The genius
“He was rehearsing from 10 am till 5 pm without any break,” the ticket booth saleswoman was telling this to everyone. She was talking about pianist Yevgeni Kisin, who on September 27, threw a concert in Aram Khachatryan concert hall of Yerevan in the framework of Yerevan Perspectives festival. As to how the concert was would be best to ask another renowned musician of our times Svetlana Navasardyan.
“I think anybody who was present at the concert will never forget this irreproachable talk with the space, world and himself, which was granted to all of us by Yevgeni Kisin.” The concert was delayed an hour because Kisin was still rehearsing.
Everybody was waiting in the stuffy lobby. There were at least five people in each square meter of the hall. There were chairs even on the stage. There was no single place on the stairs. Only one chair was vacant – anticipated for one of the best pianists of the world Yevgeni Kisin. Prior to the concert the stage hosted the founding director of the festival Stepan Rostomyan. He announced that the musician is the great friend of Armenia.
He always raises the Armenian Genocide issue on different stages and refuses to give concerts in Turkey as long as that country didn’t admit its guilt. His curriculum included Hayden, Beethoven, Chopin and Liste. He was being constantly applauded by the viewers. Among the applauders were Tigran Mansuryan, Svetlana Navasardyan, who also walked on the stage and presented a bouquet of flowers to Kisin.
Besides the curriculum Kisin also played one of the pieces of Liste. After the concert it was impossible to meet with Kisin. Nonetheless, on the next day Kisin met his fans. Here he was granted the honorable title of professor of the state conservatory, several medals and certificates. After the official part of the ceremony a concert was held in honor of the renowned musician. Anahit Dilbaryan and Zhora Sargsyan played during the concert. The quarter after Komitas also performed. The director of Aram Khachatryan museum, pianist Armineh Grigoryan and second winner of the prize of Aram Khachatryan, Sona Barseghyan played the Armenian Rapsody with four hands. Kisin complimented all the performers of the concert.
The concert was made perfect by Svetlana Navasardyan. She performed Komitas-Andeasean’s “Spring.” After the concert the fans would ask for an autograph from Kisin. Kisin wouldn’t turn down any of the requests of photographs and autographs. When it was my turn for an autograph I asked him a few questions.
– You were christened a “genius” by Herbert Fon Karayan. So did the rest of the famous musicians of the world. What is your opinion about that? It should be really tough to realize that you are a genius.
– I never think about that. I don’t focus on such opinions because if I start to do so I might go mad.
– Are there any musicians, whose concerts you are dreaming to attend similar to how we expect your concerts?
– There are many talented musicians. And I prefer to go to concerts when I have time.
– Are there any pieces, to which you have inhibitions to perform, which require a lot of hard work?
– Trust me, no piece is created and performed easily. They require a lot of work and efforts.
– The impression is that during your lifetime you were able to realize a great truth.
– At this point the only truth is that today I heard great Armenian music in this hall. I am really sorry that up until now I wasn’t acquainted to the pieces of these great musicians.
– Haven’t you listened to Komitas?
– I have listened to one piece. The one that was performed by Svetlana Navasardyan, I wasn’t familiar with. It was wonderful.
P.S. Kisin rushed to get acquainted to the exhibits of Aram Khachatryan. Later I learned from the director Armineh Grigoryan that the musician studied all the materials with great interest. Prior to that, as I found out, he wasn’t familiar with Armenian music. He only knew “Krunk” (crane) from Komitas. Grigoryan presented him Khachatryan’s CD and suggested that he includes Khachatryan’s pieces in his curriculum.
