Vladimir Putin appreciated symphonic music

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As part of the festival of world symphony orchestras, the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra performed in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions. It is unlikely that this concert could have been promised the role of the central event of the festival, but in fact it acquired just such significance: that evening Vladimir Putin came to the Hall of Columns. SERGEY KHODNEV comments.

The Novosibirsk Academic Symphony Orchestra is a truly relict institution. This year it turned half a century old, and all this time it has been led by Arnold Katz, the patriarch of the Russian conducting school, who stood at the podium that evening. They performed Bizet-Shchedrin's "Carmen Suite", and after intermission - Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. It was Tchaikovsky who, as a result, listened to the president who came to the second section.

After which (in the company of, in particular, Alexandra Pakhmutova and Nikolai Dobronravov) I talked with the conductor backstage. Details of the meaningful conversation are reported by news agencies. Thus, the president found the conductor’s manner “beautiful and restrained,” and also admitted: “It is impressive.” Arnold Katz joked excitedly: “Rimsky-Korsakov also said that the profession of a conductor is a dark matter, and if you ask musicians who a conductor is, they will answer: he just waves and swears. In general, a conductor is like a president: he came to the council , gave advice, and everything is fine." (It turned out, however, that the profession of president was also a murky matter back then, but Vladimir Putin, apparently, did not want to argue.)

In fact, rumors that the head of state was going to attend one of the concerts of the symphony orchestra festival had been circulating since the very beginning of the festival. The organizers even announced a couple of times the emergency security regime appropriate for the occasion, but, as it turned out, in vain. In all likelihood, it was initially assumed that the president was supposed to demonstrate his love for symphonic music at a concert of the Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra. This is the only Russian participant in the festival. Let's just say that it is not the only domestic contender for inclusion among the best orchestras on the planet, but there were no others in the festival program. Apparently, it was decided to draw appropriate patriotic organizational conclusions from this.

During the same conversation, the president also said this: “The problem is not even organizing and inviting... Every day for ten days you need to gather a hall of people who love classical music.” In fact, anyone understands that “gathering a hall of people who love classical music” is not really a problem, because Moscow concert halls, with more or less success, do this all season. “Inviting” is really a problem, and “organizing” can also be done in completely different ways. And with completely different intentions.

Until now, among the major Moscow festivals, Valery Gergiev’s Easter Festival was considered the main success, including organizational success. Many felt that the new festival was deliberately opposed to this success. And the patronage of Yuri Luzhkov, who takes care of the Easter festival, was opposed to the highest patronage. Until now, it was possible not to emphasize all these circumstances - they say, the arrival of so many famous orchestras is in any way an event more significant than intrigue and the game of ambitions, and the presidential blessing - you never know the blessings he addresses to a wide variety of events.

However, the personal visit of the head of state to the concert (not an official concert with speeches, but an event of a more academic format) is still a precedent. Until now, academic musical life has proceeded with the appearance of “equidistance” from the president (even presidential grants to orchestras are still, firstly, several, and secondly, they are appointed on a temporary basis, that is, there is rotation). This is no longer the case, now the musical “suppliers of the court” have been identified, and the prospect of the presence of the head of state in the auditorium has become an additional way, more reliably and more profitable, to “gather a hall of people who love classical music.”

"A conductor is like a president"