Deti Picasso waves goodbye to the year with a special concert where they will play with one of the most important figures of Hungarian avant-garde jazz, István Grencsó, and the talented Hungarian singer-songwriter Bea Palya at Trafó. The 28 December show is a rare performance and just the third time we could catch them this year, so we couldn't resist speaking to Gaya Arutyunyan about the upcoming concert, her Armenian roots and her life in Budapest.
How long have you been living in Budapest?I have been living here just over seven years.Where have you been living before?In Moscow, Russia.What were your first impressions of the city?Fog over the Danube. It has the same color as the eyes of my spouse.And the people living here?The guys are handsome, the girls don't use cosmetics! People are not tense! It seems that they are not ready to sacrifice their lives for career success and financial well-being. I love this in Hungarians!
How did music come into your life, what were your earliest influences?All my family members used to sing… during feast-days, at the table, when we were the hosts or when we went to visit somebody, this is a big part of Armenian traditions! I started to sing in a band at the request of my brother, who needed a singer in his teenage band. At this time I attended the Moscow Architectural University.You seem to play on many different instruments?We studied in a music school and attended piano classes with my brother, but I left half a year before the final exams. We really hated the system of the music schools, they exterminated all the creativity out of the kids! I remember once I wrote a song with the following lines: "Try to taste my dream and you will get into it,” and my music teacher told me it's forbidden to write these words as this is all not possible and can't be true. I spent a few year with a vocal teacher from the Moscow Music Academy and now I'm learning to play the drums. I like the individual approach.
What are the pros and cons of playing with your brother, Karen?He is a fabulous and limitless composer and multi-instrumentalist. The bad thing is that he puts the level so high that it's hard to find musicians with whom I could work as easily as him… Actually, now we found them! You can see them at Trafó playing with us on 28 December, when we will play the comeback show with Deti Picasso.
We are preparing for this concert as if it were the landing on the moon.Why has Deti Picasso returned?Deti Picasso has never been just a band, it was always a community of people who shared the same interests and goals.
We took a break when three of our musicians moved to other countries. It was hard to keep the band active after that.
In the beginning we tried, but then we had to stop. We waited 4 years to find new people and now we have found them.
Since then many things have changed, but the beautiful Armenian melodies are still alive and the inner fire is still burning.
What should we expect at Trafó? It will be a deep dive! I always tell tasty stories about Armenia and I would like to navigate the audience through the world of my home country. I would like to give a piece of Armenia to Trafó!
The whole program is based on songs from our family archives, and Bea Palya will sing one of them in Ancient Armenian language! István Grencsó will play the duduk (Armenian woodwind instrument), we will constantly change instruments and will also improvise a children’s song without rehearsing it to surprise not only the audience, but ourselves. We will prepare some small snacks for the audience and use special video background.
It will be a trip to the mountains of Armenia!
How did the idea to play with Bea Palya and István Grencsó came?We know these musicians. There are many professionals in the world of music, but there are only a few people who think the same as we do! We met Bea in Moscow ten years ago. If we would be Hungarians, we would do similar things as to her. The story behind István Grencsó is much longer.
He is a close friend of our family. He played with our different formations, with Deti Picasso, Noize Orchestra and Wattican Punk Ballet and toured with us in Russia, Armenia and Europe. He is a very sincere, skillful musician and he is part of our history.What do you think about Budapest's music scene?There many - I would even say too many - bands in Budapest! But the best collectives usually disband very fast. There are some very talented bands that are known here, but nobody knows about them, even across the border! The distances a very small, the integration seems to proceed but the European music market is still a closed circuit.
In Russia you cant tour with a van, cause the distance between the major cities are enormous. In Europe it's much easier, but there is almost no exchange of information. I think it’s a paradox.What are your thoughts on the music business?It think its a stalemate! The record sales are catastrophic, the concert fees are getting lower and lower, many professionals are downgraded to the status of the street musicians and festival entertainers. Musicians have to be wise, crafty, adroit, they have to communicate a lot, build up necessary links, they have to learn self-management, self-production, self-promotion, self-distribution, etc. But I think a real genius or prodigy in music can never be like this! Talented people are usually very shy! Many musicians can't make their living out of music and they are forced to leave music and learn new professions.Do your Armenian roots shape your music?Every note that I play or sing comes from my Armenian spirit.
Collages, complex rhythms, difficult structures in the songs all come from Armenian influences!
Living in Budapest, what do you miss from Armenia?I miss everything! At dawn I could sit in a car and drive to the mountains and visit churches from the 4th century, put down some candles and stand in silence. Than we could cook shashlik at the high mountain lakes, drinking homemade wine and singing songs till dusk. When back in the city we could eat sweet melon and visit the gallery of a local painter, sculptor, talking about the history of Byzantium and Armenia. This could be only in one country – sorry.What do you think about the Hungarian gastronomy?I like different kinds of "főzelék", soups and desserts! I adore korhely and csirke ragu soups, I always dream about them when touring in countries with no soup culture! Of course the best food is always made at home! In Budapest I started to like bread, coffee and mákos guba. They are not so good for your shape, so I have to play sport.
Can you get Armenian dishes in Budapest?No, but when I get older I will definitely open a cool Armenian buffet with 5-7 tables and would cook myself for the guests and put on music to help digestion!
