ut the audience believes her artistic performance and feels her honesty and flows with her: heart to heart. I can affirm that on stage this young lady really becomes the characters of her songs.
     Having spent around two and a half hours in Zara’s presence to transcribe this interview, I now know more about why I and about 3,700 others on night of November 9 were sharing our own Harmonic Concordance in the Oktyabrsky Grand Concert Hall on Ligovsky Prospekt, by being part of Zara’s “family”, which others may call an audience. Zara refers to her family/audience thus: “When I am on stage I give all of myself to the audience, 100 percent, and my reward is their appreciation. I try to feel the text of each song. Otherwise I feel abandoned. I can live the character in my songs. It is easier for me to ‘talk’ to and look directly at people from the stage. Off stage, however, I am still shy and still find it difficult to look directly into a man’s eyes.”
     The interview also left me with a feeling that I have had a close encounter with an ageless lady, with an extraordinary lightness of heart. And just what is it the ancients said about lightness of heart?
     In ancient Egyptian tradition, lightness of heart was absolutely paramount to a spirit’s ability to transcend into the higher worlds. A test was weighing the human heart of one soul on a scale against the feather of Ma’at feather, with the heart in one tray and the feather in the opposite tray. In the Egyptian pantheon, Ma’at stood for truth, balance, integrity and the order of the Universe. If the heart is lighter than the feather, then the soul can proceed to the higher realms. If not, then the soul reincarnates on Earth, hoping next time to live a life that will bring this all-important lightness of heart.
     Zara did not definitely say yes or no to a question about belief in reincarnation, I suspect now because she perhaps does not need a belief in anything in the outer world. But when asked if she had lived before and if so where, she decisively said in Egypt and also “here in St.Petersburg in the nineteenth century, when people more appreciated and respected other people and lived with more subtle expressions and feelings.” (How many foreigners now living in St.Petersburg feel the same way, about having lived here in this city before?) Zara went on to add that she feels “it was in Pushkin’s epoch.” Pushkin lived from 1799 to 1837, and today he happens to be Zara’s favourite poet. More bells start ringing in my head. While watching this talented singer (and actress) on stage, at times in high heels, at times barefooted, in her delightful formal dresses designed by Zara and made by Topaza Pella, I had a definite vision of her being Natalya Goncharova, the wife of Pushkin. While Zara was on stage, I re-visited in my mind some of the words of Count Vladimir Sollogub, who said about Pushkin’s wife: “In the course of my life I have seen many beautiful women who were perhaps more attractive, but I have never met a woman who presented a perfection that was almost complete, classical in both her features and her body. She was tall, about five feet six inches, with a deliciously thin waist and marvellous bosom above which her fine head was balanced like a lily, I have never had the opportunity to contemplate such a beautiful and regular profile, and what colouring, what eyes, what teeth, what ears. Yes, she was a real beauty, and it was quite natural that her presence made all other women fade away, even the most charming. She always seemed reserved, almost to the point of coldness, and she talked little.”
     But even the just described beauty of Pushkin’s wife is short changing Zara. While Zara has these very similar physical characteristics of beauty and pure grace and a comfortable stillness, she possesses as well an incredible musical talent which extends three octaves and six languages, and she has been gifted with the rare talent of being able to communicate with one person and a hall full of people all at the same time. But most profound, Zara has this indescribable and ageless lightness of heart and being. Perhaps this is to be her last incarnation of many lives.
     I ask more about Zara’s family, about her genetic inheritance. Zara is cautious with the questions about history and family and personal life, while enthusiastic with the questions about music, song and stage. Slowly, the past is shared over dinner, with Zara showing aptitude with the chopsticks as she eats her meal and answers the questions, noting that her favourite food is either Russian or Eastern, particularly spicy and piquant food. From her family background, one factor stands firm. There are no noted musical stars in her direct family tree, and her father, who is a doctor of physics and maths, can recount his past nine generations. Which even more points to this incredible singer being transported to us from the heavens. However, we cannot also discount the natural musical talents of the people in Zara’s genetic tree, who primarily sing at weddings and funerals. Zara herself still recalls the effect on her when hearing the amazing voice of her grandfather on her father’s side, when he sung at the funeral mourning the death of her grandfather on her mothers side. She had not heard him sing before, nor has she since.
     Another striking feature about the young Zara is how she was “brought up very strictly, sometimes like being in cotton wool, sometimes like an exotic plant, surrounded by the care of parents and a large extended family of relations.” Perhaps this demonstrates Zara’s parents instinctive knowing that they were caring for a girl who one day will shower gifts on the world. In traditional Eastern custom, Zara was always accompanied to school and even today is asked to be home by 10 p.m. And Zara explains: “When I first went to university I felt like I was quickly confronted with the reality of life, people and problems, so different was that environment.” But out of this upbringing and experience has emerged this being, who is a testament to her parents’ care, devotion and love, with, of course, their ongoing input into her developing stage career.
     Yet another aspect which stands out in any discussion with Zara about family is her love of this unit. She says her mother is “my sister, my friend and my mother, and a soft, gentle support in my life’s journey. ”Zara’s father is also very close, and he still guides her and is her “first admirer”. Zara hinted at our first interview, that he may try to influence her choice of husband, favouring an Eastern man, then adds some clarification: “According to Eastern tradition, a young lady is required to follow her father’s decisions, but my father respects me and my choices. His decision is always the last but he has never done anything against my wishes.” Since the concert on 9 November and our first interview on 12 November Zara has become engaged to Sergey Matvienko, the son of St Pete’s new Governor. Sergey is Russian with Ukrainian roots, not Eastern, but it is said he followed the Eastern traditions with his proposal to Zara.
     Astrologically Zara is born just within the sun sign of Leo, also known as the sign of the Sun, which represent in its positive phases: nobility, generosity and love. Some astrological writers name this day of July 26 as the ‘Day of Symbolic Herald’, and suggest those born on this day are dynamic, influential and attractive, with provocation and bluntness being challenges to these personalities. These people tend to tell it like it is. Others born on this same day, being Zara’s astrological relatives, include Mick Jagger (lead singer with Rolling Stones), Stanley Kubrick (“Eyes Wide Shut”), Carl Jung (who wrote about the synchronicity of the universe), George Bernard Shaw and Aldous Huxley (“Brave New World”).
     So where was this lady with an Eastern look born? Right here in St.Petersburg, a city, she says, she “adores and cannot live without being surrounded by its architecture and parks and the spit of Vasilevsky Island.” She lives with her family on Vasilevsky Island and says she loves to sing after midnight, and she is grateful her family and neighbours have become accustomed to this. (Now I am imagining a Zara concert starting at midnight!) Zara says she is pleased with St.Petersburg`s weather, although when it gets humid at times this is a challenge to her throat. Her favourite seasons in St.Petersburg are spring and autumn, and she likes the snow of the white winter days. Despite her Eastern genes, Zara does not thrive in hot climates. When asked if she prefers St.Petersburg or Moscow, Zara showed her affinity for St.Petersburg as she said shyly, but with the hint of a smile: “That is beyond discussion.” When questioned further on this, she added that she had no intention to offend Moscovites “as Moscow is rich and grand, like a bride in all her finery being presented by parents to her new husband. St.Petersburg is still being reconstructed and is not yet as rich. Besides, St.Petersburg is closer to my heart and more subtle. I feel this city so much as I am spiritually very compatible with St.Petersburg.”
     Where do Zara’s decidedly Eastern features, mysticism and apparent shyness come from? Nowhere else than the cradle of civilization, ancient Mesopotamia, now covering the oft disputed territories of Iraq, Khurdistan, Iran, Turkey, and Syria. This is where her genetic roots are well planted, primarily in the Kurdish part of Iraq. Now more parts of the jigsaw of life seem to be visible. This was the place of the ancient and very advanced civilization known as the Sumerians. Here is where women first were guided to look away from a man’s eyes, to look to the ground, to avoid being “taken” by one of the visiting gods from Nimburu. If ever there was on our present-day horizon a star who could remind the world of our peaceful human destiny, that beauty will save the world (as earlier referred to by Dostoevsky and Nicholas Rerikh), then here she is in this being of Zara.
     Zara’s grand parents fled Kurdistan to the refuge of Armenia, then a Soviet republic, to avoid Islamic extremists. So here we have a girl, born and raised in Russia, but with 100 percent genetic links to Kurdistan and Iraq, who is on track to influence the world. It was U.S. psychic Edgar Cayce who prophesied that one day the hope of the world will come out of Russia. What better background could anyone bring to the presently troubled world stage, than beautiful song combined with an angelic presence and the soul developing heritage of Iraq and Russia?
     Earlier, Zara was reticent to bring Eastern music into her repertoire for her St.Petersburg audience. But now she does bring eastern songs into her stage repertoire, and is being asked for more. As Zara describes this “welcoming” of her Eastern songs, her hands are gesticulating high energy, which temporarily lifts the veil of shyness as she notes how many Europeans are responding very positively to Eastern music. But nonetheless this Zara, Eastern influence and all, reminds me she is “a St.Petersburg girl and that it is Russia that has helped me become a singer”.
     Zara is a lady who has been described by those around her as being on stage like a “flower blossoming”. When asked what she thought they meant by this. she denied it was a girl blossoming into a woman but returned back to this theme of soul development. “On stage,” she said, “my shyness lifts from my being, I can flirt with the audience, I can feel something inside opening, it relates to becoming master of myself.”
     Equally on stage Zara can appear so grieved, sorrowful, her eyes seem to be full of world sorrow; then she can transform to a feeling of deep, deep love; then again listen to her sing “Seduce Me” and see where you are transported to!
     This lady has her dreams, has developed the dreams into a vision and is not far from implementing these visions into workable plans. It is clear this lady has a definite, yet humble, faith in her own abilities and she also admires many great singers before her, one being Celine Dion – and if there is a successor to beautiful, spiritual Celine, here she is in Zara. But wherever Zara goes in the world you can be assured there will still be concerts in her beloved city of St.Petersburg. For anyone who has not yet been touched by this lady’s presence I suggest you diarize the next concert well in advance – scheduled for next spring or autumn 2004, here in St.Petersburg. As I close this story some of the words Zara sings keep reoccurring in my mind – words such as “The Here and Now,” “Show Me the Light,” “I Could Feel His Heart” and “I Believe.”
     It is time to re-play her CD and watch the video of her two concerts. We will also be asking Zara for another interview next year.