Russia (bbabo.net), - One hundred years of the Moscow Philharmonic is a century of not only Russian, Soviet, but also world musical culture. These are great names and great premieres, hundreds of thousands of concerts, legends, debuts and many generations of regular listeners. Suffice it to name a few names of the unique philharmonic chronicle: Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Shchedrin, Gilels, Richter, Sofronitsky, Rostropovich, Oistrakh, Kogan, Shafran, Kondrashin, Svetlanov and others.

Today the Moscow Philharmonic is one of the largest concert organizations in the world and an authoritative music scene for performers of any rank. The Philharmonic will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a big marathon with the participation of Valery Gergiev, Gustavo Dudmel, Eliso Virsaladze, Denis Matsuev, Yuri Bashmet, Daniil Trifonov, Anne-Sophie Mutter, the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra and others. Philharmonic Alexey Shalashov.

Who lights the stars

The situation for the celebration is not easy. What are you preparing for on January 29?

Alexey Shalashov: Our programs are announced and tickets are on sale. We have been preparing for the anniversary for a long time and back in the autumn we presented a whole series of special projects, each of which symbolizes historical trends that are valuable for the Philharmonic. These are, for example, the "Parade of Orchestras" cycle, where we present our permanent partners - the leading metropolitan and regional orchestras, the "Stars of the World Stage" and "The Triumph of the Russian Performing School" series with the participation of world famous musicians.

Since the first years of its existence, the Moscow Philharmonic has invited outstanding foreign musicians to perform. I remember Arthur Rubinstein's famous tours in the USSR, whose concerts became a huge stimulus even for such a brilliantly.jpgted person as Svyatoslav Richter. Arthur Rubinstein writes in his memoirs how Richter approached him in New York, already a well-known pianist, and thanked him for the concert in Odessa, where he was still very young: those impressions contributed to his decision to become a pianist.

Has a marathon of young musicians been held in the Tchaikovsky Hall?

Alexey Shalashov: We also represented them in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. This is a long tradition of the Moscow Philharmonic, which started holding All-Union competitions already in the 1930s, which opened a number of outstanding names - Gilels, Oistrakh, Mravinsky, Kondrashin, Flier, Richter, Rostropovich. The Philharmonic even then understood the scale of their talent, and then the whole world found out about it. Our priorities have always been the identification and support of talents, the formation of creative teams. Already in 1923 we had the Beethoven Quartet, and in 1928 - the first Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. Our audience has always been a priority for us. We love her very much, we protect her. Even during the pandemic, despite all the difficulties, we issue season tickets because we don’t want to lose our audience. By the way, subscriptions are an old tradition of the Philharmonic, which appeared in the 30s.

In those years there were few of them, but today there are already more than 200 series of 3-4 concerts in each.

Aleksey Shalashov: Yes, before the pandemic, we launched 100,000 subscriptions for sale, and before the start of the lockdown, we managed to sell 60-70 percent of subscriptions - such was the interest and demand. And even a year later, at the beginning of 2021, when due to restrictions we had to reduce the number of season tickets sold, all of them were sold. Now, on the eve of the anniversary, I don’t want to think about restrictions. It is important that, despite all the circumstances, the Philharmonic continues to work and every day holds concerts in many halls. We fulfill our main mission - we create and increase the wealth and quality of concert life, without which the development of art and society is impossible.

You noted that one of the main trends of the Philharmonic is the work with young musicians, the discovery of new names. This usually happens at competitions, but does the Philharmonic have its own technologies for discovering and promoting young musicians? Who gets on the stage of the Moscow Philharmonic?

Alexey Shalashov: The fact is that in the classical music field you cannot jump over several steps in your advancement and in gaining an audience. Each musician gradually conquers his audience. Someone liked his performance, the name was remembered, gradually an audience begins to gather around him. We have multi-stage promotion programs: this is the "Philharmonic Debut" in small and chamber halls, and the subscription "Young Talents" in the Tchaikovsky Hall, where several performers perform in one evening, and the highest stage - "Stars of the XXI century". Musicians are promoted not by administrative selection, but by the decision of the musical community, including the professional community - conductors, orchestras with which the musician plays.

In time with the times

In the 20th century, the music of Beethoven, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky was a priority for the audience of the Moscow Philharmonic. In recent decades, the Philharmonic has radically expanded its repertoire areas, offering the public a huge amount of modern, baroque, operatic music. And this shift turned out to be extremely popular.

Alexey Shalashov: That's true, but as far as contemporary music is concerned, for the Philharmonic this step meant a return to a great tradition. It is known that our venues were the historical place where many premieres of outstanding Soviet composers - Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Khachaturian, Shchedrin and others - were performed. Today we regularly present new compositions, premieres of scores in chamber halls, and recently in large halls.

The chronicle of the Moscow Philharmonic has many sensational events associated with composers of the 20th century - tours by Bela Bartok, Stravinsky, Penderetsky, historical premieres by Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Schnittke and others. But just over ten years ago, the Philharmonic created the festival of contemporary music "Another Space" and actually returned contemporary music to the big hall. Among the major projects was the Rodion Shchedrin Music Festival. Such cycles associated with the work of Soviet composers are very important today, since many of their works have never been performed or very rarely performed. Recently, for example, Lokshin's First Symphony was performed in the Tchaikovsky Hall, the only time it was performed in Moscow more than fifty years ago. Does the Philharmonic develop this direction systematically?

Alexey Shalashov: We will certainly continue the "musical Atlantis" as we call it. As part of the "Other Space" dozens of works are performed that have not been performed in Russia or have been performed for a very long time. We regularly hold such concerts in the Chamber Hall. We are doing everything possible in this direction, but we really do not have enough performing resources, symphony orchestras. There are not so many conductors who are passionate about modern music. Meanwhile, this music should be performed by musicians who understand it well, are interesting interpreters, so that the listener can understand its language, its new meanings. And we were very lucky with Vladimir Yurovsky, who heads the "Another Space" festival.

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Orchestras on the camp

In Soviet times, the "face" of the Philharmonic was the largest musicians, its full-time soloists and conductors - Gilels, Rostropovich, Oistrakh, Svetlanov and others. How does the Philharmonic's interaction with major musicians look like today?

Alexey Shalashov: Today there is no longer such a type of relationship as it was in Soviet times. This is understandable, because a musician must perform, constantly tour. If he is in the state, then he will have to register his absence all the time. Therefore, today artists work with us on the terms of long-term contracts, which are supported by specific agreements for each concert. It is a flexible system that does not bind musicians in their touring plans or in their creative pursuits. We have a large circle of regular musicians, but we are not formally bound.

The Philharmonic halls were the historical place where many premieres of outstanding Soviet composers were performed

Among the subscriptions of the Philharmonic, personal subscriptions of the leading orchestras are constantly supported. Is this an exclusive for the Moscow Philharmonic?

Alexey Shalashov: This is a historical tradition of the Moscow Philharmonic. Our first orchestra, created in 1928, had such a cycle, then the second philharmonic orchestra, which appeared in 1936 (now the State Orchestra named after E.F. Svetlanov) and remained our staff team until the 90s. Subscriptions were received by all orchestras that arose in Moscow, including the Bolshoi Symphony (BSO), and those ensembles that arose in the 80-90s. Orchestras from other cities always came to the Moscow Philharmonic and some even gave their first concert in Moscow. About ten years ago we made a subscription "Symphonic Orchestras of Russia". But the first personal subscription of a non-Moscow orchestra was received by the State Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan conducted by Alexander Sladkovsky. This group enjoys great public attention, presents a variety of programs, and, of course, is an adornment of the Moscow music poster.

Facade for music

The Tchaikovsky Hall appeared at the Philharmonic in 1940. The complex history of this building and the unusual amphitheater hall created for the Meyerhold Theater is known. In the last twenty years, this hall has been undergoing evolution - it has improved its acoustics, technical capabilities that allow live broadcasts of concerts, and new comfortable areas for the public have been created. What other ideas or know-how related to modern technologies do you plan to implement?Alexey Shalashov: First of all, we are very glad that both listeners and musicians like the acoustics of our hall, because we have been working on this every day for twenty years. As for technologies, of course, we have ideas, but their implementation requires significant funds. Today, any concert hall and any opera house are forced to regularly update their technical equipment, primarily light and sound, because the demands are growing, and the technical means are rapidly aging, exhausting their resources. The Philharmonic will strive to meet the needs of both the public and the directors.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary, the facades of the Philharmonic building were finally freed from scaffolding. What did you have to restore?

Alexey Shalashov: It was a huge job, and we are very grateful to the Ministry of Culture that they found financial resources for our restoration and an excellent team of restorers who did their job conscientiously. In the entire history of this building, restoration work has never been carried out in it - only the facade was painted. But the terrasite plaster that was originally applied cannot be painted: it stops breathing and collapses. In general, in 80 years, any building, no matter how well it was built, collapses. We have already lost a wonderful decor - bas-reliefs, sculptural figures. Part of the decorations had to be removed altogether, because they had to be strengthened. Now everything is restored.

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Audience is in the forefront

Seven years ago, the Philharmonic Society got a new building in the south-west of the capital - Philharmonic-2. This is a place not quite familiar to the philharmonic life - a remote microdistrict of the city. How is this complex developing, has a permanent audience formed there, and why was it decided to develop the main educational projects of the philharmonic society there?

Alexey Shalashov: It is clear that we do not make any fundamental difference either in the quality of programs or in the level of performers between the Tchaikovsky Hall and the Philharmonic-2. The same performers and orchestras perform there as on our stages in the center of Moscow. But a really special area of ​​work in this hall has become a large number of special programs for children and youth, for younger ages. We make more than 55 children's subscriptions specifically for the Philharmonic-2, because this complex is very comfortable for visiting with children. There is a good free parking lot, it is convenient to come there on Saturdays and Sundays in the morning, when children's concerts and performances are held. We are very pleased that this hall in Moscow is at the forefront of educating the audience of classical music. And educational work in the Philharmonic has always been carried out extensively, and we created our audience not only within the walls of the central halls. Even before the appearance of the Tchaikovsky Hall, concerts were held in houses of culture, at enterprises, in city parks. And today in the Philharmonic-2 we are already forming a new generation of audience. We do not give as many subscriptions and concerts there as in the Tchaikovsky Hall, but we try to respond to the public's requests, we repeat the programs that take place in the central halls. There is such an experience in European capitals, when the orchestra plays the program twice: in some good hall in the suburbs and in the center. Today there are more concert halls in Moscow - the House of Music and Zaryadye have opened. There are all opportunities for the musical life to develop.

In the classical music field, you can't jump a few steps in your progress

The appearance of new halls creates competition. But the Philharmonic has a powerful subscription system, which makes it possible to consistently and deeply get acquainted with the baroque, opera, symphony repertoire, with modern music, there are unique cycles of great instrumental concerts, chamber music, choral and vocal repertoire. In the anniversary season, a new festival has opened - Gendelevsky. In fact, the Moscow Philharmonic today is a kind of music academy - for the public of any age.

Alexey Shalashov: The fact is that the Philharmonic was originally created as an institution responsible for the development of musical art. The word "responsibility" is a key concept, which, of course, distinguishes the Philharmonic from just a concert hall. The concert hall wants as interesting a poster as possible and as many listeners as possible, while the Philharmonic has a different mission - to think about the future, about the direction in which the public's tastes should be shaped, how to discover and promote talents. Even the All-Union competitions organized by the Philharmonic, she did not hold for herself, although the winners became her artists. We have done and are doing everything based on responsibility for the future of musical life in the country, in general - for music, for a balanced poster, for many other things. And responsibility is what connects our past, present and future.About fifteen years ago, you came with Alexander Vladimirovich Tchaikovsky, artistic director of the Philharmonic, to the "Business Breakfast" in "Rossiyskaya Gazeta". It was then about the decline of the philharmonic life in Russia, about the audience lost in the 90s. We found then the image of the "shagreen leather of the classics". Are you now more optimistic about the prospect of philharmonic life in Russia?

Alexey Shalashov: Looking back, yes. We really did a lot. And our audience has doubled since then, and there are much more concert halls. And if we evaluate the role of Moscow in modern musical life, then, of course, today it is one of the brightest musical centers in the world. This is the result of our work - the Moscow Philharmonic.

The key question

Today, the center of philharmonic life has moved from the Great Hall of the Conservatory to the Tchaikovsky Hall?

Alexey Shalashov: Yes, but we will continue to hold our concerts in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. It is a tradition to perform in the hall of the conservatory, where we all grew up as musicians. And the audience loves to go to this hall. In front of me is a poster for the first concert of the Moscow Philharmonic on January 29, 1922 at 2 pm. This year on January 29 at 2 pm there will be a historical re-enactment of this first concert, which took place in the Great Hall of the Conservatory or, as it was then called, the Great Concert Hall of Gosfil. And in the evening, the anniversary gala concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Philharmonic will be held on the stage of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.

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