RUSSIAN VOICES
Moscow state Chamber Choir performs with
Moscow Soloists for the first time in eight years
Article by Rachael Boon in Singapore newspaper “The Straits Times” 12.06.09
Russian conductor Vladimir Minin thinks that performing in Singapore is “like playing chess with an unknown partner”.
Says the head of the revered Moscow State chamber choir: “This is because it is always worrying to go to the stage for the first time, without knowing the audience, its tastes and temperament. That’s why we are a little bit nervous”.
Regarded as one of the best in the world the a cappella choir performed yesterday at the Esplanade Concert Hall as part of the Singapore Arts Festival. It will take the stage again tonight, together with orchestra The Moscow Soloists, directed by its founder, renowned violist, Yury Bashmet.
Minin says the choir has never performed here before, so he accepted the invitation from the festival “with great pleasure”.
In order for Singaporeans to relate to it, he picked a repertoire of Western and Russian music for last night’s performance , including the Christmas carol The Moon Was Passing By – Has Passed and Schubert’s Ave Maria.
Minin, who has been conducting for 60 years, says: I specially choose pieces to suite all tastes. That is why the programme has all kind of music, from classical to modern Russian, folk Russian, church choral, Russian classics and Western music”.
He adds: “I want to introduce to the local audience the all spectrum of the Russian choral music as we can assume that it is not often that a Russian choir is in Singapore”.
Known fro its hauntingly beautiful rendition of Russian church and secular choral pieces, the 42-memmber Moscow State Chamber choir was formed by Minin in 1972. It has performed with prominent Russian singers such as Irina Arkhipova and Elena Obraztsova.
Asked what sets the choral apart, Minin pauses thoughtfully and says: “Perhaps we have the special features in that the artists of the choir have a great passion where they wish to get inside the audience’s soul, to make special contact with the audience.
As for tonight’s performance with the Moscow Soloists and Yury Bashmet, the maestro says that the audience can expect both ensembles to make an impression.
The Soloists and the choir have not performed together about eight years, and did not meet beforehand in Moscow for the upcoming performance. They just had the pre-show rehearsal. Still Minin is confident that the collaboration will be a success.
He says: “When two real musicians decide to perform one piece, to build this bridge, they have already this understanding of how to built it, they do not need much time to discuss how to built it, how long or high it must be or whether it is going to be across or along the river.
It is clear for us”.
Rachael@sph.sg
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