Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski thanks to his virtuosity on the instrument, he is at the very top of world pianistism.
The audience in Podgorica was convinced of this back in 2012, when he and the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra (CSO) performed Concerto for Piano and Orchestra no. 3 in D minor Sergei Rachmaninoff. His concert activities last the whole year and take place on all continents around the world, so it is a privilege that Trpčeski will perform again tonight accompanied by the CSO.
This time he will be tasked with interpreting another demanding piece of music - Brahms' Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B flat major. The start of the concert is scheduled for 20:XNUMX p.m. on the big stage of the Music Center, and after the Brahms concert, the CSO, under the direction of one of the world's most recognized conductors today, will Serbian lover Srba Dinić also perform Brahms' Symphony No. 4 in E minor.
Trpčeski stepped onto the music scene two decades ago as a BBC artist of the new generation, and since then his career has been developing at an incredible speed, which, as critics say, does not recognize cultural and musical boundaries.
In 2009, he received the Presidential Order, a decoration awarded to Macedonian artists who are responsible for the affirmation of Macedonia abroad. In 2011, he became the first recipient of the title "National Artist of Macedonia", and he continued to promote the music and traditions of his country through the "Makedonisimo" project.
Trpčeski talks about tonight's concert, Brahms, and his career for "Vijesti"...
At the concert in Podgorica, you will play the works of Brahms, whose work is related to late romanticism and many consider him an innovator. Given that he was a pianist himself, is he one of your favorite composers and how do you feel about the selection of his works that you will play tonight. Are they demanding and in what way?
I am looking forward to coming to Montenegro again. This time too I will be accompanied by the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra, but this time too I was given the task of performing one of the most famous concertos for piano and orchestra - Brahms' second concerto. Johannes Brahms was revolutionary in using the piano as an instrument and in enriching the piano technique. He was definitely taking a step forward. In any case, the composer who found his musical language is important, mostly on the piano because it was his primary instrument. His talent and genius for composition was, thank God, available in different musical forms and for different instruments. There are also works for violin, cello, clarinet, symphonic works and many songs. We are grateful as mankind to have so much material from him as a composer. This second concert is practically the same as the first - a symphony for piano and orchestra. Unlike the first concerto, during the period when he composed the first concerto, he did not have so many difficulties in his life. Here, Brahms is a completely mature composer, and he used all the knowledge he had and acquired during his life up to that point while writing this concerto. The work is also known for its fantastic third movement, which is one of the most subtle compositions that Brahms wrote and which features a rather famous cello solo section. It brings a special atmosphere, so besides the fire, which is an expression of Brahms's emotions, there is a lot of relief in the fourth movement, which for me is an association with spring. That season will definitely be upon us soon, so it's nice to end the concert in that way. By the way, he uses a lot of different musical material in musical form. All in all, the package he has created as a composer in this second concerto is something that surpasses previous piano concertos, even in scope. This is his long concert, one of the longest compared to standard concerts. The fact is that Brahms knew a lot and analyzed his contemporaries and historical musical figures who created before him, especially Beethoven who was one of his most important role models. It is only in the second concert that knowledge and analytical approach to form and musical material is quite present. That's why this is actually a masterpiece.
You collaborate with more than 100 world orchestras, you had the opportunity to share the stage with the most famous musicians and conductors... You had the opportunity to perform in Podgorica and be accompanied by the Montenegrin Symphony Orchestra. But this time Srba Dinić will conduct. Does the guest musician who is the concertmaster for the performance adapt more to the orchestra or the orchestra to him and what has been the cooperation with MCCG so far?
I'm really looking forward to it. As in any other profession, in ours it is called "teamwork". Especially in music, no ego should be present. We are all guided by the score of the composer, he is God and in that sense there are no improvisations. So, we all adapt to each other, and all the directions are shown to us in the score. If we respect that, of course after completing the homework before the start of the rehearsal, I think the only thing left is to make life better. If we have such an approach, we should enjoy it and I believe that this will be a great challenge for all of us who will be on stage and that Montenegrin musicians will do their best. Last time I had a nice experience when I played an equally demanding and one of the most difficult pieces - Rachmaninov's third concerto. Now we will perform together Brahms's second, perhaps, as I have already said, the longest of all the standard classical concertos for piano and orchestra. In this sense, I think that the experience I had and the affection of the musicians towards me will be repeated. It should also be a natural human development to want to learn as much as possible and move forward, so I'm looking forward to the concert.
Thanks to the piano, you have toured the whole world, had numerous concerts and are considered one of the most virtuoso pianists in the world. How difficult is it for a talented musician from a small country like North Macedonia to break into the world stage?
Macedonia (I will never use designations such as northern, southern, western before the name because I think it is a matter of politics) is a small country, like Montenegro, and it is a real miracle that a person from such a small country manages to reach heights. I am absolutely proud to be from Macedonia and come from a humble family, I have my feet firmly on the ground and I have never forgotten who I am, what I am and where I come from. I think it is the success of one personality. Everyone has the right to hope and should fight for it. My father always said that life is a struggle. What I am today is primarily due to my family, who have always supported me. We had extremely poor living conditions, so they gave more than they could so that I would have opportunities and chances. I am also indebted to my professors who selflessly imparted knowledge to me and I am proud to be a product of Macedonian education. I learned a lot when I started traveling around the world, I met a lot of people, incredible personalities, I was open and ready for new knowledge. Because of my openness, I have also become spiritually rich. I'm a simple man and that helps me in life, even though today's world is different and going in strange directions. I believe in the purity of the human soul, in nature, openness of expression and the power of music. I can say that people who come from small countries and have had a lot of challenges are tougher, they know how to reach the goal. Another problem is that the governments of those small countries do not want to move forward faster in order to develop, but what is there is. We don't have time to wait, we have to move forward and all conscious people in any profession know that. I'm proud to come from Macedonia and to have managed to do all that, and I'm moving forward.
During your career, you collaborated with many international publishing houses, and the last album "Variations", released in the spring of 2022. This particular project received outstanding marks from the world's discography critics. Today, when you have many concerts, awards, and CDs behind you, what do the ratings of music critics mean to you, considering that music is a universal language that connects people, and that the audience is ultimately decisive?
I have always respected criticism. Of course, we should take into account the fact that these people are mostly educated for what they have chosen as a profession. Critics and musicologists, it is quite normal that each of them has their own opinion. What the opinion is based on is another matter. That's why I started my answer about education. I'm really honored that a large percentage of the criticism for what I do is positive. In that sense, I can only say that I am grateful. But regardless of the fact that it is an individual opinion, by nature I am a man who believes in the logic of music. I think we should respect what is written in the score. Of course, we are all individuals and we all want to give something of our own and thus paint the musical material with our own color, but not at the cost of ruining the taste. The last album "Variations" was a challenge for me. I am extremely proud of that CD because it was released during the pandemic. I kept that repertoire in my hands for ten months, waiting for the virus situation to improve or end. Just as the whole world was waiting, I was also waiting, but I was persistent and in difficult times for travel I went to Berlin. It was February 2021, I recorded the album in a winter fairy tale in Berlin. I'm really glad that music critics from countries that have a tradition in classical music like Germany, France, Italy gave excellent comments. I am grateful and it is a great inspiration for me as an artist. Of course, I also recorded the Brahms variations there and regardless of the fact that there are many different critics, I am glad that they evaluate the purity of my interpretation and my sincere intentions.
Proud of the "Makedonisimo" project
It is interesting that you also promote Macedonian culture through the "Makedonisimo" project, where you perform works by Macedonian composers. Given that your country is characterized by irregular rhythms that often give musicians trouble, how did audiences around the world accept these works and are they interesting only because of that characteristic? How important is it to preserve tradition through new works?
"Makedonisimo" is my child and I am extremely proud of that project. I grew up with accordion and folk music. Accordion is my first love and I have always believed that our folk music from Macedonia has extraordinary power due to its diversity. I consulted with the Folklore Institute "Marko Cepenkov" in Skopje and with the ensemble for folk songs and dances "Tanec", or rather with experts who know a lot about it. I made a selection of six pieces together with the Macedonian composer By Panda Shah they made that sophisticated musical language that came out as a result, I think it was subtle, something that led to this crowd-pleasing result. We have already performed in almost many countries, including Great Britain, Switzerland, Holland, Korea, and in 2019 we also performed at the Bar Chronicle, and the next concert with this project is in Vienna. It will be the world premiere of the orchestral version for quintet and orchestra. We were extremely careful not to damage the wealth, the core, the soul of the Macedonian people, the root of history, tradition. Whoever listens will see that we authentically play the main melodies that were taken from the top masters who wrote some of those melodies. As a guide and initiator, the godfather of the Makedonisimo project, I had a great responsibility with Pando Šahov to create a project that will be side by side with classical music. Knowing that all the legendary composers knew a lot about their folk music and knew the music of other nations and peoples, we incorporated it into our own musical language. That was the starting point that led me to make the opposite direction. There are a lot of different styles that were equalizing, but also a challenge for our composer. I must also mention the fantastic colleagues who have a classical education, but play folk music fantastically, and they participated in this project. They are all masters of their instruments and that energy of ours that passes on stage to the audience in any country where we played did not remain indifferent. I'm really glad that we achieved a great success and here after Vienna, we have more concerts waiting for us, and in the fall a tour of the former Yugoslavia, then in Monte Carlo, and then I hope that we will also hold those concerts that we canceled due to the pandemic in China , New Zealand, Brazil. We will go step by step, but we hope to present "Makedonisimo" in Podgorica.
Bonus video:
