Maksym Sharpar could hardly reach the piano pedals when he first participated at the All-Ukrainian Music Competition in Memory of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The eight-year-old boy at that time had to play nearly standing, merely leaning against the chair. This, however, did not keep him from winning the third prize, and a year later, the first prize. The prominent composer Myroslav Skoryk presented the winners’ prizes at that contest. Then followed numerous contests, master classes and performances, including one given during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Being forced to move from Yenakiyevo, Donetsk Oblast, to Bakhmut could have posed an obstacle to Maksym’s music career. Thankfully, some Good Samaritans helped him enroll in Kyiv Specialized Mykola Lysenko Music School. Now, the 16-year-old is making up for the lost time and preparing to participate in the International Competition for Young Pianists in Memory of Vladimir Horowitz.
“Resettlement – when I moved from Yenakiyevo to Bakhmut – was the worst time. I lost practically a year. I didn’t play much, didn’t do any music dictations. The teacher in Bakhmut didn’t know how to teach children of my age. She worked at the music academy and taught older kids. But she did arrange for me to audition at a specialized music school in Kyiv. After the audition I was accepted into that school.
At first, I couldn’t adapt here. It was weird to be alone at the boarding school. But now I’ve gotten used to it.
I have different friends here: players of wind instruments, choir singers. I get together with them on the weekends to play football.
At home I had my own piano. Here, you have to get up at 7 am to reserve the grand piano class. There is the grand piano class and there is the one with an upright piano. Naturally, the grand piano is better.
At first, from the first to the fifth grade, you need to play two hours a day. That’s enough. Later, when you have to prepare for concerts and competitions, you need to play for five-six hours. Usually, three to four hours a day is enough.
I’ve spent so much time on this that it has become everything for me.
The secret of a successful pianist is in being able to work independently and quickly learn the melody. It comes with time. There is a pianist called Denis Matsuev. He can learn a piece overnight and play it. There were even times when he had to learn a piece without an instrument, while on a plane.
The melody is memorized at the subconscious level. The fingers remember more. But to play automatically is the wrong way to do it. You need to know the harmony, how it is all built. Otherwise, you might have some problems.
Of course, I’ve had setbacks. When I made mistakes, I got very upset. I’ve had a couple of concerts like that. After such failures, my desire to keep working disappears for a bit.
At a concert, when everybody is applauding – that’s probably the best feeling ever, the feeling of joy that you can show people how you can play, particularly if you’ve had a successful concert.
I like all composers in their own way, but I like Rakhmaninov the most. His fate is somewhat similar to mine. He left Russia because of similar circumstances, and at that time he wrote his best pieces. He also felt homesick and missed his homeland.
My friends from Yenakiyevo moved to different places in Ukraine. In my former class in the secondary school, there are very few people that I know, and at the music school there are none.
I’d like everything there to develop, even if the situation stays the way it is now.
Peace is naturally the most important thing for Ukraine now.
I’d also like more people in the world to study music. I think it’s important. Music develops you spiritually.”
