This duo was created recently, but the audience was waiting for them. And it’s not just a live performance of classical works. For a long time, we lacked live music – the rise of the soul from familiar and well-known compositions, immersion and knowledge of new musical skies, which are given by the performers. That’s when the event took place! Experience, age, temperament in Artem Zirka and Vadym Perig are different, but in the worldview and understanding of music have much in common. In the conversation that took place after the concert at the Gnatyk Art Center, we were convinced of this. However, decide for yourself…
About music and childhood
Vadym Perig
«My parents don’t play music. The sisters went to music school, but later stopped. I came to the music school for general development, but later the teacher said that I had the data and I needed to go to study in Kyiv. Ever since then, I realized that I like to do music, and nothing else. I am currently studying in London… Of course, it is better for a child to start music as early as possible. Someone starts at three or four, I started at six»
Artem Zirka
«Initially, I studied at the music school №1 named after B.M. Lyatoshynsky, then graduated from Zhytomyr Music Vocational College named after V.S. Kosenko. I continued my studies in Kyiv and then in Kharkiv, but I could never say specifically that music is a matter of my whole life. I probably won’t say now that it’s my main occupation. I just got used to the fact that when I have already started something, I need to achieve a high level in business… I started looking for music at the age of 25: I just graduated from the conservatory, returned to Zhytomyr, worked for several years at a music school and realized that there is something to learn. And then for five or six years he played music every day for five or six hours… In my subjective opinion, Vadym is unique in that at a very young age he realized that music is a matter of his life. This is usually understood in a conscious and older age»
About motivation and dreams
Vadym Perig
«I am motivated by the desire to play music. To become famous, you need success, and to become a good musician, you need to feel, engage, be interested, develop. That’s why the biggest motivation for me is just the desire to make music. Sometimes I can dream of the notes of my own music»
Artem Zirka
«It happens that music comes in dreams. Basically, the moments of the concert»
About prospects and meaning
Vadim Perig
«Unfortunately, in Ukraine, there are very few prospects for musicians, few orchestras, and good ones even more… The school and teachers are happy, but there are really few prospects, so they go to Europe… I was not going to go to London on purpose. It all started when I was just looking for a good teacher. I found it in London and that’s why I went there to study… I would like to return to Ukraine to glorify my own country and develop classical music, but it will be seen how fate will turn out»
Artem Zirka
«Nothing develops creativity like music. Especially when it comes to instrumental music and playing an instrument, no matter which one. If a person graduates from a quality music school, he will forever remain a person who positively influences everything that happens around him… The idea of performing a piece of music is the interest of people in creativity. For example, if a work is difficult for the masses to perceive, it should be played in such a way as to interest the listeners and even a person who does not understand anything at all in music. That’s the point»
About quarantine and distance learning
Vadym Perig
«In my opinion, the biggest problem with quarantine is distance learning. Distance music lessons are definitely «wrong»: you get a third of everything you could in classroom training… During the last lockdown, I didn’t perform at all. There was simply nowhere to go, and there were almost no online concerts at that time. But the most acute for me were the problems related to education: because famous musicians often come to our school to give lectures, due to quarantine it became impossible… During the lockdown I really wanted to play, I wanted to have a musician like myself to play together. And I really wanted to play for someone. That is, you can study, but what’s the point when there is no one to play for?»
Artem Zirka
«Musicians need concerts with a certain frequency, and not only in order not to lose shape. During the concert, the state is emotionally specific, and if you do not play for a long time, the internal settings are lost… In addition, online the child is not interested so that she is looking forward to a new lesson. And when the quarantine lasts a very long time, children begin to be lazy and lose interest in general… You can teach anyone to play a musical instrument, at least 80% of people. The main argument is that the teacher should show the child what he is capable of; to transfer knowledge so that it turned out – music sounded. And when a child has his first successes, he will not have to be persuaded later. The problem is only for the short period of time until the child begins to succeed. It is difficult, but possible. And although children have different attitudes to learning, we need to find the right words, explain, show and give the opportunity to reproduce»
About physical shape and rest
Vadym Perig
«Almost all musicians have back problems, so swimming is the best way to keep fit. Charging will not be superfluous, also useful yoga and stretching»
Artem Zirka
«Almost a year ago, I played sports regularly: exercise, strength sports to keep fit. But after contracting the coronavirus, it became difficult. Now I’m waiting for it to warm up to start playing sports again»
Vadym Perig
«If I’m tired of playing, I stop. And I start playing what I like, or I just go to sleep»
Artem Zirka
«60% of my schedule consists of music, and 40% – of intellectual activity, so there is little time for rest. Best of all – sleep, and during the day – a change of activity»
About spiritual food and not only
Artem Zirka
«Favorite movie – «Game of Thrones». Favorite book – «Deceived by chance» by Nasim Nicholas Taleb. My favorite dish is meat in any form. (Laughs). I cook and love to do it for my family»
Vadym Perig
«I play a lot of serious music, so for emotional relief I like to watch comedy and historical films, one of the most popular «The Last Kingdom». My favorite dish is dumplings. I once tried to make dumplings myself, but I still like to eat them more»
About favorite places
Artem Zirka
«Many young people my age associate Ukraine with problems: we just don’t remember when it was calm, easy, interesting, intelligent, cultural. Since you can only love specific things, as they bring something good, you try to find something that could be loved, but there are so few… The best place in Zhytomyr for me is the music school №1 named after B.M. Lyatoshynsky, where I began studying in 1997. This place still remains my home and full of warm memories»
Vadym Perig
«The warmest and most cozy place in Zhytomyr for me is my home and temple»
Biographical information
Artem Zirka – teacher, accompanist and musician; laureate of international competitions, winner of the first prize in the category «Concertmaster’s Art» at the international competition in Kaunas (Lithuania), 2018.
Vadym Perig – a pupil of the school of Yehudi Menuhin in Great Britain, winner of international competitions: E. Koki (Chisinau, Moldova), the first prize of A. Rubinstein (Dusseldorf, Germany) and the first prize of B. Dvarionas (Vilnius, Lithuania), the first priz of, K. Bronzetti (Campina, Romania), Hedwig Prize (Strzegom, Poland the )the first prize, Young Virtuoso Competition (Lviv) the first prize, participant in the Ukrainian Radio and Television Project «I-Virtuoso» and others.
