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Simon SinekBreaking Tradition with cellist Anastasia Kobekina | A Bit of Optimism Podcast
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Making Classical Music Fun: The Vivaldi Clip
Simon explains how he discovered Anastasia through an Instagram clip of Vivaldi's A minor cello concerto, where she banged on her cello. Anastasia says classical music is as fun as any other and contains everything found in pop; the difference lies in form and rules. She then plays the movement.
- •Simon found her on Instagram through the Vivaldi third movement and calls it a gateway drug into classical music
- •Simon worries that orchestras' subscribers are aging; Anastasia notes older listeners may choose classical concerts
- •Anastasia says classical has the same melodies and harmonies as pop, but long forms and rules can make it hard for new audiences
- •She plays the Vivaldi movement, and Simon says it must have been rock and roll in Vivaldi's time
Improvising the Percussion and Starting Cello at Four
Anastasia explains that banging on the cello arose from improvisation while recording with the orchestra. She describes starting cello at four, growing up with a composer father, and only practicing before concerts as a child.
- •The percussive sound came naturally during an improvised jam with the orchestra
- •She started at four on a baby cello, plucking and singing rather than using the bow
- •Her father is a composer, and for her music was initially about the fun of making it
- •She began practicing seriously around nine or ten, starting only a day or two before concerts
- •She credits environment and parental support, and says cello was a way of getting attention and love
The Soloist's Life on the Road
Simon asks about the lifestyle of a touring soloist who arrives, rehearses for a day, performs, and leaves. Anastasia describes the short encounter with an orchestra and the psychological preparation required to open up on stage.
- •Soloists get roughly one rehearsal day before one to three performances
- •She must find chemistry with about 80 musicians and a conductor in a very short time
- •Some days she wakes up feeling introverted but must be open and vulnerable on stage
- •She says a concert is not passive and she can tell how people are listening
- •Simon relates it to speaking on the road and wanting to stay home afterward
Playing in the Flow and Expressing Emotion
Simon asks where Anastasia goes when she plays. She describes flow, presence, and the endless variations possible in timeless music like Bach, and says she expresses emotions more clearly through cello than words.
- •She describes playing as catching the flow and being fully in the present moment
- •Even written music is improvised through how phrases are shaped, as with Bach's First Prelude
- •Timeless pieces let players and listeners reflect their current feelings
- •She is clearer with cello than with words, and Shostakovich is best for releasing anger
Major vs. Minor and Exploring Classical Music
Simon shares his pet peeve that classical music is dismissed as relaxing, and says he loves the minor key. Anastasia demonstrates major and minor, and they discuss how newcomers can explore classical music like an art museum.
- •Simon dislikes the idea that classical music is only relaxing
- •Anastasia plays a phrase in major and in minor to show the difference
- •Classical music ranges from easy background pieces to demanding works like Shostakovich
- •Listeners need not like every piece or movement and can explore through what resonates with them
- •Anastasia says exploration is about finding what awakens your memories and emotions
Canto della Buranella and the Single-Movement Album
Anastasia sings and plays the Venetian Canto della Buranella from her album. Simon asks why she included single movements rather than whole works, and she points out that this reflects older traditions.
- •Canto della Buranella comes from the movie Casanova, and she made a version where she sings and accompanies herself
- •Albums usually include whole multi-movement pieces, but hers selects the best movements
- •She says Beethoven's and Chopin's era often performed separate movements
- •Simon sees this as making classical music accessible to people who needn't like everything
A Playlist Mentality for Classical Music
They frame the album as a playlist and discuss how classical music remains stuck in an album mentality. Anastasia says she thought of the album as a playlist, a little Venetian portrait, and they hope for change in concert programming.
- •Anastasia treated the album as a playlist and a Venetian portrait
- •Simon says we live in a playlist society where people stream songs, while concerts present whole works
- •He says this is a modernizing way of listening that echoes older practice
- •Anastasia hopes classical music will change in five or ten years
Contemporary Music, Programming, and Curation
Simon complains about dissonant contemporary pieces on symphony programs, while Anastasia defends contemporary music by comparing it to contemporary art. Simon proposes curated thematic programs like a museum exhibit, and Anastasia notes classical music's tradition limits experimentation.
- •Simon says too much dissonant modern music alienates new audiences
- •Anastasia compares it to difficult contemporary art
- •Simon notes a museum visitor can walk past art, but concertgoers must sit through it
- •He suggests thematic curation of movements by various composers
- •Anastasia says classical music lags behind other arts and needs a balance of tradition and new approaches
Playing History on a 1698 Stradivarius
Simon recalls their pre-interview chat about her Stradivarius cello. Anastasia says she plays it because it is a piece of art and history that she can share with many people.
- •The cello was made in 1698 by Antonio Stradivarius
- •Anastasia said modern instruments are so good that it is hard to hear the difference with eyes closed
- •She plays it because it is a piece of art and history
- •Simon loves that she bangs on a Strad while updating history
Musical Obsessions and Current Favorites
Simon describes obsessing over her Vivaldi movement and asks if she gets obsessed with pieces. Anastasia says obsessions reflect her mood and life period, and shares a piece with singing by Petris Vasaks that is currently on her mind.
- •Simon listened to her Vivaldi on repeat for a week and preferred it over other versions
- •Anastasia says the Vivaldi is improvised
- •Her obsessions are like a music track of a period of life
- •She is currently drawn to a Petris Vasaks piece, which gave her goosebumps in a church
Venice Album and a Childhood Memory for Her Grandmother
Asked for a story of something she loved being part of, Anastasia names the Venice album because she shaped the whole program herself. Asked for a happy childhood memory, she recalls playing a newly learned piece for her ailing grandmother.
- •Venice is the first program she shaped fully herself, since promoters usually choose repertoire
- •She hopes to mix genres more because music is music
- •At six or seven she played for her ill grandmother to console her
- •She realized then that music can say more than words
Music as Communication and the Future of Concerts
Simon observes that in both memories Anastasia focused on the audience rather than the composer, and likens her to a poet. He predicts concerts and audiences will look very different in ten years, and she says she hopes so.
- •Simon notes she talks about audiences rather than composers' intentions
- •He says she treats music as a tool for communication, not something preserved in formaldehyde
- •He compares her choice of notes to a poet's choice of words
- •He predicts programming and audiences will change, with young people coming to feel something
- •Anastasia says she hopes for this too and had not realized many of these things before
Closing with Hallelujah
Simon invites Anastasia to usher the episode out, and she suggests singing Hallelujah together. Simon calls it a perfect ending with Leonard Cohen's piece, then closes the show.
- •Anastasia says the song has been on her mind and suggests singing it together
- •They sing Hallelujah
- •Simon calls it a perfect piece to end on and mentions Leonard Cohen
