Piano Revenge Festival – Beyond the Music
To those who consider music from an aesthetic point of view, there is something mysterious about it; to the simple human sense, it is a direct experience penetrating the soul; and to those who wish to understand how it produces its efects, it is quite a difcult problem. The newborn Paris Piano Revenge Festival has set itself the unusual task of uniting traditions, bringing neoclassical piano playing into a new world where the boundaries of perception will not be a problem. We met with the festival’s artistic director and founder, Anna Bondareva, to learn more about the event.
1. Anna, tell us why your festival has such an unusual title and what is behind it?
When man creates a work of art, it springs from his image-forming faculty; but genuine art, Schopenhauer insists, is not merely a copy of external reality. We live in a very interesting moment in time, where it is sometimes difcult to distinguish between false reality and the true moment, especially with the invention of artifcial intelligence. This is the matrix. I believe that music is immortal, and the piano is the most complete musical instrument, it is a small orchestra, which is led by the pianist. This is revenge, vengeance over everything artifcial! But this is only one side of our multi-facade festival.
- Was it difcult to become a participant of your festival? What criteria did you use in selecting musicians?
It is always several factors, since music is the most universal of the arts. All the other arts have to work through images and produce only pictures of the imagination. But musical sound is a direct expression of the personal essence. During the selection process we had to establish mutual sympathy between all the artists, and only then is something beautiful possible.
- Anna, you are a musician, pianist and composer with a large number of releases, how do you see the possibilities of interaction of new piano music? How does the audience react at your concerts to unfamiliar, one might say avant-garde piano music?
This is a good question, because as a performer on stage, it is difcult to track what exactly a person in the audience is feeling, you can only sense it. A musician is capable of much, conducting human moods for instance…The main thing is not to think that you have achieved something extraordinary yourself. Only God can do everything. A musician, like a hostage, must know who is the boss.
- The festival features participants from diferent countries and with very diferent backgrounds, do they have anything in common other than a passion for piano music?
Yes, absolutely. They didn’t give up. When it comes to piano playing, passion alone is not enough, as any classical musician will tell you. Piano art is always a sacrifce.
5. Do you have a special relationship with the location you have chosen for the festival?
I know Paris better than any other city on earth. Although I have lived and visited many places. I know how difcult it is to survive in Paris and not lose your dream. Our festival is about this. The Théâtre de l’Île Saint-Louis is located on an island, the frst name of which was the island of Notre Dame! The theater provides us with magnifcent conditions, and a grand piano that belonged to Alain Kremski, an amazing pianist and composer, who often performed on its stage.
6. Anna, what would you like to convey to the public with Piano Revenge festival?
Our participants are mainly composers, and when a composer works, he has nothing to copy from; he must draw his music from his own soul. Where he draws it from, we will fnd out if we pay attention to worlds that are not perceived by ordinary senses.
7. What is the main goal of the festival?
I would really like our festival to become a kind of cosmic initiation into the inexhaustible world of creativity.
The Piano Revenge Festival will take place in Paris on June 19, 20 and 21. Discover the biographies of the festival artists and other information related to the event on the ofcial website:
