If Ana Bezjak and I play rock-scissors-paper, she will choose Paper. The family ensemble for the prosperity of poetry and music Papir draws attention to itself more and more loudly, and Ana is also a part of it, as she lent her voice to tell musical stories. The almost thirty-year-old Maribor woman turned her love for music into her...
If Ana Bezjak and I play rock-scissors-paper, she will choose Paper. The family ensemble for the prosperity of poetry and music Papir draws attention to itself more and more loudly, and Ana is also a part of it, as she lent her voice to tell musical stories. The almost thirty-year-old Maribor woman turned her love for music into her profession. But not only as a singer. She is also a piano and solo singing teacher, trained as a music pedagogue.
What separates Papir from other groups?
Two singers. It bothers some people, but I think that we have so many different stories to tell and we are so different in style that this is what makes us special and different from the rest. We get some new dimension. All the members have known each other for a very long time and now we also make music together. The lyrics of our songs are some of the best that are currently being created. With his lyrics, Rok Vilčnik knows how to effectively capture a feeling, a state with which every listener can identify in a simple but direct way. His poetry works very well with music.
Which musical genre do you particularly like and why?
Everything related to jazz and improvisation is very close to me. Within this, I can express myself as best I can. However, I also like to draw on the influences of the rich African musical culture, the Brazilian tradition and the passion that Argentine music possesses. I can learn something from each one and use it in my work.
The singer is the focus of all spectators at concerts. How do you manage to keep everyone's attention?
In the tango, which I perform with the Piazzolleky quintet, this function is shared by the singer and the violin. The greatest pleasure is when you master the song and can tell the story to the audience. The language in which you sing is also a big factor. You can translate a song from a foreign language and sing it correctly, but you only get the best feel for the song when you sing it in your mother tongue or a language you speak very well. Rok did a great job on Papir, because the lyrics are very good. My current favorite songs are Objem and Čudež.
Did you also use your acting skills at concerts?
It was very difficult for me to make this leap. Performing in the theater was not difficult for me. I had a role for which I prepared and connected all my knowledge and presented it on stage. Later, with the group, I couldn't connect all this. I didn't know how to communicate with the group, with the audience. I'm a person who doesn't like to overdo it on stage. It bothers me when I see someone on stage seemingly empathizing and being too much in every sense, but not so strong an expression coming from within. In the beginning, I had problems with stage fright. This also depressed me, but I am getting rid of my fear of mistakes more and more and I have less and less problems of this kind.
Which of the concerts was particularly memorable for you and why?
I am a very critical person, and when I ask this question, I first think of negative experiences. It has already happened to me that I experienced a complete breakdown of the system at a concert. I didn't hear the tonality, I didn't remember the lyrics. This had never happened to me before. I didn't know where the escort was. The boys waited for me to enter, and I experienced total darkness. I thought that this simply could not happen, because a lot of effort and rehearsals are put in before every concert. After the concert, they reassured me that this happens to everyone.
You are also a singing teacher in the English Student Theater at II. Gymnasium in Maribor. What is the first thing you teach your students?
How they should hold themselves on stage, breathing, pitch of voice... Especially teenagers, the self-confidence needed to perform on stage is usually foreign to them. This is what I try to teach them, in addition to all the other legalities of stage performance.
Where can we catch you in Maribor?
At the moment, my favorite place is Vodni Stolp na Lent, where they have excellent coffee and in the summer a beautiful garden where the sun shines the longest. You can also catch me walking to the Pyramid...
And where can we listen to you?
We will perform with the Piazzolleky quintet on March 8 in Muzikafej in Ptuj. In Maribor, Papir and I will dance on March 20 in Unionska dvorana. In Ljubljana, on March 23, in the Festival Hall.
