On the 32nd floor, Olivia Top Star hypnotized the audience with his “Autumn Waltz”. His YouTube is full of sounds that he describes as light and understandable to any ear. Inspired by the classics, he relaxes by playing Beethoven and Chopin, challenging himself to Liszt’s technically demanding “Second Hungarian Rhapsody”. Full of contradictions – that’s what you can say about Alexander Stupnikov from Schibsted. A programmer from St. Petersburg who, although he has romantic music in his heart, is no stranger to a bicycle and kilometer records for a noble cause.

More often on a bicycle or at the piano?

My greatest passion is the piano, I have been playing it for 14 years. I discovered the bike quite recently, it happened in connection with moving to the Tri-City. The world from the perspective of two wheels is extremely addictive, but I’m sure that my heart will stay with the music.

A conservatory graduate?

A computer scientist and self-taught musician who loves to play (laughs)! I was 13 years old when I first saw the piano at school and felt drawn to it. I started pressing the keys, trying to play something, I was going through those beginnings on my own. Then, for two years, I trained with a teacher who focused on arousing my sensitivity and perfecting my technique, while I also learned the notation on my own.

Passion from the beginning, but with a dream of concert halls?

Definitely a passion, because that’s the only way I’ve seen a hobby that draws me in every day. From the very beginning I was composing music – at first very easy melodies with simple harmony, with time I managed to create songs at a decent level.

Is music a generational tradition in your family?

No. My mother tried to play the guitar in her youth, but it was only a cameo. Where did it come from for me? I have no idea.

Do you put your compositions in a drawer, do you share them with the world?

I’m slowly starting to publish them on my YouTube channel, under the pseudonym Aleksander Rubelski. I put there both compositions and covers of popular songs.

Who inspires you musically?

Invariably classical – I really like Beethoven and Chopin, but turning into popular and modern music everything that is happening on the world music scene.

How long did it take to compose the waltz, which we listened to with bated breath in the scenery of the 32nd floor of Olivia Star TOP?

“Autumn Waltz” took me about a week, I composed it while living in Warsaw. The beautiful, golden Polish autumn became an inspiration, and I, enjoying this view, translated the sensations into sounds.

Did you start with sheet music?

No, that happened later. In the beginning there were sounds. Playing as if casually and writing down in my memory what I heard. Then I added some small accents and moved on to the notation, which is important because memory can be different (laughs).

Why the waltz?

I don’t know, it was rather a coincidence, although I admit that I love the waltz. It was one of the first songs I ever made. Of course, it was simple at the time, but my mother liked it very much. Besides, I come from St. Petersburg, a city that has been associated with balls and beautiful dance halls for centuries, which inevitably imposes the continuation of tradition.

Speaking of tradition, can you waltz?

Unfortunately, no. I can compose, but I prefer to avoid dancing (laughs)!

What is your vision of the future – a computer keyboard or piano keys?

We’ll see what fate brings. I am at the beginning of my professional career, which gives me a lot of satisfaction. The Schibsted company where I work is a place where I can fulfill myself and, most importantly, develop. At the same time, however, I am ready to combine work with making music. I’m happy to share my compositions, which I’m happy to share.

A pragmatic computer scientist who has music in his soul?

Let’s not forget that music is based on a bit of math. It has its own rules that I try to follow in every song. Possibilities are imposed on me by the style in which I compose. For example, the modernism of the twentieth century, in which artists tried to depart from the prevailing rules, made these rules less restrictive. I stick to a more traditional style – light music that is easy to understand, in which the requirement is to stick to the basic rules, so that the whole thing sounds sensible to every listener.

Which composer do you think is the most difficult to play?

It seems to me that Ferenc Liszt, who treated the piano like an orchestra, tried to give it this sound in his works. So far I’m able to play the first part of his “Second Hungarian Rhapsody”, I’m slowly struggling with the second one. The whole thing is technically complex, so it requires good skills from the pianist.

Are the basics enough, or do you need perfect technique? When can you take on the challenge of playing Liszt?

Definitely the technique. Liszt created the final etudes “Transcendental”, which immediately expose the deficiencies in training. It is different with Chopin, who is also very difficult, but fortunately gives room for expressing emotions, as befits a Romantic composer.

Do you have a favourite musical era?

Yes, it is romanticism. I think there’s a lot of romance in me!

Suddenly, you swapped your piano for a bicycle saddle, what happened?

Together with the company’s team, I had the opportunity to take part in a charity event in which Schibsted “valued” every kilometer traveled. The threshold was 5,000 kilometers and it turned out that we managed to cover 450 kilometers. We donated the collected money to a shelter for homeless animals.

Revelation!

Such things are possible thanks to the brilliant location of the Tri-City, which is full of bicycle paths, in insane natural surroundings. I was similarly delighted with Żuławy, where it was equally a great pleasure to have contact with nature while getting to know the hospitable region. It can be said that everything came together perfectly: a noble destination, sports and sightseeing.

When you’re riding a bike, does music also play in your soul?

This happens a lot, because during these rides, a lot of ideas come to mind. Especially when I was composing songs, there were a lot of lyrics going on in my head. I hope to present them to the public in the future – at the moment I feel that they are raw and I am not ready yet.

In Schibsted, the status of an artist?

Never in my life! Some of my friends from work found out about my passion from you tube, others found out during a company integration event that we had in May. There was a piano on the ground floor and my friends persuaded me to play something for them. When I turned around after 3 minutes, there were about 40 people standing behind me listening to the “concert”.

Do you dream of a concert hall?

I would gladly play for friends and acquaintances, inviting them into my musical world during an intimate concert.

Interviewed by Dagmara Rybicka, Olivia Business Centre