Golden Luka from Georgia Conquers World Stages at early Age

Luka Okrostvaridze, 26, stage name Luka Okros, is one of the brightest representatives of his generation of young artists. On September 10, he won the 3rd prize at the 11th Scottish International Piano Competition in Glasgow. He was the only one to represent Georgia in this contest among 23 pianists from 15 countries. Okros is also the first prize winner of several major international competitions, including the Hannover Chopin Piano Competition (2017), Hong Kong International Piano Competition (2016), and the Iturbi Prize in Spain (2015), where, among the judges were famous pianists like Peter Donohoe, Peter Frankl, Andrzej Jasinski, Mikhail Voskresensky, Pascal Roge and others.

Over the last two years, Okros has won an award from the Hattori Foundation (UK), the Tillett Trust (UK) and the Verbier Festival Piano Award by Tabor Foundation in Switzerland. He says he is very proud to represent Georgia globally. In August, he was invited to the Oxford Piano Festival and to BBC Radio 3 for an interview and live performance. GEORGIA TODAY met him to find out more.

How difficult was the path to success?

I was born in 1991. I’m sure lots of people in Georgia remember the terrifying 90s, and I know how it is to live in poverty, having eggs or potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I went through this myself, so music was my only lifebuoy and it kept me going.

It’s not easy to be a musician, especially nowadays when arts and music are going through hard times. Imagine that you have no Friday evenings or weekends, no holidays or even birthdays: every moment belongs to music and its schedule! You travel a lot, but not for rest, have to keep in mind a huge number of musical notes and practice a lot to stay in a good shape! It’s important to be very active and to be able to fight for the things you believe in. You have to be a professional and responsible for everything you do.

I’m rarely satisfied with the results, and this probably pushes me onward and at the same time submerges me deeper in music.

To be successful, you need to work hard and be honest with yourself. You need a combination of different personal and professional skills to deal with things not always connected to music. However, without luck, you won’t go far.

Which was the happiest day for you from the professional point of view?

I’d say, getting my Artist status in the UK, as it’s a kind of recognition which gives me the chance to do what I really love and live for in Europe. Unfortunately, we live in quite tumultuous times, when political influence is really high on people’s everyday lives. So, I’m lucky to have the opportunity to be an Artist in one of the leading European countries.

How did it happen that you became world-famous at such an early age?

Hard work and luck: when these two things align, together they can give very fruitful results.

I was lucky to have very caring parents who discovered my passion for music when I was only four years old and made a lot of effort, along with the help and support of kind and generous people, to give me a vital chance to be a musician.

Some say the more miserable an artist is, the happier he/she makes the public. Is it the case with you? Or is it possible to be happy and to be a great artist at the same time?

I’ve always believed that in music; we show our deepest thoughts and true personality, which isn’t always shown in ordinary life. There is no need to be miserable to bring happiness to the public. Music is a mixture of different emotions, so, in my case, I’d say that being a pianist is a tool in a composer’s hands. We can only empathize with music and deliver it to the public.

As a great writer said, all children grow, but there is an eternal child within. How should we cherish this eternal child and is it not paramount for artists to nurture these ‘children’ forever?

My eternal child loves cartoons, chocolates and candies, so I often try to deliver him these emotions to extend his presence in my life. It would be really hard to live without childish purity and simplicity, especially for musicians. I try to cherish simple things in my everyday life.

There is a saying, too, that in poetry as well as music, there is in fact silence rather than words or notes that make the works indelible. Where does this silence reside in this crazy world and how should we stay creative in spite of the everyday stresses?

We should find it deep in our mind. Happiness and peaceful silence is inside each of us. All this bustle around takes over; the materialistic world is a priority in people’s mind! Personally, I feel how desperately we are in need of spiritual charging. Music brings me harmony and peace.

If not a musician, what would you be?

I’d probably be a photographer, cinema director or historian, as I love history.

If politics was cleaner and had better morals, I’d go for governing, as I have ideas and a will to help people. Nowadays, patriotism and a love of your homeland are terms used in totally the wrong way, and the words “honor,” “respect” and “humanism” have lost their valuable meaning.

How many hours do you play a day?

I’d say 3-5 hours every day. I never practice more than six hours, as I believe that your mind should be able to analyze what and how you do during practices; I’m against an automatic finger sprint.

Do you get the luxury of a holiday, or a private life?

Since 2012, I’ve only had six days off- this summer, after a particularly exhausting period. However, I can’t stop practicing. They say, if you don’t practice one day, you hear it, if you don’t practice two days – your family knows it, but three days – the entire world knows you had a break!

I believe I’m an open person. I love to communicate with people, share ideas and emotions. My Instagram profile has almost 40,000 followers, and I often make live streaming, answering all direct questions personally. It’s great to find creative and interesting people all over the world.

Of course, some things should remain private. But if people ask questions in a respectful way, I’m always happy to give an answer.

What are your plans for the future?

In October and November, I have a big Asian tour. I will perform and give master-classes in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and India. In January, I’ll travel to Harbin (China), to represent Georgia at the Habin International Piano Competition. For winter - spring 2018, a European tour is planned. All details of the recitals will be soon available on my website.

Luka Okros’ CD of works by Schumann was released on DiscAuverS Records and presented in Salle Cortot (Paris, France) in Autumn 2016. This CD received critical acclaim and got 4/4 stars review in French magazine Classica (June 2017). The CD is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and elsewhere.

Maka Lomadze