Author: Elisaveta Videva
I met Marina Simonova a couple of days after the second concert from the festival “4×2: The World in Four Hands”. She and the talented pianist Veneta Neynska performed music by international and Bulgarian composers, including the world premiere of Taiwan by Taiwanese-American composer Cindi Hsu.
Marina Simeonova – a symphony of emotions, a captivating presence even before she said hello. She arrived at our meeting with a wide smile, way before I managed to approach her. Her dog Marco was trotting around her in unison with her vivacious nature. Young, charming and extremely talented, Marina is one of the reasons we can say “Yes indeed, so many gifted people are born in Plovdiv.”
From the age of 6 she studied at the Music School Dobrin Petkov, Plovdiv and continued her education at the National Music School Lyubomir Pipkov, Sofia. She then moved on to Toronto and one of the most prestigious music conservatories in the world – Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music. They accept only 1 to 5 people per degree each year, and Marina received a personal invitation by the famous pianist and teacher John Perry. After completing her bachelor’s degree at the Royal Conservatory, she continued her studies at Boston University College of Fine Arts. She is currently completing the final year of her master’s degree from the University of Montreal. In the meantime, she teaches piano to 10 students in Bulgaria and is planning to apply for a doctorate in the United States.
In this interview, Marina tells us about her exciting concerts, the music she and Veneta Neynska performed, why classical music can be music for everyone and her dreams for the future of the festival.
Marina, tell us how the idea for the 4×2 Festival came about?
– I applied for a National Culture Fund project. The original idea was to organize a series of concerts with performances on four hands and one piano. During the pandemic, it was difficult to bring together musicians with different instruments. The requirement for our concerts was simple – two people and one instrument. Me and my brother, who is also a pianist, wrote the project together. We called the festival 4×2 because at each concert two people play four hands and four works by four different composers. Later we found out that, so far, nobody has done this before. Music festivals all over the world happen within one season, usually a month. Our aim is to organize regular concerts globally. Our first concerts took place in the old Tobacco Warehouse and at the Roman Stadium. Very soon we can reveal the locations of the next ones in June.
How do you prepare for such a concert?
– I do stress a lot! It is challenging to play four hands, because a pianist trains to balance the sound a certain way for years. And then they sit and play next to another person and they have to adapt. This requires a lot of patience and most of all a lot of rehearsals. The keyboard looks big when one person is playing, but when there are two of us, there are collisions, hand skips, all sorts of surprises. But it’s very interesting, and definitely a lot of fun. It is great that you develop new skills that you can’t learn on your own. This is why I love playing with other people.
In addition to rehearsals, other challenges include: transporting the piano, which is usually expensive and time consuming; hiring cameramen and photographers; advertising and a million other things.
There was a world premier at your concert!
– Yes! Besides the works by the famous French composers of the 20th century – Gabriel Fauré and Maurice Ravel, whom Veneta and I love very much, we showcased the composer Cindi Hsu, whom we approached just a month ago. She was born in Taiwan but lives in the United States. The suite she wrote is called Postcards. The first part is named after her hometown – Taiwan, and the second one – Paris Air, as Paris was her second home. We are all very excited that the world premiere of Taiwanwas at our concert. Here I want to mention how important it is for us to support and perform works by contemporary artists who write at the moment. It is wonderful that we have the opportunity to talk to the composers whose work we play.
The invigorating Bulgarian piece we played is by Plovdiv composer Nikolay Stoykov. There was a lot of energy and rhythm in ‘Dancing on Burning Coal’ and ‘Flaming Shopsko’ from the cycle Bulgarian dances.
My brother and I met the composer when we were children, I still keep a photo of us together. Sadly, he passed away just a few months ago.
How do you see the festival evolving in the future?
– We want to have regular concerts throughout the year broadcast live from anywhere. Our idea is to invite every professional duo to take part from anywhere in the world, to perform plays by Bulgarian and contemporary international composers. We don’t know what the future holds and whether we will be able to attend physical concerts as often as we did. This is exactly the goal of the festival, with one camera, one piano and two performers we can reach the maximum audience.
Is classical music for everyone? Do we need a special lead-up before attending such a concert? How do you reach out to the audience?
I like to communicate. Before I perform something, I tell its story and that makes it very accessible. I talk about the composer, why and how they wrote the piece, what people can expect to hear. There are always interesting facts that draw attention. Actually, we as musicians, unlike actors, do not train in stage performance. So, once you’re used to playing for a few hours a day, you go out on stage and don’t know how to act. I don’t have this problem, probably because both my parents are journalists and have always taught me how important communication is.
Also, we prefer shorter concerts and more dynamic and varied plays. This makes the whole event so much more accessible. The fact that our concerts are not in traditional venues allows the audience to feel more relaxed, instead of sitting still afraid to move or sneeze.
Wouldn’t this distract the musicians?
It could, but contact with the audience is very important for us as performers, and it’s always nice when we note positive reactions from people. And we do feel it, no matter how focused we are. Most parents don’t take their children to concerts worrying that they will disturb the silence in the hall, but how are we supposed to make them fall in love with live music? It is our responsibility to show them classical music in the most exciting and entertaining way.
Does music really unite us?
I would like to think so. This is why our concerts are free. We want to reach as many people as possible. Of course, we are open to donations. Organising one requires a lot of resources, so we rely on sponsorship and donations.
It is widely accepted that classical music is for a certain kind of audience, that you need the financial means to afford a concert, to be dressed a certain way and to have a certain background. We are trying to break this stereotype. We want to reach people who love music, but may be worried that they would not fit in.
Who is the 4×2 festival for?
– It is for absolutely everyone. People from all walks of life, all races and nationalities. For anyone who loves music.
If you want to learn more about the festival visit facebook.com/4x2festival
Photos: Sonya Gencheva