so high, you know, you're scaredand so on. But once I go on the
stage, all that disappears, youknow it, you know, I just I am
absolutely normal.
Yeah, the music gives you yourenergy and your confidence
(40:50):
absolutely yes, I don't knowwhat happened. Maybe it's hard
to explain, but from the momentI step on the stage, it's, you
know, everything is going to begood. Yeah. It's very
interesting. The othermusicians, including the Syrian
musicians I mentioned, talkedabout once they play, once
they're on the stage performing,all of their worries disappear,
(41:15):
worries about family or the waror conflict, everything could
disappear, and they weretransformed through the music
and through the rhythm. Doesthat make sense to you?
Absolutely and the most specialmoment for me when I perform, I
think it's overall like, notonly for me, but for
(41:38):
majority of artists, in themoment of absolute silence in
the concert hall when youachieve this as a performer. I
mean, this is nothing canreplace this, this feeling
indeed. So this is the heaven
when you, when you when youdon't hear any single breath,
(41:59):
you know. That means, thatmeans, you know, you are all in
one line somewhere, yeah, abovethe earth. I don't know how I
would describe it. It's a gooddescription, because that
silence is a statement ofconnection. Everybody is
connected in that one moment.Exactly, exactly. So if we can
(42:25):
connect in one concert hall, wecan also connect globally, like
this. We can all be on thatlevel. I think, I think it is
possible. I think it ispossible. I think, well, since I
touched this subject now, Ithink nowadays, young people are
(42:45):
becoming more and more awarethat this is possible and that
good will win in the end.
Oh, that's a beautiful,beautiful statement, and a
statement the world needs tohear every day. So Nicola, this
is a good point to ask my lastquestion, and that's the series
(43:09):
question,
Can art save us?
If we all involve,
if we all involved in it, as Ipreviously said, an example from
the concert,
you know that we all can be onein one thought, you know? I
(43:33):
think this also explained thatart can save us. But
yes, many of us have to work onit. I don't know what we have to
do, how to
organize it, but if somethingcan save us, it's It's the power
(43:54):
of of art and music and
I don't know what Iwould add more. It's, it's a
very philosophical
question, but miracle ispossible. Yeah, yeah, and your
(44:16):
music Origins is a beautifulexample. The fact that you will
tour that spreading that verymessage is a great example of
showing what's possible, that wecan connect with each other in
far kinder and far happier ways.Exactly, exactly, I think
(44:39):
my project is
a very good example, at leastfrom my experience.
And, you know,
I remember, actually fromGermany, doing this private
concert in Germany.
You know, I was doing concerts
(45:00):
and then later in the night,
well, now it's, you know, we hadsome fun. We had some wine, and
friends asked me again toperform some of, you know, this,
Serbian dances, and maybe somedances or music that I didn't
perform during the concert. So Idid some more.
(45:21):
And, you know, I
then I had the real dance there.I had a party. I was performing,
you know, I was thinking, like,
I'm like, I'm like, at home, youknow, like, yeah, it's, it's
absolutely the same feeling.
So it really connects us,
(45:43):
really connects us. You know, itwas,
it was so much love and so muchgood vibration in that one room
there,
you know. So, yeah, why? Whynot? If we have it actually, on
a bigger level, I think it ispossible. Yes, we just need to
(46:05):
work on it somehow. Yeah, yeah.And your music, your
compositions, Origins, are abeautiful example of what's
possible. Yes, they are justexamples, and there are many
other examples in the world. Ofcourse, I'm becoming an optimist
recently, you know, with theawareness of young people. And
(46:29):
you know, young people fight,
and you know, we don't want any
bad world, even for our kidslater and for us, you know, we
all want the peace, and we arebecoming aware more and more,
(46:51):
you know that we just want thepeace and a normal life. You can
say, if I can say, in verysimple words. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
absolutely, absolutely. Icouldn't agree more. Nicola,
thank you so much for your timetoday, for your generosity and
to create this time and for suchbeautiful and important
(47:15):
messages. Thank you so much forjoining me today.
Thank you so much for having meas a guest. It was really again,
my honor, and I was extremelyhappy to share my very, very
personal
feelings about everything. That'slovely. Thank you. And for the
(47:36):
listeners, thank you for joiningus, and please do remember to
share this episode or to sharethe series. It's free to listen,
and you can help make the artsall of ours. Thank you again,
and thank you Nicola, it's beenan honor. Thank you so much
again.
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