My Dear Friends and Fans!! Ladies and Gentlemen!! Here below I would like to share with you this time not just a part of..., but my whole another new essay..., especially for those, who like it even longer... with much more 'words'..., - the one, which is called „About the competitons and their principles...“. So, listen carefully..., please!! : „ We, musicians and artists as a whole, sometimes talk between us about prize winners in the arts... But really all of them are the 'best'?!. - It all is very questionable...!!! - So, I know, for instance, many REALLY GOOD ARTISTS, MUSICIANS from my original country of Russia..., who came from and live in Europe and became with the time prize winners of several prestigious European international competitions...., whose great advantages are, that THEY STUDIED... before or during winning their prizes!!! - It's actually a pretty tricky topic to discuss..., but all my previous and such numerous talks about that with all my former professors and fellow students and also with colleagues, friends and music companions gave me a good impulse to say a word or express myself to this theme... - Previously, in my youth, almost from every of my former teachers, my professors, I often was told, that there's a variety of different and unobjective things, which do or can play a big role during the artistic competitions except of the art itself... So, for instance, the money, the connections, the jury members and „games“ among them, the facts such as who knows whom or already met before in the previous times, who spoke with whom earlier... and so on and so forth..., - so many things, just NOT NECESSARILY the art itself thus...!!! Also, originating myself from Russia, I also know and that for sure(!)..., that, unfortunately, some artists made special 'presents' to the jury members of the international contests..., the others just came from with their money directly paying them... in order to win a prize, getting by this, so to say, their „names“... And, consequently, if a participant or a student, for instance, a musician doesn't win a competition, IT DOESN'T YET TELL ANYTHING ABOUT ONE'S QUALIFICATION...!!! AND IT ABSOLUTELY DOESN'T MEAN, THAT THAT ONE WOULD BE A 'BAD' OR A 'WORSE' ONE...!!! AND THE OPPOSITE...!!! Instead and mostly it's so, that the competitional staffs only announce a competiton to collect money – the „competition fees“ from the participants, which they then share among up to 3 „ prize winners“..., which are, equally, not necessarily the right ones in the reality...!!! - As it's good known, there're only very few international competitions, which don't require the „participation fees“ at all, which are usually the real(!) ones or really the best of all them, in all the others those „fees“ are usually mandatory... Myself, I also often was a witness or, probably, sometimes also a victim of such above cases... But no less than this, I also was very often selected by international artistic competitional panels for participations in their contests... And myself I also won some of them... along with a variety of diverse stipends or fellowships, whose awarding actually based on almost the same principles as awarding the winning prizes... But, to my own happiness, I was totally glad not to travel to them at all, equally, for a variety of reasons..., the main of which was, that I usually always was busy with making different things parallel..., such as composing, playing piano (sometimes, also other instruments) or writing... Another one was, that they all usually have their „deadlines“, to which I often couldn't happen to write my piece to its ending or to learn a special and appropriate for those competitions repertoire. Some other reasons were, for instance, some climate conditions... So, I recall very good, for instance, that I preferred to stay safely home instead to travel to the „K. Penderecki competition“ in Poland in 2002 yet during my studies in Germany, where I was selected with my performance of P. Boulez' 3rd piano sonata... - this as the whole Europe was full of floods that summer... Or another case was already shortly upon I finished my studies here, and namely, as I was selected by „Pierrot Lunaire Ensemble“ in Austria, which promised worldwide promotion of my early „Quartet“, where I had to be busy with lots of organizational things for that..., from which I just became tired pretty soon, deciding to rather concentrate me on composing the new pieces instead... - But myself, I NEVER BROUGHT ANY GREAT MEANING TO THEM AND TO PARTICIPATION IN THEM AS SUCH(!)..., and this, because I usually didn't have enough time to take part in the competitions, - I just didn't have time for them(!)..., always being busy in the process of new music creation instead or giving the concerts and my piano recitals meanwhile..., which I also gave a lot, deciding me then, though, to take a break from them and concentrate me only on music composing... - You know, - I never wanted to write a piece in a hurry extra for any competition or to learn any extra piano repertoire for any concrete contest, which could then win money... - I just held all this for UNNECESSARY... and STILL CONTINUE TO THINK AND DO SO...!!! - I always spent so much time as I really needed it for writing my own pieces carefully... or, equally, learning as a pianist any other ones, by other composers on piano... - I always tried to make and made it with good quality taking for this really as much time as myself needed it for either composing a good own piece, or being really good ready with my performances of the others as a pianist...!!! - Much more, it's so, that I, actually, never brought any importance to the competitional „deadlines“ instead...!!! - You know, - to write or learn a piece extra to win a competition to get money for it...?!. – NEVER!!! - IT WASN'T, ISN'T AND WILL, I BELIEVE, NEVER BE MY CASE...!!! - I already always just went my way, my „own“ one..., moreover, always researching on the way..., where with the time I then also found out my „own“ music and aesthetic conception...!!! The same also concerned and still concerns my piano playing or performances... - You know, - I never had so-called „herd instinct“... - to do so or to 'catch' something only because ANY... others did it so...!!! - NEVER...!!! And this as I already always knew what I was doing(!)..., and this beyond the 'competitions'..., and I am absolutely happy proceeding to do so...!!! I also often heard such sentences as, that „the competitions would only be for students...!!!“ And I also knew and know personally many REALLY GOOD musicians, which intentionally didn't participate in them..., preferring instead different other ways of building their careers than this one..., of which there're also a lot in the world...!!! Moreover, it's also very important to mention, that THE ARTISTIC AND SPORT COMPETITIONS ARE TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT THINGS...!!! - The sportsmen usually compete with each other to demonstrate their solely and sheerly sportive achievements what they really need(!) just from the nature and principles of the sport as such...!!! But it's totally a different thing, if we talk about the art and artistic contests...!!! - IT ISN'T ABOUT THE SPORTIVE... ACHIEVEMENT!!! - IT'S ABOUT THE „ARTS“...!!! - So, if an artist takes part in a competition with the solely goal to become the 'winner' or 'best sportsman' there, - to become, as this one thinks..., quasi 'better' than the other competitors..., - it's, probably, just an impulse for oneself to demonstrate oneself's abilities, first of all, the technical ones among oneself's colleagues-competitors..., but it's NOT or NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT THE ART as such in this case...!!! And, unfortunately, as I know it, - there're so many artists, who understand the competitions right in this sheerly sportive way(!)..., concentrating them only or mostly on pure technical performances..., meanwhile neglecting the aesthetic side of their artistic area, what then comes from them very UNNATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL over...!!! So, for instance, some average dancers..., getting their average... 'names' on such 'achievements', using no more than only namely such THEIR 'GYMNASTICS'... on some international dance stages... instead of that, what is, actually, supposed to be the real dance and dancing expression..., making by that their performance just TERRIBLY BORING... AND ABSOLUTELY UNDESIRABLE... to see it any time again, and what, furthermore, is very wrong, is, consequently, also their absolute and very big mistake... and IN NEITHER WAY BELONG TO THE TERM OF THE „ART“ ITSELF...!!! I often spoke with all my former teachers and colleagues composers about that, because it's really so in the life..., and, therefore, I JUST HAVE TO SAY HERE AGAIN, that the artist, who doesn't win the competition, isn't necessarily worse than the one who won or win it...!!! - This all is really relative...!!! And, most probably, the BEST ONE is right that, who DOESN'T PARTICIPATE IN IT AT ALL...!!! So, I am absolutely happy, that during my studies and then also further on my creative way nobody of my teachers or creative followers and supporters made me any special pressure in this direction or rather just held me back from taking part into the competitions..., instead letting me just make my music and performances..., and this whereas I was very lucky to study in several countries worldwide and collect my further learning experiences with really great, famous and best personalities(!) of the music world... with its really significant and important names...!!! And, following this, I wouldn't also recommend to hurry in your judgements..., and namely, to judge the artists and their 'quality'... mostly or only upon their winning competitions and their numbers..., and would rather advice against of this thinking... - as right such one can irritate and be very false..., moreover, right this one is a very WRONG JUDGEMENT..., which can quietly lead to the underestimation of others... - those really gifted, great and shy artists...!!! And right FOR THOSE, WHO ARE JUDGING THE ARTISTS ONLY UPON THEIR 'WINNING PRIZES' AND THEIR NUMBERS..., IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO KNOW, THAT THESE ARE GIVEN BY PEOPLE..., BUT PEOPLE CAN ALSO BE VERY WRONG..., and with that those judgements of so-called „art valuers“... based solely upon the artists' 'competitional' or rather 'sportive' achievements and 'successes' in this regard..., would also be WRONG, FALSE, ARTIFICIAL... AND DON'T OR NOT NECESSARILY CORRESPOND TO THE REAL THINGS...!!! Describing right this above topic, I suddenly recalled a stanza from the poem „ Gore Ot Uma“ („Woe from Wit“) by a famous Russian poet, A. Griboyedov (1795-1829), telling just the same..., and namely this one: „ Chin'y l'ud'mi da'utsja, A l'udi mogut obmanut'sja... „ ( „ The ranks are given by people, But people can be mistaken... „ ) And, finally, and most probably to the great disappointment of so many 'believers'... in those 'competitional' things..., wishing to see me 'that competing'..., I can only repeat here for you, that: „THE ART ISN'T A KIND OF SPORT...!!! AND I AM NEITHER A 'SPORTSMAN', NOR A 'CHAMPION'... AND WON'T EVER BE ONE...!!! SO, I AM GLAD JUST TO BE AN ARTIST..., - A COMPOSER AND MUSICIAN INSTEAD...!!!“ And, I believe, I wouldn't also change here anything and would remain the same with my opinion towards those things... as well as on my further creative current and future way...!!! So, like in the past..., you would hardly meet me on any international competitional stages currently and in the future...!!! „ Olga Virezoub, Hannover, 2017.