Anna Fedorova in an interview

"For me, the most important thing is to immerse myself in the music."

Anna Fedorova was born in Kyiv on February 27, 1990, shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union. She studied at the Mykola Lysenko State Music High School in Kyiv and subsequently at the Royal College of Music in London. At the age of 16, she made her debut at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In September 2013, she opened the Royal Concertgebouw's Sunday Morning concert series with Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. This recording is one of the most-viewed Rachmaninoff concertos on YouTube, with over 34 million views as of 2022. Her first albums were released in the autumn of 2014, with more following in 2016. She performs in concert halls throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia, including with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, and the Ensemble Kanazawa.

They started playing the piano when they were four years old. Both their parents are pianists. Did they ever want to learn a different instrument than their parents?

Indeed, I was born into a family of musicians. My parents are both wonderful pianists and piano professors. Until recently, they taught at the Kyiv Conservatory and the Kyiv Special Music School for Gifted Children, where I also studied, with my parents being my teachers.

For as long as I can remember, there was always music in the house. My parents practiced themselves, gave lessons to their students, played records... Basically, I didn't know a life without music, and it was perfectly natural for me to start playing as soon as I could, as soon as I was able to begin learning.

I love the richness of sound and the endless possibilities of the piano. My parents always taught me to interpret the instrument like an orchestra, to coax the maximum range of colors and timbres from it, and to imitate various instruments, even the human voice. I fell in love with the piano immediately and have never relinquished that love!

Which teachers had a particular influence on you?

I studied with Norma Fisher at the Royal College of Music in London for three years. We had an incredibly warm relationship; I loved her lessons! She mostly taught from her home, and every lesson began with coffee and a chat about anything and everything: the latest news, music, life... Each lesson was a very inspiring process of searching, discussing, and trying out different versions. She had very strong ideas and convictions about certain things, but with others, she always left room for the element of improvisation, creating live music in the moment.

A major influence on me was Menahem Pressler. I had an absolutely magical hour with him at the Verbier Festival when we worked on Chopin's Sonata No. 3. He himself is a true magician, and the colors he can coax from the piano are otherworldly. They go straight to your heart! András Schiff played a very important role in my musical development during my studies. I have been working with him regularly since 2013, and he gives me a huge boost of inspiration and development every time. His profound knowledge and his refined, natural musical approach are truly special.

Also at the Verbier Festival in 2012, I met the British cellist Steven Isserlis. Of all the great artists I've worked with, he has perhaps had the greatest influence on me as a musician. His playing is so natural, expressive, and moving. There's never anything artificial about it, just very strong emotions that go straight from heart to heart. Over the years, I've been fortunate enough to take chamber music lessons from him at the International Musicians' Seminar in Prussia Cove, where he is the artistic director.

What is your biggest challenge right now?

My parents left their home in Kyiv so suddenly that they only had 20 minutes to pack. Since the end of February, they have been living with my husband and me in our apartment in Amsterdam. My parents had actually planned to move to the Netherlands anyway—my father now teaches at the Amsterdam Conservatory, and they will both be teaching at the Davidsbündler Music Academy in The Hague, which my husband, Nicholas Schwartz, and I will open in September 2022. Many of my parents' students, whom they taught in Kyiv, are now also in the Netherlands and would like to continue their studies with them at the academy. The biggest challenge at the moment is raising enough funds to provide each of these talented young Ukrainian pianists and string players with a full scholarship to study at the Davidsbündler Music Academy.

We give benefit concerts, apply for grants, and ask for donations. We've even partnered with a technology company! DCM Swiss has created NFTs, which they sell for €25, €50, and €100 each. The proceeds go directly to the Davidsbündler Music Academy to fund music lessons for young Ukrainian musicians. NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. A token means something that stores value, and non-fungible means something unique that is not interchangeable. Anything digital can be stored in an NFT. These NFTs contain artwork, pictures of the young (9-19 year old) Ukrainian musicians, and short audio recordings they made playing the piano with their host families. When someone buys one of these NFTs, they have access to its contents, and no one else does. All proceeds from the sale of this digital content also benefit the music education of refugees in the Netherlands. 

The NFT collection "Ukraine Faces War" can be found here: https://nft-sponsorship.dcm-swiss.com/events/ukraine-faces-war

Perhaps someone reading this would like to donate to the cause without purchasing an NFT. That's also possible, and we would be very grateful.

https://www.davidsbundleracademy.com/donations

As a pianist, you're used to constantly playing with other instruments. Which instruments hold special significance for you?

I enjoy playing all instruments; the most important thing, of course, is who plays the instrument! But I must say that the cello particularly appeals to me.

What makes you particularly creative or quick to learn? When do you practice most efficiently?

Between benefit concerts, supporting refugees in the Netherlands with accommodation, instruments, education, and income, founding a music academy, recording albums, my parents living with me and my husband, constant touring, and the major concerts on my schedule, such as Verbier and the Ukrainian Freedom Tour, there is absolutely no time to analyze how to be efficient or creative. It simply has to happen, and I keep going. It's a miracle and a necessity that I can still play amidst everything that's going on.

What is your goal with your concerts, what is particularly important to you?

For me, the most important thing while performing is to be completely immersed in the music, to experience every note. Music is a language in itself, sometimes much more powerful than words. For me as an artist, it's important to tell the story through the music. It's not always a literal story—it's often abstract. Some of the pieces trigger an actual story in my imagination, or certain very clear images and associations; sometimes they are more abstract feelings, colors, smells; sometimes it's an association with a painting, an element of nature, or a philosophical thought. It's very important never to be indifferent or detached when playing. In every moment of performing, you have to give your all; you can never rest emotionally.

What are your favorite venues for performances?

Of the concert halls – the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This hall has a special magic that is expressed in everything about it: its spirit, its history, its unique acoustics, its beauty. But I also really enjoy performing in unusual venues. For example, I recently performed at the Galleria Borghese in Rome – to perform amidst all that beauty and be watched by Bernini's magnificent sculptures was truly something special!

What do you think is the recipe for attracting more listeners to classical music?

We need to dispel the cliché that classical music is stuffy, boring, and reserved mainly for the elite. Classical music can be exciting, adventurous, magical, imaginative, and humorous! It can tell a romantic love story, transport you to heaven, or immerse you in profound philosophical thoughts. It's also inclusive and accessible. It's important to provide people with more background information about the composers and pieces so they can feel connected to the performers and composers. Sometimes people are intimidated by something they don't know, but once they get a taste for it, they're hooked!

What are your passions and interests besides music?

I love to travel and explore new places like a local. My husband and I also enjoy sailing, and whenever we vacation somewhere near water, we always try to get on a boat.

Furthermore, I love the feeling of time travel, the feeling of connection to the past and our history. Perhaps that's why I have a particular fascination with castles.

As a Ukrainian woman, would you like to say something about the current war situation?

Since February 24, 2022, the world as I knew it has been turned upside down. Unimaginable, inhuman terror continues in Ukraine, growing more gruesome and horrific every day. It breaks my heart to see the pictures and videos of destroyed cities, bombed schools, houses, concert halls, and maternity wards, and to see the wounded, suffering people in Ukraine. Reading the news has become simply impossible for me lately, as it brings with it too much sadness and sorrow.

In the first weeks of the war, it was difficult to function because the shock and despair were too great, but the urge to do something, to help the suffering people in Ukraine in every way possible, was much stronger.

As I write this, we are four months into the war. I look back on over 30 benefit concerts for Ukraine in the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Poland, Austria, Turkey, and Germany, raising well over €500,000 for various humanitarian aid organizations. During this time, my husband, Nicholas Schwartz, and I established a charitable foundation under the auspices of the new Davidsbündler Music Academy to help musicians who have fled to the Netherlands. We have helped dozens of refugees find instruments and accommodation and are currently providing them with free music lessons. Starting in September, Ukrainian students will also receive full scholarships to become full-time students at the Davidsbündler Music Academy. This summer, I will be touring Europe and the USA with the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra. The proceeds will benefit the Ukrainians.

War turns the world black and white, blinding people with hatred and pain. In times like these, I believe it is crucial that we preserve our humanity and judge people not by their passports, but by their actions, their values, and what they stand for. This also applies to Russian composers. They cannot be held responsible for the actions of the Russian government. They should be seen as individuals, and their personal stories must be told. Indeed, many of them suffered and were oppressed under the former Soviet regime, and many were forced to emigrate and spend the rest of their lives in exile.

Since I'm releasing a new album on September 9, 2022, I've received many questions. Rachmaninoff is a Russian composer, and I'm a Ukrainian pianist. Why would I release an album of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 4 now?

Playing Rachmaninoff is, in my opinion, more relevant than ever. He himself was a victim of the Russian government, as he was forced to flee his homeland with his family during the 1917 revolution, and he spent the rest of his life in the USA.

Rachmaninoff's music always evokes the strongest emotions in me. His music gives you wings; it embodies such a feeling of flying, a sense of freedom. It's also deeply connected to nature. It encompasses an incredible range of emotions—from profound sorrow to ecstatic joy and triumph! The music is imbued with spirituality, nostalgia, love, and a powerful sense of hope. When I first heard his music, I felt an immediate connection. It's difficult to explain, but it's similar to the feeling of falling in love. Playing his music is something that helps me get through this emotionally and physically challenging time. I draw my strength and comfort from the music. I believe that Rachmaninoff's music possesses tremendous emotional power, offering hope, uplifting the spirit, and giving us the strength to carry on. It is full of humanity and belongs to all of us in the world.

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.net | May 31, 2021