Leveraging her passion and irreplicable touch on the piano, the black swan of piano Marta Brankovich conjures an unforgettable storm on MARTA, THE TEMPEST. This long-awaited deep-dive into the classical canon delivers fresh interpretations of works by Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Kaufman, Jirásek, and Webber, complete with a solo piano composition by Brankovich herself that offers an inside look into her artistic emergence. Weaving themes of adversity, opposing forces, and oneness with a profoundly emotive approach, Brankovich delivers a powerful program in this Navona Records release.
Today, Marta is our featured artist in “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our composers and performers. Read on to learn about her nocturnal onsets of artistic inspiration, and her detailed performance preparation process…
Do you have any specific hopes about what MARTA, THE TEMPEST will mean for the listeners?
I hope that listeners will truly encounter my unique music journey by listening to MARTA, THE TEMPEST. From favorite classical composers that paved the way of my performance life, to my own composition Tempest that inspired the title of the album. I love that the choice of repertoire on MARTA, THE TEMPEST is merging audience and listeners from across the globe. The album can connect with younger generations who are craving for something different by listening to special arrangements that electric guitarist Denver Cooper and I did, to a very classical audience that needs recovery of genuine classical music especially after the pandemic. I also believe that the diversity of this album is in combining the feminine element and individual powerful motion of musical language that accepts new times and ideologies.
What advice do you have for younger musicians?
The world has changed a lot in only a few years. From the 1990s where I grew up and started building my concert career in Europe, till now, it seems like hundreds of years have passed. Due to fast paced times, new generations and younger musicians need to adapt to popular demand and New Age requirements. However, I believe in being yourself and staying who you are, but at the same time realizing and paving the way is what makes you special in a world of so many performers, composers, and active musicians who are constantly posting and posing on social media. It can be overwhelming and it takes a lot of work and years of learning, so because of that many musicians quit looking for more instant gratifications.
If we look through your music library, what would we be surprised to find?
I am a big fan of different music genres as well. That love came later because I spent my early years listening to a lot of classical music and learning the craftsmanship of public piano performance so there was no time and place. Today you will be surprised to find that I am a big fan of Avenged Sevenfold, a power metal band that is absolutely phenomenal. I have recently discovered them and have been listening to their music a lot. Their sound brings truly incredible energy.
Where and when are you at your most creative?
I am the most creative in the comfort of my house and my Piano Studio room. It took me time to create a very peaceful and special environment that carries a very good vibe. I believe in the special energies surrounding us and the moment we bought our home I knew it’s going to be a great place for my creativity. I’m surrounded by a lot of plants and a beautiful front and backyard, however, I’m in the heart of Miami life. Fun fact, I only compose late in the evening. I have never woken up and said “oh, I have a melody on my mind. Let me go and write it down.” That’s never happened. It’s always in late hours of the night where inspiration comes and then for that night the sleep is gone. So until I write down the melody that is haunting me, I’m not able to close my eyes.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
I get this question a lot and I always find it hard to answer but at the same time necessary to answer. Unfortunately, I don’t think I would be anything much. I believe I was born to be a musician and composer. My true calling showed at age of 3 and never left me, it was only rising and growing together with me. I remember dreaming as a girl and a teenager to run away with a circus being one of those cool, majestic acts in phenomenal outfits, traveling the world with horses and animals. In the end, when I think thoroughly, if by any chance life didn’t take me to music, the world would be a dangerous and dark place for me.
How do you prepare for a performance?
I believe there’s a whole ritual that I am doing before my public performance moment. I usually practice in very specific ways the day before a big performance, then I wake up fully warmed up the next day. I stretch in a special way, and eat certain foods for a couple of days before my public encounter with the audience. I believe that the audience takes a lot of energy and thank God I was blessed with plenty. However, in time I realized that I need to preserve my energy, so I speak less, I do a lot of yoga, I go to the beach and I try to sleep as much as possible.
Marta Brankovich was born in Belgrade, Serbia. She was only 21 years old when she graduated from the University of Belgrade, as the youngest student with the highest GPA in her class. During her studies she received numerous international and domestic awards, scholarships, and public recognition, including a special honorary scholarship from her country for building an outstanding career in the United States.
