Khatia Buniatishvili is a classical music superstar. Her new album honors Mozart — in her own way

NEW YORK -- Khatia Buniatishvili has been 1 of nan astir well-known classical musicians for much than a decade, but she prefers to support nan chatter astir her personage buried beneath nan crescendo of her euphony and charismatic performances.

“If I commencement to talk astir my charisma, I deliberation it mightiness beryllium nan end. It’s for illustration nan highest of narcissism, right?” Buniatishvili said bashfully successful a caller interview.

But it’s her bid of nan stage, mixed pinch her expressive capacity power and glamourous exterior that has made her a family sanction successful classical music. The pianist, calved successful nan state of Georgia, on pinch a caller procreation of artists for illustration Icelandic pop-jazz vocalist and celloist Laufey, French violinist Esther Abrami, Nigerian opera vocalist Babatunde Akinboboye and moreover popular superstar Lizzo, a classically trained flutist, are helping region nan elitist stigma often attached to nan genre and are attracting millennial and Gen Z audiences.

“I’m nan happiest personification erstwhile I perceive that … young people, it’s nan activity of life,” said Buniatishvili, a two-time victor of Germany's apical grant for classical performers, nan Opus Klassik. “You tin bring caller life to them — to composers — acknowledgment to these young group who are listening to it. I deliberation it’s nan awesome accomplishment you mightiness person successful life.”

The 37-year-old French-Georgian, who has collaborated pinch awesome mainstream artists for illustration Coldplay and A$AP Rocky, released her sixth solo medium Friday, “Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 23” pinch the Academy of St Martin In The Fields enclosure orchestra.

Buniatishvili, who first performed pinch nan Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra astatine conscionable 6 years old, talked pinch The Associated Press astir notoriety, Mozart, and creating a much level playing section successful classical music. The answers person been edited for clarity and brevity.

BUNIATISHVILI: It’s very easy to go (narcissistic) if you don’t salary attraction to it, I think, erstwhile you’re an creator because it mightiness look for illustration everything is astir 1 person, but actually, it’s overmuch much than that. It’s not astir 1 person. It’s astir what you leave.

I deliberation it’s a very important point to springiness an illustration to nan younger procreation besides that it’s bully to person a reflector and to person selfies — that’s very bully — but it’s very important not to miss life successful those moments.

BUNIATISHVILI: It was location from nan very beginning. Like my parents and my sister, they were location erstwhile I was born, but also, nan soft was there. … Even though I could do different things successful life, this was location for illustration my family, and it felt comforting.

BUNIATISHVILI: What was typical successful this signaling was that it was pinch nan orchestra, a enclosure orchestra, but without conductors — I was directing nan orchestra. So, this was a very typical emotion because you pass pinch nan orchestra and you person to beryllium convincing for them because you are not a conductor. ... You person to make them consciousness what they are actually: rather typical and very unsocial and irreplaceable. And astatine nan aforesaid time, you person to execute your ain interpretation.

BUNIATISHVILI: I wanted to do thing arsenic I felt it. And sometimes conductors, they tin thief pinch that. Sometimes they propose thing different and you mightiness for illustration it aliases mightiness not for illustration it. … I really wanted to do it successful my way.

BUNIATISHVILI: I’m proud that I achieved — independently from conductors, from antheral powers aliases moreover female. Sometimes I was not invited by nan champion orchestras successful nan world. But I would think, “No problem, I’ll play alone.” ... Actually, I achieved my profession pinch my recitals being unsocial connected shape because, often, I was not portion of this awesome powerfulness aliases awesome systems.

We should activity connected nan equality things because not everybody has this chance. And I conjecture that’s thing we person to activity connected besides successful classical euphony because classical euphony tin beryllium very beautiful, but nan strategy of it tin beryllium rather separating.

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Follow Associated Press intermezo journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton astatine @GaryGHamilton connected each his societal media platforms.