Famous Pianist Luka Okros to Play in Tbilisi in April

Exclusive Interview

The world-renowned Georgian pianist Luka Okros will return to his hometown Tbilisi to do a recital at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire on April 6, where he will play Schubert and Liszt. GEORGIA TODAY had the chance to interview the artist during his busy international tour.

“The last few years have been intense in many ways,” the pianist told us. “I did debuts at some very important venues such as Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Liszt Academy in Budapest, Rudolfinum in Prague, Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Konzerthaus in Vienna and the Royal Opera House in Mumbai.

“It is exciting to travel and perform in new cities for the first time, but it is an even bigger responsibility to return to a venue where you have already performed. I work hard to give quality performances each time. Also, when I have free time, I try to spend it with my family and friends because time is the most prescious thing.”

Tell us about your international concerts. How do you manage them all?

It comes from a lot of systematic work and luck. It is not enough to be in the right place at the right time: you should also be ready to take every opportunity and show what you can do.

I enjoy giving concerts and meeting people, but traveling is sometimes quite tiring. I’m a very lucky person, though, and I’ve met some really amazing people who helped me in difficult situations.

The very special thing about my profession is that you depend on the piano. You have to practice every day to be in a good shape, so you can’t go on vacation whenever you like. The last time I took a vacation and didn’t practice piano was in June 2017, for five days. I really love my profession, so I try to enjoy every moment: even if it’s sometimes tiring and stressful, it’s totally worth it.

What are the best moments for you?

The best moments are during the performance, when you feel this magical connection with the public, as well as the end of the concert: ovations, incredible energy and adrenaline.

After every concert, there’s an arranged greeting session in the foyer. I really love it because I can communicate with the audience, get their opinions and feel their emotions.

I also have opportunities to meet incredible people and appear in amazing places. For example, a few months ago I was lucky to get access to the legendary Bechstein Pianos Factory, where we filmed a video showing how the piano is manufactured step by step.

Tell us about your upcoming Tbilisi program.

I always try to choose the program myself, unless there are special requests from the organizers. I’m always a little bit more nervous to play in my home town. Performances in Tbilisi are very important for me: it’s something special to see familiar faces, family members and friends in the hall. The audience in Georgia has very good taste and is well-educated, and I want to surprise them in a good way.

Is each recital different according to the place where you play?

Every concert is different. It depends on lots of small details: your mood, how you slept the night before, which piano is on the stage, how it was tuned, the country you perform in… It also depends on the public: the temperament of the people and how noisy they are, their mentality and culture, their level of music education and how emotional they are in general. All of that makes a difference to the final result.

Tell us about your personal album.

I love to compose music, I wish I had more time for it! I’m currently working with the UK-based company Master Music Publications to publish my compositions. The first piece was published in February and many more are coming. It’s really exciting, and I still can’t believe I’m doing it. I hope I’ll manage to record a CD with my own compositions next year. Meanwhile, I’m waiting for my new Chopin CD which we recorded on a Bechstein this winter. It will be presented in July during my concert at Southbank in London. It will be my second major album. The first commercial CD recording of Schumann was released on the DiscAuverS label in Paris.

What is your current biggest challenge?

My biggest challenge is having enough time and energy to do all the things I want to do and achieve the goals I have in mind! I’d like to do more composing, write some film music, and try conducting, but my schedule doesn’t allow me to do it all, so I try to compose and do things step by step.

One day I’d love to set up a music festival in Georgia. I’d invite my international friends to my homeland and show them my country and culture. I could also invite lots of talented musicians to come here: I think that Georgia has enormous potential in the arts.

You already have an amazing music career. What does the future hold?

There are lots of venues I haven’t performed in yet, lots of beautiful pieces of music I haven’t played. I’d love to have opportunities to perform more with orchestras and play chamber music. I’m looking forward to this upcoming season. In Apri,l I’ll have debuts at the Berlin Konzerthaus and Luxembourg’s Philharmonic. I’ll return to the National Philharmonic of Ukraine (Kiev) and Het Concertgebouw on the first of June. I can’t wait for July, as I’ll make my debut at Southbank and travel to Montevideo to perform at the legendary Teatro Solis. As I know, I’ll be the first Georgian pianist to perform there.

I’m never satisfied and as soon as I reach one goal, I immediately get new ideas and targets. That’s why life is always full of adventures.

The interview has been edited for clarity.

To find out more and buy tickets for the concert: www.lukaokros.com

By Gabrielle Colchen