Vladimir Minin: Choir's success pawn is a work with passion

Musicologist Roxana Sarkisova's meeting with the Moscow Chamber Choir artistic director and chief conductor Vladimir Minin.

- Vladimir Nikolayevich, once you sadly noticed that power of the ruble today became almost the sole driving force of art... How the things stand now in the Moscow Chamber Choir?

- Over the last year I have been able to create almost a new team, according to their potential of surpassing the former. Half of the choir had to leave - this was a conflict... Now artists work with great enthusiasm - this is a guarantee of future success.

- The chorus comes to its 43rd year of existence. The first concert of the Philharmonic subscription №40 will take place in the Tchaikovsky Hall on 24 November. It is timed to the 260th anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. How many times you conducted his "Requiem"?

- Just do not tell, but it is not the first. Disappointing that Mozart became our concert stage in a "quasi-ordinary" in recent years, but the execution often does not meet the high demands ... So I'll rethink their attitude towards this works: I will try to keep this music not so much as ritual, but intimate...

- You master the new Hall of the Moscow Philharmonic Society named after Sergei Rachmaninov (subscription №114). There's "Homage to Mozart" will be held a day later - November 25, 2015 What do you think about acoustics and other qualities of this hall? Your opinion is valuable ...

- I can only congratulate Muscovites and all lovers of classical music with this kind of hall! It - an amazing purchase, because there's excellent acoustics and it have all the conditions for the perception of classical music.

- It is a pity that far from the city center ...

- Why everything must be in the center? I believe that real music fans descend on the subway and calmly will reach it...

- Gioacchino Rossini's "Petite Messe Solennelle" Gioacchino Rossini (that will be performed in February 2016) is also included in Moscow Chamber Choir's “golden found”. Do you remember the first performance of this wonderful music in the eve of the 1979?...

- It is surprising that until 1979 this music didn't sounded in Russia ... What I remember about that memorable premiere? Firstly, there was dear to my heart Elena Obraztsova... Other soloists also pleased me: an amazing bass Yevgeny Nesterenko, tenor Gegham Grigoryan, soprano Natalia Gerasimova. A piano part was played by Vaja Chachava... When I asked Elena Obraztsova about her participation, there was only one question - "when?" ... No talking about the fee, it was not about the money. Then, in December 1979, it was crowded Great Hall of the Conservatory and the enthusiastic reception of the audience...

- You know what seems to me remarkable? February 25, 2016, we will hear the two participants of "The Great Opera-2014" TV-project. I talk about soprano from Kazakhstan Saltanat Akhmetova, that won first place, and a gifted tenor Aleksei Sayapin. E. Obraztsova heard and blessed them - that's a visible link between generations! In season 2015-2016 You will also perform a completely new work - Yuri Sherling's oratorio "Exodus" (World premiere). What can You tell us about it? Who will perform this work?

- I will not completely answer your question, because know that music is only in thumbnail form... It seems to me very serious and it has respect to the subject - the outcome of the captive Jews from Egypt. The genre can be compare with the "Tower of Babel" by Anton Rubinstein ...

- There was also G. F. Handel's oratorio "Israel in Egypt"...

- Of course, there is the same theme, taken from the Old Testament. But I repeat: to judge this work is too early! The performance will involve State Symphony Orchestra named after E. Svetlanov and many more great artists.

- Moscow audience clearly loved music and literally composition "Tell me – Is he devil or God?..", that you mad in collaboration with the People's Artist of Russia Valentin Gaft. Now You are going to perform it again at the end of February 2016 in the Hall of Rachmaninov.

- You know, I will not deny that the successful combination of Valentin Gaft's poem with music written by Rachmaninov, A. Castalsky, S. Prokofiev, D. Schostakovich, G. Kancheli, M. Dunayevsky... I like this work very much like! And like a poem, where V. Gaft serves neither the enemy, nor as an apologist for Stalin. He asks - what is going on inside this man? Wants to know if he is suffering from this villainy, which hath made... Of course, Stalin was proud that he was able to create such a great power! And it seems to me that this poem is very good for the generation that does not know what Stalin is, who he was...

- Listeners of "Tell me – Is he devil or God?.." are mostly older people...

- I can not exactly say this! Anyway, we would like to present this work at Moscow State University...

- In June 2015 Choir, after a wonderful performance in the Tchaikovsky Hall in April, Moscow Chamber Choir recorded Dmitry Schostakovich's "Ten Poems on words of revolutionary poets". How was this work, who was a sound engineer?

- The sound producer was wonderful - Pavel Lavrenenkov, amazing musician! But the work was hard, because there was a lot of new artists, collective was in its infancy. We will judge this record later.

- Dear Vladimir Nikolayevich, You have a lot of fascinating work in the new concert season. Can You tell us who is now helping you in your work?

- In the last season I gave way to my assistants. One of my deputies is a professor at the Moscow Conservatory Aleksei Rudnevsky, he is Dean of the two departments: conducting and choral and symphonic conducting. He began his work very carefully and meticulously. My second assistant is Olga Slovesnova, artist from our team. She works very well. Our concertmaster is still Elena Ilyina. However, my main ally and helper is our director - Alla Arkadiyevna Dubiler. She leads a huge administrative work involved infinitely lasting repair of our future new premises on Novaya Basmannaya street. But at the same time, being a musicologist, does not cease to be a creative person. She and I always find a common language, we're both interested in the Choir's continues growing in the XXI century.