Heading: Conversations with masters
The Moscow Chamber Chorus under baton of Vladimir Minin, created in the beginning of 70-s last century, became not only the leader of Russian choral art, but also won world popularity. For the first time the immortal works of masters of Russian musical culture were performed by the chorus in best concert halls of Europe, Northern and Southern America, China, South Korea, Japan. Due to the Minin’s Chorus initiative the spiritual works of Russian composers – Tchaikovsky, Taneev, Rakhmaninov, Gretchaninov, Tchesnokov - have been revived after the long oblivion…
Revival of a huge layer of domestic culture caused unprecedented interest of modern composers to choral music. G.Sviridov, V.Gavrilin, R.Shchedrin, V.Rubin and others devoted their works to Vladimir Minin and the Moscow Chamber Chorus. Such outstanding musicians, as I.Arhipova, E.Obraztsova, E.Nesterenko, Z.Sotkilava, A.Vedernikov, V.Spivakov, Y.Bashmet, M.Pletnev, V.Fedoseev, Y.Temirkanov were and are the creative partners of the Choir.
Vladimir Nikolayevich Minin, the founder and permanent Art director of remarkable choir, began his carrier in The State Chorus of the USSR, later headed The Song and Dance Ensemble of Northern army group in Poland, The Deserved Moldavian chapel "Doina", The Leningrad academic chapel named after Glinka, was the professor in the Novosibirsk conservatory and The Gnessins’ musical - pedagogical institute. Since 1972 the glorified master supervises The Moscow state academic Chamber Chorus. More than 35 years passed by, and its permanent General Conductor celebrates his 80-anniversary in January this year. On the occasion of Minin’s jubilee our correspondent applied to him with some questions.
- Vladimir Nikolayevich, your choir is created in the beginning of 70-s. It was, I would say, the time of choruses…
- That is right, in the 70-s many Chamber Choruses were created, but almost all of them based on foreign repertoire, on Renaissance music – Italian, English. As to me I would like to create the Russian Chamber Chorus. It is another niche and another esthetics. We did not sing songs about the communist party, the native land, Stalin. We spoke to our audience with more alive, modern choral language. Our manner was ĺđó chamber one, it means more confidential, more intimate. And it was certain opposition to the state art.
Therefore in my choir the persons, for whom was important not to be cut under one comb, were gathered. And the main criteria for chorus and its conductor was the opportunity for each chorister to demonstrate his creative abilities. Our first choristers were students and graduates of musical high schools, young teachers, chorus masters, theoretics, and specialists in folklore. The singing was a hobby for them – everyone who wanted could come to our chorus. I did not make any selection: if it is interesting to the person, come, dare, try. Among them the professional singers were rare. Today the situation is opposite. The singing for our choristers is a profession. And the main thing for selection is the professional vocal education. But nevertheless we can not do without choir masters. They have a very good hearing and their ensemble hearing is simply necessary for us.
- What was the policy regarding your repertoire during all these years? What place occupies in your repertoire the music of modern composers?
- The answer is in the chorus name – I created a Russian Chamber Chorus. So there should be a national repertoire. And the works of modern composers were included in the first program. They were: Slonimsky, Sviridov, Schedrin, reductions of Novosibirsk author Zahar Bliaher. We cooperate with modern composers today as well. Agree with me: chorus can perform tremendously Mozart’s "Requiem", but it will in 1551 times. But when you perform music of f modern composer he relies on you in his premiere, you feel the responsibility for new works, and in many respects it determines destiny of new music. In fact you become a conductor of author's idea and author's word.
Definitely, we are not limited only to Russian authors. If for a long time to scoop from one water source the water becomes muddy. There are certain stereotypes. And consequently modern foreign music is also included in our repertoire. These composers are Francis Poulenc, Georgian authors and even American musicals. But it is small percentage in the general concert stream. We take and perform the most talented foreign works.
- What influence do the modern musical tendencies influence on your creativity, on life of your choir?
- It is regrettable, that the layer of people which are interested in choral music, became very thin. The audience which aspires to spiritual enrichment during the meeting with art, catastrophically decreases. In Moscow there is too many "entertainments". And every year Moscow becomes more and more the city – « what do you desire? ». Opposite, in Russian province where life generally is more modest, at present it is traditional audience. There an individual is still more integral. He needs and wants spiritual music. And it is huge value for us. We sing for such an audience – whose soul empathizes heard. And if the sound reaches the soul, it means, you have reached your aim.
- What, in your opinion, is the role of choral music in formation of modern culture? In fact today in the poster, let us say, of the Big Hall of Moscow conservatory there are ten symphonic orchestras and only one - two choirs.
- Chorus, as a kind of domestic musical art, is practically destroyed. In the Soviet Union in the official table of ranks the Ministry for culture was on the penultimate place, on the last place was the Ministry for municipal services. Nowadays they have exchanged places. The Soviet authority recollected about choruses only in festivities, now the situation has worsened. It is a paradox – people who manage culture are not cultivated. They do not think at all, that a child needs to be brought up with music. They do not understand it. They are pragmatists. At time immemorial the Russian people created the richest folklore. There were holidays calendars, ceremonial and family songs. All people sang, because their soul wanted to sing. Who sings today? Pay attention, how many young people wear headphones now. They immerse themselves in the other world and with it they are fenced off from society. They do not produce, their soul does not work, it only absorbs. Since the childhood the today's young man has not learned to produce something with his soul. It was robed, it was impoverished. Do not be surprised, that any human beginning in our society has become scanty …
- At the same time European countries show us completely different attitude to choral art …
- In Europe since childhood the chorus is a constant component of education. Let say a child comes with parents to the church. And they all sing during the mess, it is unimportant. They sing a church choral. And the child hears these sounds, gets used to recognition of music since young age. And this brings him up. In Russia less than half-percent of children have the opportunity to hear church chorus, and only one percent go to musical schools. Still at Soviet times there were lessons of music at ordinary school, nowadays they were expelled from and exist only in colleges where directors understand, that without education of soul it is impossible to bring up the high-grade person. But it is too scanty percent in the coming generation. In fact there is also a problem with teachers! A special talent is necessary to work with children. It is necessary to wake up the child soul. And if we all simply sat down and clapped together, and performed a simple little song, it will be far from the musical education. Nobody speaks, in the West too, there are many people fond of pop-music, but there, at the certain age, children start listening to symphonic music, choral, opera, and then this experience in due course becomes their need. In Russia I do not see such needs in youth generation… Ask me, who wants to go to the concert of chorus? Very few people… Maybe some will go, if in brackets it is specified: chorus from Germany, America. When chorus comes from abroad, it is just a curiosity which is not enough for formation of deep internal culture.
- What is the basic difference in performing of foreign and Russian choruses?
- The vocal school in the West is closer to German tradition. There the sound is narrow and without vibration. It is more likely as the sounded solfegio. But our priority is the depth of feelings and raging of passions. We are so much emotional! In fact we sing greedily and at the same time substantially. Abroad the audience is amazed, admire us and applaud. But to rise up to such heights they hardly could. I heard the performance of Sviridov’s works by the Latvian chorus and smiled. The sound should vibrate, but they have sung in German way exactly, in Baltic way, constrained and dry. They simply informed the audience of the cleanly taken notes and poorly meaning words. But in fact this music is full of deep sense, deep value …
- What are the highlights in the period of chorus existence?
- Ask a woman, who, among her four children, is her favorite? She will reply – the last one. Always the last thing seems made better. The thing made earlier loses its acuteness and brightness. So, for me, the highlight is comparably recent one. I mean the recording of the disk. The world famous sound recording company “Deutsche Gramophone” released a compact disc of the Moscow Chamber Chorus « Russian voices ». We submitted to the European audience the works by Mussorgsky, Taneev, Prokofiev, Sviridov.
During last several years we have tested the unusual forms for Chamber Chorus, having taken part in opera staging. At the Zurich opera theatre we participated in staging of opera "Demon" by Rubinstein and "Khovansczyna" by Mussorgsky, at the Summer opera festival in Bregenz (Austria) we sang in Verdi’s "Ball-masquerade" and Puccini ‘s "Bohema". In summer 2003 our repertoire replenished with opera " The Adventures of little fox-cheat » by Yanachek and musical “Westside story” by Leonard Bernstein.
I recollect with pleasure the literary - musical composition « Yesenin and … », prepared together with drama actor Alexander Filippenko and very warmly accepted by the public (2007). The TV channel "Culture" shot a film « Russian relics » about the Moscow Chamber Chorus which premiere took place in 2007 on the Easter.
I would like to mention as well the performance of cantata "John Damaskin" with Michail Pletnev, our tour to England with « After psalm perusal» by Taneev. Shortly speaking, we managed to gain prestige, take the certain height and now our task is to correspond to this height.
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