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Interview with pianist Raul Kusak
Today and tomorrow, JazzBook is hosting a double performance with pianist Raul Kusak. His project, Scenes from Memory, has a unique character, which he will reveal more about here, on the phone with us at Radio România Muzical. Welcome, Raul!
Thank you for the invitation. Hello to all the listeners.
Scenes from Memory is an older idea of yours, as I understand, but you are presenting it in a different way today and tomorrow at JazzBook.
Yes, that's right. It's a story that somehow dates back to my university years, when I used to play with other art students and have late-night talks with them. This idea slowly came to fruition over time, and I thought it would be nice to bring back memories, thoughts, and feelings from that time, as well as from my entire evolution as a person and as an artist. It's a solo project, indeed. Today and tomorrow, we will reinterpret this project a bit and present it as a duo. I will be joined by an extraordinary percussionist from Venezuela, the wonderful Juan Carlos Negretti. I will also play my acoustic piano, which I bring from my workshop. It's a preparedpiano, both acoustically and electronically. I can't wait to see how the performance thatJuanito and I have prepared turns out.
Is the concert titled Silent Concert?
It's still called Scenes from Memory, but I have decided to perform it with headphones on for the entire audition, because, in this project whichis, at the same time, a musical story, there are certain details present on stage that I believe are lost on the way and cannot reach the audience. In this personal project, I always perform with headphones becauseI can hear through them all kinds of details that are important to the story, and I would like the audience to have the same acoustic experience.
For those who don't know much about you, even though you've been active for decades, could you give us a brief introduction? You are not just a pianist, I know you are also a virtuoso of the Hammond organ and play other keyboard instruments too;what is more, you don't only perform jazz. You have a very extensiveactivity.
Yes, I am a musician. That's how I would describe myself-a musician and a creator of emotions, so to speak. I love the piano, I enjoy keyboard instruments, and of course, I like to use them across all my areas and cover as many things as I can. I love good music, and I try to collaborate and work in areas ranging from theater music to film scores, as well as with mainstream pop-rock artists from our country.Recently, I've been recording with artists from the United States.
Since you mentioned the recordings, from what you've told me, you're preparing a solo album.
Again, I am drawing inspiration from my background, so I delved deeper into Romanian music and all the influences it has received over time from neighbouring countries. It's a solo piano album, prepared both mechanically and electronically, as I mentioned. It is based on old Romanian music, starting with Anton Pann, DimitrieCantemir, and all the influences Romanian music has received over time-from the Hungarians, Turks, Russians, Jews-creating a blend of unique sounds and eternal music. What you will hear is a world premiere, something raw, still not mastered, and it will be titled Almost Romanian Dances. The piece you've chosen somehow completes what I've just shared.
Let's remind everyone that you will be performing live this Thursday and Friday.
Today, January 16th, and tomorrow, January 17th, at 8:00 PM, at JazzBookCotroceni. I'm looking forward to seeing you all with great joy and excitement.
Translated by Mara Scoroșanu,
University of Bucharest, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, MTTLC, year I
Corrected by Silvia Petrescu