History

1971-1978

In 1971 Vladimir Minin led the Gnessin Musical Pedagogical Institute (now – Gnessin Russian Academy of Music). World-class musicians and young winners of international competitions such as Zara Dolukhanova, Eugene Nesterenko, Vladimir Spivakov and Oleg Krysa were invited to teaching.

In September of the same year, using his "administrative resources", Minin created Chamber Choir, that was open to everyone, who has ever owned a little bit voice, singers, chorus masters, pianists, theorists, teachers of music schools. "I wanted to prove that choir is not a gray mass, but talented single organism, that talks to the audience and has everything to be heard".

"When I came to the choir in 1971, there were artists devoted to Vladimir Nikolaevich: Rita Konopleva, Vladimir Nikolaevich, Larisa Fedorenko, Lida Vinogradov, Oleg Skorodumov ... - recalls the first soloist of the choir, Moscow Chamber Choir's teacher of singing Natalia Gerasimova – They were bright, attractive guys. There was studio atmosphere and absolute confidence to artistic director, weekend concerts in nearest cities. Charming and cheerful Minin was always near".

In April 23, 1972 the choir gave its first concert - in the House of Scientists (this day considered as is birthday of the Moscow Chamber Choir). In January, 1974 The choir receives a professional status. In the same year "Melodya" record company" released the first record of the collective - "Choral music of twelfth and twentieth centuries".

A powerful incentive for Minin as rector was an attempt to fulfill S. Rachmaninov's "Vespers" with the score he had met almost thirty years ago ... Later fragments of "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" was also released by "Melodya" (under the title " Rachmaninov. Seven choirs, op. 31 ").

V. Minin was one of the first in the Soviet Union, who included to concert programms spiritual choral works of S. Rachmaninov, P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. Gretchaninov, P. Chesnokov, S. Taneyev and other Russian composers, which was "not recommended to perform" in USSR.

1979-1988

In 1979 A. Sveshnikov, permanent artistic director of USSR State Choir, proposed his student Vladimir Minin to be a chief conductor. Vladimir tried to upgrade the team, to attract young talented choirmaster and trainees, thereby creating the foundation for the realization of new ideas, but the Soviet tradition won out. Minin finally chosen the path of being the head of his own chamber choir. For clearly understood: his tasks in the arts can only be solved by going his own thorny way.

At this time hallmark of the team was Valery Gavrilin's "Chimes", "excited by the word" of Vasily Shukshin and dedicated to V. Minin. The premiere took place in 1982 in Leningrad in the Great Hall of the Philharmonic. Six sold-out concerts and mounted police to maintain order - that was a huge success.

And even when the failure occurred, Minin always remained faithful to the principle: "The public is always right, always! She can not understand the mind, but she instinctively feels like you're talking to her sincerity or formally. If you failed while touching her soul - everything will be lost, if you managed it - create what you will ... "(from "Solo for conductor" book).

It was a fruitful decade for Moscow Chamber Choir. Collective toured all over the world (in the USA, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, China, Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, Italy and France).

G. Sviridov, R. Shchedrin and V. Rubin dedicated their works to the Choir. During these years, team worked with such outstanding artists as I. Arkhipova, E. Obraztsova, E. Nesterenko, Alexander Vedernikov, P. Burchuladze. In 1982, Vladimir Minin received the State Prize of the USSR.

In 1986, Choir won the World Congress of choral music groups in Vienna. Two years later Vladimir Minin was awarded by the People's Artist of the USSR title. Is it time to "gather stones"?

1989-1998

Fear of losing team in the 1990s was real, but Vladimir Nikolaevich knowed how to manage to keep the Choir. Lack of concerts and as a consequence, the despair of the total lack of money from the artists repertoire hunger - "can not sing the same thing!". Not just wanted to drop everything - a lot of examples: someone went abroad for good, someone - to work and teach. But where Russian choir had to wait "time for change"? Nowhere.

Fortunately, collective did not break up. Moreover, a number of artists that working in a team now, has a date of hiring in 1993! As the dragon from the "Book of Changes", flying over the time and circumstances in which he lives and dies, V. Minin uses music as "the best thing to change bad habits and customs" (Confucius).

Maestro makes a brilliant program with symphony orchestras under direction of Vladimir Fedoseyev, Mikhail Pletnev, Yevgeny Svetlanov, Saulius Sondeckis, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Bashmet. In 1995 the choir released "Russian Soulful Songs" CD, and in 1998 new versions of "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom," and "All-Night Vigil" were recorded.

In 1997, for the selfless work on execution of Russian sacred music, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II presents to V. Minin the Order of St. Apostolic Grand Duke Vladimir, the state awards Maestro ny Order "For Services to the Fatherland" of IV degree.

1999-2009

In the beginning of the new millennium times of famine came to an end, but another problem rises - the repertoire. Of course, you can endlessly improve more than a dozen times executed. But you want a new one! And as often happens in life, there was non-random meeting with Gia Kancheli, who suddenly becomes a close friend of V. Minin. For four years Choir made Russian premieres of four composer's works just emerged from Kancheli's pen: "Little Imber", "Amao Omi" and "DIXI".

The development of a new musical style, begun in 2003 with a performance of music by Gia Kancheli, required a completely new concept of the repertoire. Expanding the scope of cooperation, Maestro introduced premieres of many extraordinary works like V. Dashkevich's "Seven lightnings of Apocalypse", A. Falk's "The Stranger", C. Orff's "Carmina Catulli", concert versions of L. Bernstein's "West Side Story" and "Wonderful Town", A. Ramirez's "Creole Mass", spirituals...

For ten years, Choir participated in opera productions at the festival in Bregenz, Austria, and at the Zurich Opera House. A. Rubinstein's "Demon", M. Mussorgsky's "Khovanshchina" , N. Rimsky-Korsakov's "The Golden Cockerel", G. Verdi's "Il Trovatore", J. Puccini's "La Boheme", operas of L. Janacek, B. Martinu, K. Weill gave invaluable experience of scenic freedom. Exciting work has opened up new possibilities of artists: it turned out, they are able to move well on stage, sing, dance, improvise. In addition, collaboration with theater actors - O. Ostroumova, S. Hook, E. Liadov, A. Filippenko, I. Kostolevsky and V. Gaft - expanded Choir's audience.

2009 +

Performing of Russian Federation national anthem at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver (2010) was listened by more than a billion people!

Famous british singer and songwriter Sting was really struck, when he received his song "Fragile" performed by Moscow Chamber Choir. "Delightful! I've never heard such a soulful performance of this song!" - He exclaimed. For a long time Choir's "Fragile" became a hit on YouTube.

Season 2011-2012 was the choir anniversary - collective presented premieres of C. Orff's "Catulli Carmina" and live version of Leonard Bernstein's musical "Wonderful Town", that was performed by Broadway and european stars under control of british conductor Wayne Marshall.

In the season 2012-2013 Choir presented the Moscow premiere of N. Yomelli's "Miserere" ("Have mercy on me, O Lord"), I. Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms", L. Bernstein's "Chichester psalms", S. Taneyev's cantata "After reading of the psalm". Another large premiere was literary and musical composition "Tell me, is He the devil or God? ..." performed by Moscow Chamber Choir and Valentin Gaft.

In the season 2013-2014 collective presented Karl Jenkins' mass "An armed man" (Russian premiere), Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" (arranged by I. Zaborova for choir and instrumental ensemble – Russian premiere), a concert performance of A. Dargomyzhsky's opera "Rusalka". Team also performed J. Massenet's oratorio "Maria Magdalene", Funeral and Triumphal Symphony written by H. Berlioz ...

In the season 2014-2015 there was premieres of G. Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" - with the participation of African-American opera stars from England and the United States; S. Barber's Adagio from String Quartet №1; H. Villa-Lobos' Bachiana №9.

The audience enthusiastically greeted performances of rarely works such as H. Purcell's "Funeral Music for Queen Mary", S. Rachmaninov's poem "The Bells", D. Shostakovich's "Ten Poems on the words of revolutionary poets", excerpts from S. Taneyev cycle on poems by H. Polonsky, G. Verdi's "Requiem", A. Ramirez's "Creole Mass", S. Prokofiev's cantata "Alexander Nevsky", excerpts from G. Sviridov's "Pushkin's Wreath", V. Gavrilin's "Chimes" and many other works of Russian and foreign composers.

From Tokyo to Arbazh village (Kirov region), where young Vladimir Minin survived the evacuation and where his choir made a concert 70 years later, from Moscow to Verona, from Vilnius to Kurgan, everywhere we can find grateful listeners of Minin's Choir.