Tamara Stefanovich: Combining and Exploring Pianistic Worlds

December 4th, 2024 in Articles by patrick

Pianist Tamara Stefanovich is a well-known name to concert audiences throughout the world and to discophiles maybe mostly known for her engagement in contemporary and 20th century repertoire. This reflects of course her concert programmes as well as collaborations, where her recordings with French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard stand out with two exceptionally strong proponents of contemporary aesthetics and pianism.

Stefanovich has just returned from concerts in Vancouver and is also engaged in upcoming projects including Salzburg Festival, Boulez Saal Berlin, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Philharmonie Paris. Piano Street is happy to get a chance to talk to the Berlin based Yugoslavia-born pianist.

Patrick Jovell: Dear Tamara. Thanks for taking the time talking with us. In your programmes you have coupled old works with new like “20 Sonatas” at a concert in Queen Elisabeth Hall in London or “Art of the Etude” at Milton Court. You have a vast repertoire but your concern for contemporary and modern 20th century works are both well documented and praised.

Tamara Stefanovich: For me, we are back to the question: What is the role of the interpreter? For me, it’s the search for a missing family link between the previous centuries and the 20th and 21st. I am not an absolutist, and I am inherently allergic to any kind of rigid specialization. However, there were moments in my life where I had to devote my time to certain styles. This enabled me to have 65 piano concertos from all epochs and about 25 different recital programs—and growing. Finding myself at this age, being able to dive into huge amounts of repertoire at my fingertips is a pleasure. To dive into the search for links between the old and newer repertoire and to try to put them in the same time zone is exhilarating.
Sometimes the results are provocative, some pose questions, make us hear new connections, but they are always trying to mirror the same search that those composers had. For example, combining Baroque composers like Bach, Rameau, and Couperin, as well as pieces by Messiaen, all inhabit strict structures. In Messiaen’s case, these are self-imposed, rigid grammars. Yet, finding freedom within these constraints is an incredible adventure for me.

PJ: It was both interesting and captivating hearing you perform at the Mänttä Music Festival in Finland on July 30th. You offered an unusual program built around Ricercatas and Etudes by Ligeti interspersed with works by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Messiaen. The impression of such a menu was out of the ordinary and made me think of performance and expectations as a listener. Tell me about your ideas on composing such a program?

TS: As always, we should begin at the start. What does it mean to be a musician? How often do we really ask ourselves why we play? What is my role as an instrumentalist in the 21st century? What was the role of a musician in the 14th, 16th, 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, and now? Did we simply inherit a role from previous centuries, and if so, why? Why do we think the Lisztian role of a traveling virtuoso had such an appeal in previous and this century? Is it really the only way? von Karajan’s name written in bigger letters than Beethoven’s? Are interpreters more important than creators?
I know my answer. It is to question and shape my own path, and not just copy the paths of others. So, my answers may be novel to others, but for me, they are the only way we can move forward. An artist must find a new and individual way, not seek security and success—two complete enemies of art. Don’t get me wrong, security and success may come, but they should absolutely never be the guiding energy. Interestingly, it was Liszt who said, “In every piece, there should be a new chord…”

PJ: Are you looking for originality? To be an artist today it seems to be a balance between providing a function for the market and audience expectations and at the same time finding your own original path. Can you elaborate on that?

TS: Looking for originality? Never. Who am I to do that? Originality is never found when sought after. As Picasso said, “Inspiration has to find you hard at work.” I’m also not providing any function, and I have no need for balance or to meet audience expectations. That would be extremely arrogant of me. First to pretend to know what the audience wants and then to know what to provide. That’s extremely transactional, something salesmen do. I’m not someone who wants to be in any kind of function. I want to experience artistry to its fullest without any question of its functionality. I’m an artist, and I have to define what the role of an interpreter is in the 21st century, but not just to function. The question is not at all if or how or why I should make my own path. This is the privilege of every human being, and I simply cannot imagine copying anyone else’s. Why would I? I think, generally, we should divide success, daily life, and pragmatism from artistry. As Ashkenazy said, “The moment you look for success as an artist, you have a problem.” I didn’t have concerts for many years due to a combination of the Balkan Wars, travel restrictions, and my choice of repertoire, hence the lack of compromise on my artistic choices. If at that moment I decided to compromise my repertoire choices, because playing something else would give me more concerts and attract a certain kind of audience and more success, I would be a different person. For me, staying true to my choices meant doing many side jobs as a very bad waitress or a bored wardrobe girl at a concert hall—but I never compromised my artistic choices, and I never thought that success meant I was a good artist. You either are or aren’t an artist. Success is a byproduct that sometimes matches quality but most of the time doesn’t.

PJ: The training to become a professional pianist requires a monumental dive into the so called standard repertoire. Also the competition circuit usually asks for repertoire in a very traditional sense. Audiences are trained and molded in this and rarely gets exposed to modern sounds. What are your thoughts on this?

TS: True, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. I never just accept the status quo. If I am born with the choices and the agency to make them, why would I accept anything without question? We are the only art form that is unquestioning and deeply sentimental about the past. Even look at the flamenco tradition and what a genius dancer like Israel Galván does with it. It’s stupendous in its provocation, respect, humor, and enigmatic view of past styles. This is what interests me, not pre-cooked choices that are served to me. Each one of us has to decide if we are traditionalists or avant-garde. For me, art is always ahead, not backward.

PJ: You are a frequent recording artist. Can you tell us the differences between recording and performance including the fact that te recording will remain while the performance is gone after the last note, so to speak.

TS: I feel the need to leave an imprint on specific works, not on my own persona. That’s all. Responsibility, as Boulez said, lies at the beginning of every artistic endeavor, and the recording process should be no exception. The first question is: Are there ten or more recordings of this piece already? Does it truly need my “perfume” added on top, or can I contribute something meaningful? Once in the studio, I need to visualize the space for communication. While it may not necessarily be a public space, it also cannot become a place for stroking my ego or personal needs. The focus must always be on reaching a new generation of listeners, not simply reveling in the established sound world and self-satisfaction over personal achievement. A sense of transmission is essential for me.

PJ: Which are your upcoming engagements and your plans for the near and far future?

TS: After decades of work on it, and in collaboration with the composer, my most important mentor, I have finally scaled the Mount Everest of piano repertoire and recorded the Boulez Second Sonata. The CD will be released next year, coinciding with the composer’s 100th anniversary. I can’t wait to present it alongside other Sonatas by Eisler, Shostakovich, and Bartók, as well as with my improvisation band, SDLW.
Challenging myself further, I’m also diving into new Piano Concertos by Rebecca Saunders and Olga Neuwirth. Additionally, my program of 20 Sonatas and 50 Etudes is pushing my limits. But wouldn’t have it any other way!

Photo: Marco Borggreve

Video: Tamara Stefanovich – 20 Sonatas