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| Q. How did you first start on the accordion? |
| A. My father worked in a coal mine, but he liked music very much. He played several instruments including bayan, guitar, violin, trumpet and balalayka. I often listened to my father play the bayan. When I was 5 years I began my bayan studies with my father. I would listen to my father play, then take the instrument and imitate him playing folk music such as polkas and waltzes. |
| Q. Why did you choose the accordion rather than another instrument? |
| A. My father loved the bayan the most, and played it more than the other instruments. I chose the bayan because the sound was very pleasing to me. |
| Q. Tell us a little about the town where you were born, and where in Russia is it located? |
| A. My ancestors had came to Russia from Germany about 200 hundred years ago during the reign of Katarina II. They lived quite close to the Volga River, close to the town of Saratov. During the 2nd World War, my parent's families were exiled to the Urals in Siberia. My parents subsequently met in the Urals after the war, and it was there, I was born on the 18 November 1948. My parents settled near Tcheljabinsk, which is in the Southern Urals. |
| Q. What role did your parents play in your early music education? |
| A. It was only the first impulse to get started, and then I was self-taught until 11 years of age. At age 11, I started taking lessons from a small music school that opened in Jemanschelinsk. It was separate from the regular school. During the day I attended the regular school, and three or four days a week I would go afterwards to this special music school. In the music school, you normally study 7 years, but after 4 years I started attending a music college in Magnitogosk. This course normally takes 4 years, however after 3 years, my teacher Jewgenie Kudinov recommended I start attending the highest level of schooling, which was at the Gnessin Institute, in Moscow. |
| Q. Tell us about your early teachers? |
| A. (1)
During the first years at Jemanschelinsk, I learnt from Mr. Brysgalin.
(2) At the Music College in Magnitogosk, I studied with Mr. E. Kudinov. (3) Beginning in 1967, I started tuition with Professor S. Kolobkov at the Gnessin Institute in Moscow. |
| Q. Do you have any humorous memories of your concert experiences? |
| A. My humorous experiences continue to this day. I do recall one experience from a concert I performed in Russia. I arrived at the concert hall to look over the facilities, and stopped in the lobby to look over a large concert poster advertising my evening recital. On the top of the poster, was my name, and down the poster were listed the names of all the composers I would be performing that evening including, Liszt, Franck and Bach among others. While I was looking at the poster, the cleaning lady passed by, and in conversation asked me if I was playing that evening. I told her that yes, I was. She went on to ask me where the others were, and I told her that I would be playing alone. She asked further about the fact that I was alone, and then she displayed regret that everyone else had fallen ill. She thought by the poster, that it was a Friedrich Lips Festival, and that all the composers, were in fact the list of artists performing that evening! |
| Q. Do you have any impressions from your teachers? |
| A. My biggest impression from Mr. Brysgalin was when he told me that one day I must go to the Gnessin Institute. This statement left a big impression on me, since the Gnessin Institute is so famous. Mr. E. Kudinov impressed upon methat I must always be thinking ahead when I play. Prof. S. Kolobkov (my professor at the Gnessin Institute) impressed upon me, that every sound must be important! |
| Q. Tell us about your studies at the Gnessin Institute? |
| A. I spent a total of seven
years studying at the Gnessin Institute. The first five were between 1967
- 1972, and then the last two were spent in postgraduate studies, from
1972 - 1974 In conjunction with my bayan lessons, I was also required to study conducting. After graduation, you can also get a job as a conductor. (Mr. Fedoseyev, the current conductor of the Vienna Symphony, and a past conductor of the Moscow Symphony, was a bayanist, who chose this alternate career opportunity.) My teachers tried to encourage me to pursue my conducting talent, however I chose the bayan because it was my preferred instrument. With my accordion, I can say what I cannot say in words. I am speaking through my accordion. I always think orchestrally with my bayan playing and teaching. I liken the sounds in pieces to various orchestral instruments. I play my accordion, like one would conduct an orchestra. I love the power of an orchestra, and feel both a player and conductor should have a lot of power and desire. When you're sitting on stage, you must convey your will and feelings to the public. Your inner strength makes a big impression (impact) on the public. If you don't have a significant amount of inner feeling, the audience looses interest. Your inner musicality is "vital." |
| Q. Is there any teacher or artist to whom you would like to pay particular tribute, for their inspirational effect on your musical career. Question by Heather Masefield. |
| A. I feel that there
is great musical heritage, to which I hope I will contribute. I have several things that have provided inspiration. The music of Bach is the deepest and richest that you can find in the culture of music. When I was a student, I wanted to play all the organ music. I realized I could not do everything, however I liked also the music of Messian and Liszt. My teacher at the Gnessin Institute, Prof. Kolobkov provided great inspiration for me also, and it was during my days at the Gnessin Institute, that I met and became friendly with Zolotariew. My friendship with Zolotariew changed my direction. I had won the Klingenthal competition in 1969. However I was not happy with the level of original music, so I wanted to play transcriptions of the organ masterworks. It was around this time that I met Zolotariew, with whom I became immediate friends. I heard his Partita and I was the second to play it. I identified immediately with Zolotariew's music. Zolotariew then attended one of my concerts and was equally impressed with my playing. Zolotariew immediately wrote his second and third sonatas and his Rhapsody Espagnole. Zolotariew told me, that he knew it was the right direction to play original music, because every instrument must have its identity. He told me that I must dream that the likes of Gubaidulina etc... write for the accordion. At the time, Gubaidulina was quite famous, but she and other composers were not subsidized by the Government, because they were writing music that was considered different and experimental. In 1972 I played for the famous composer Mr. Schnittke, at his home, while another famous composer Mr. Denisov came to the Gnessin Institute especially to listen to me. During this time, Zolotariew wanted to be in the composers union group in Russia. This was not easy however, Gubaidulina heard Zolotariew's Sonata 3 and recommended him, which in turn enabled him to become a part of this famed organization. This sparked the beginning of the friendship between Gubaidulina and I. On the 13th May 1975, Zolotariew committed suicide. (I was in Klingenthal at the time, and came back the day after, to receive a telegram with the news. The next day the funeral service was held.) This tragedy inspired Gubaidulina to write something for the bayan, so she had many discussions with me, where I explained to her about the bayan. The result of this was Gubaidulina's 'De Profundis.' |
| Q. When were your first professional concerts? |
| A. My first solo concert was in Magnitogorsk, in the autumn of 1969, after having won Klingenthal. It was a full concert, in two sections. |
| Q. When did you first tour outside Russia and to which countries? |
| A. My first tour
outside of Russia was with a group, which traveled to places such as Mongolia,
Finland and other Scandanavian countries. My first solo engagement outside of Russia, was in 1975 when I was a guest artist at Klingenthal. I performed the third Sonata of Zolotariew at the festival concert. During this concert, I made several European connections, which resulted in concerts, such as one in Poland in 1977. At that time, it was extremely difficult to travel outside of Russia, so overseas engagements were very limited. |
| Q. One of your major international competition successes was Klingenthal in 1969. How important do you feel that success was for your career? |
| A. I was invited
to come back as a winner, which in turn provided good exposure for me.
In what was the Soviet Union, music and sport competitions were very important.
At a time when there were many problems with the economy and the political
situation, the Soviet Union could be looked upon as the world leaders
in these competitive areas. It also provided the extremely rare opportunities
to travel abroad. Winners came back like heroes! The Minister of Culture
invited winners (myself included) back to his residence. This created fierce competition on a local level, to get the right to compete internationally. The prestige and opportunities associated with the competitions were very desirable. The glory of winning championships has now diminished with the form of government that exists today, where there are financial constraints in support of the arts. |
| Q. How has your musical career impacted on your personal life? Question by Dellwyn Ellis. |
| A. My wife is also musician, (a Domra teacher at the Gnessin Institute), so she understands my life very well. Our life is our job, and our job is our life. |
| Q. Do you have any family and do they share your interest in music? |
| A. We have two children
Swjatoslav and Kristina. Swjatoslav is a fine concert pianist (25 years
old in March). He is working on a post graduate degree at the Tchaikowsky
Conservatory. He has recently won two international piano competitions.
One was in Barcelona, where he won against 106 international competitors,
and the other competition was in Italy. Our daughter Kristina is 16 years old in April, and attends an English School in Moscow. She hasn't decided on a career as of yet, but is leaning towards being a journalist. |
| Q. What non accordion music do you most like to listen to? |
| A. I like to listen to Symphonic music as well as organ music. In fact I like to listen to all 'good' music |
| Q. Describe your position at the Academy of Music (called Gnesssin Institute until 1993) in Moscow and what duties does this position entail? |
| A. I began teaching at the Gnessin
Institute in 1971. I moved up to an advanced teacher in 1974, and I became
the next highest level of teacher (Docent) in 1982. Finally, I was made
a professor in 1989. In 1996, I became the "Head of Folk Instrument Department." This department of the Academy of Music covers such instruments as accordion (button and piano accordions), balalayka, domra and guitar. |
| Q. Could you describe any feature of the Academy of Music teaching program that you consider unique? |
| A. In comparison to other countries,
at the same level of education, one thing unique to the Academy of Music
is the emphasis on conducting. The Academy of Music is the highest institute
in Russia for accordion, and one of the foremost in the world. The quality
and number of the teachers we have is also quite unique. The Academy of
Music holds the distinction as being the first institute where you could
study the accordion at the same level as the other instruments. The Gnessin
Institute was founded in 1944, with the bayan studies beginning in 1948.
The bayan department in fact, celebrated its 50 year anniversary last
year. Another feature unique to the Academy of Music is the number of teachers. With 10-12 teachers, things are decided democratically. In other schools, teachers are free to endorse any particular style and teachings, however, at the Academy of Music, everything is decided among the teaching staff as a whole. Even at examinations, the jury consists of many teachers who evaluate the students. This is quite unique in the accordion field, to have so many accordion teachers within one school. The students are exposed to the musical knowledge of several teachers and thereby achieve a much broader musical background. There are on average five to seven teachers in every conservatory. |
| Q. Is the Academy of Music, government funded and by which department of the government? Does that department also pay the tutors? |
| A. The Academy of Music is still funded by the government, however the funds have been cut rather drastically. The tutors are also paid by the Government. There was much greater support during the time of the Soviet Union. |
| Q. Do accordion studies differ from other instrumental courses? |
| A. No, the accordion studies are exactly the same level as the other instruments. |
| Q. How many accordion students are currently studying at the Academy of Music? |
| A. There are currently approximately 80 students enrolled at the Academy of Music. |
| Q. Can people from countries other than Russia study there? |
| A. Yes, foreign students can
attend the Academy of Music. The course is five years. (You can also come
for just one year or two, if you want to make a shorter study.) The Academy of Music only accepts 12 accordionists at the entry level. If additional students qualify, they must pay extra. Overseas students must always pay. To attend the Gnessin Institute you must go through an audition process, as well as take exams in subjects such as theory, solfege, harmony and dictation. |
| Q. How does the accordion faculty interact with other instrumental faculties at the Academy of Music? |
| A. The accordion faculty is treated equal to other departments. |
| Q. Who are some of your more outstanding pupils? |
| A. (From Russia) V. Muntjan, V. Dolgopolow, S. Najko, P. Gerter, E. Seit-Abdulow, I. Kurtew, W. Korol, D. Sacharow, J. Prochorow, A. Tschernikow, I. Jarosch, J. Kalaschnikow, V. Dubowik, A. Uschakow, A. Artemjew, A. Kowtun, V. Tschugunow, P. Saizew, A. Schmykow, E. Grechow, T. Semitschastnova, A. Sebastian, A.. Antonow (From France) Max Bonnay, Christiane Bonnay, Jean Luc Manca, J. Borto, (From Yugoslavia) B. Belitsch, S. Zwetitsch, S. Volijavec, D. Michailowitsch and from Spain, I. Alberdi. |
| Q. How have the political changes in Russia over the last 10 years effected the professional Russian accordionist? |
| A. Under the old
Soviet Union, I had about 50 concerts per year in Soviet Union, which
were planned for all contest winners, including bayan. Now, you play only
if someone organizes and invites you. Now I get more concerts abroad than
at home. The money is a lot better also, and it is now a lot easier to
travel. It is much harder for the young students today than before, when the contest winners were guaranteed many concert opportunities. |
| Q. In recent years, you have frequently been an adjudicator at international competitions. What are the strengths and weaknesses of such competitions? Do you recommend them to your pupils? |
| A. On the positive
side of competitions: I think that competitions are very important for the young player. If someone is preparing for a contest, he is developing and advancing at very steady rate, the contest providing the momentum to this development. On the negative side of competitions: Often in a competition, the jury doesn't recognize the individuality of the contestants. They prefer to accept their own preferences of interpretation. If a brilliant contestant comes along with different interpretation or arrangement, the player can be disadvantaged. The other major problem is that we have many great winners from many different countries. Of these, very few are able to continue performing, due to lack of opportunity. The contest is the pinnacle of study, and only a few continue afterwards. Most go on a downward trend after, and don't learn new repertoire. |
| Q. How do you think we can popularize the accordion? |
|
A. We should be
with other instrumentalists, composers, orchestras. If people see the
accordion distinguishing itself with other instruments, we will help
gain acceptance with other musicians and the audience. |
| Q. What is the ratio of male/female students in the Academy of Music? |
| A. 80% male 20% female. The bayan is a "masculine" instrument. You will see that most of the finalists in International piano competitions are men also. |
| Q. Tell us a little about your instrument? Are there any unique features? |
| A. In 1990 in Amsterdam, Mogens Ellegaard told me that Massimo Pigini would construct a special instrument and asked me for my input. I told Ellegaard that the little things here and there, didn't really help that much, and what I wanted was an Italian made instrument, but with my own Russian reeds. For me the Russian reeds have a deep power and I have grown accustomed to this. Massimo Pigini was agreeable and proceeded to create two new 'Mythos' instruments. One for me and one for Ellegaard. These were the first two instruments of this kind. So my Mythos instrument combines the Italian craftsmanship and mechanics with my Russian reeds. |
| Q. You have undertaken many workshops and seminars in different countries. Describe the topics that you consider your most important for workshops and why? |
| A.The topics that
I like to present in workshops include the following: 1. The work of Zolotariew for the accordion. 2. The work of Gubaidulina for the accordion. 3. New/original music from Russia 4. Production of sounds 5. Bellows technique 6. Stage performance/presence |
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