"All this looks absurd"

The III Symphony Forum of Russia - a large -scale summit of the leading orchestras of the country - has ended yesterday - became a debut in Yekaterinburg for the Perm orchestra of Musicaeterna and its leader Theodore Cuentsis. From the future project - and he is going to perform and record all Beethoven's symphony - two symphonies were represented: the seventh and fifth. Following the constant rule - to wash museum dust and a textbook gloss, Krentzis introduced his Beethoven to be prohibitively fast pace and incredible energy, in which there are not the slightest hints of romantic reflection. And another reason for the conversation was recent events that excited the musical community .

- First of all, I want to congratulate you on a successful performance on the scene of the Philharmonic, the hall was, as they say, “taken”. In general, how important for you and the orchestra, it was important for you?

- Each concert is important to me, especially since Yekaterinburg is one of the most significant cities in Russia. He must play a key role in terms of “B” of Russian culture. If he is with a drive, creative, the ability to create a positive cultural revolution - it will be very cool. Such cultural revolutions should happen in many major cities of Russia, primarily in Yekaterinburg, it is the most progressive, but also in Novosibirsk, Kazan, Voronezh, Rostov, Nizhny Novgorod.

- About this plan “B” I first heard from you three years ago. That is, we are talking about decentralization, that regional centers should appear in Russia, including theaters with their own uniqueness that do not copy the capital. Actually, Perm has always strove for this, in recent years almost everyone has noticed it. So what is happening now? What are the strange orders of the authorities?

- On the one hand, I understand what is happening, on the other, I do not understand. You can’t love your country like that. When the country is experiencing difficult times, when the Western world attacks Russia with certain accusations of totalitarianism, in the absence of freedoms, etc. And in the West I swear at every corner, protecting Russia: you were not there, and you do not know the whole truth. And at this very time, such things are happening, such bureaucratic decrees. And what do they achieve? Confirm Western propaganda, transfer Russia to third world countries? Who is a friend of Russia is my question. A friend of Russia protects it from an external enemy, if they encroach on it, but inside he leaves it free, does everything to want to live and create in our country. But so far I have a philosophical question. How to show that we love our country?

-For someone, this, apparently, is a prevailing number of percent in the ratio of Russian classics in the repertoire and everything else ...

- Larisa, you are a musicologist, expert, I have a question for you: if Tchaikovsky lived in Perm and received a similar decree, how would he feel, realizing that his idols - Mozart and Beethoven did not want? Or would they tell him that it doesn’t matter how his music will be embodied and played, but his name just needs for a tick in the “iconostasis of the national idea”? For me, Tchaikovsky’s music is priority, but only in really good productions. To put Russian classics efficiently, you need money. To put Onegin, Picky, Cherevichki. And when there is money only for one production per year, what can we talk about? In general, absurdity-they write to us that we owe so many Russian, Western and modern music, and give money to only one production. Do we have a choice? Moreover, if in a good way, then it can be either an opera or ballet. You can have one or another point of view, but you need to be professionals. Then you will not fall below the baseboard. It is dangerous when non -professionals decide the fate of theaters. All this looks absurd, and it seems that it is necessary to make several correct movements so that everything falls into place.

- Tell me, are there Permians in your orchestra?

- Yes, three. But they did not study in Perm.

- This is understandable, because in Perm there is no conservatory, and how, by the way, things are with this cherished idea?

- No way, local universities do not need the conservatory, they already have “everything is fine”. Only, unfortunately, I do not see high -class musicians - graduates of Perm universities. I would like that after me something beautiful remained here, so that there was a conservatory, so that the next generation of the theater’s musicians would be Permyaki. So that the talented youth remains in their hometown. But there are people who saw all this in the coffin.

- When you went to Perm, did you not assume that you would have to meet with inertness and Rutin?

- If we talk about the reaction of the public in percentage terms, then 95 percent is the delight of what we do, and only 5 percent of misunderstanding. There are people who are jealous of the fact that they ceased to be in the center of events, and I can understand them. But you either agree with this, or you begin to fight for the old ...

- In general, it is important for you to be loved by absolutely everyone? Or do you understand that even among professional musicians there will always be those who are different about your interpretations, for example, the same Beethoven? Does it hurt you or would you like to make everyone your allies?

- Yes. I probably would like everyone to be my allies.

“But do you understand that with your extraordinary this is basically impossible?”

- I understand that it is impossible. But I know that everyone will be my allies. It just takes time. In many years it will be so. Many of those who today write letters against me, if they remain in history, are like my opponents. Recently, Marcus Kh Interkhoizer called me (the future quartermaster of the Salzburg festival. - L.B. ) with a proposal to put in 2017 in Salzburg the opera Mozart “La Clemenza di Tito” with Peter Sellars. We will be the first in history by the Russian orchestra to produce Mozart in Salzburg. Viennese Philharmonic and Musicaeterna from Perm are invited there. What is this talking about?

- Congratulations, this fact does not require comments!

- But the problem is that there are people who do not know what the Salzburg festival is!

- When you arrived in Perm, we talked, and, I remind you, you talked about two main tasks: to create a big orchestra and transfer the theater to Stagione . How fulfilled are they?

- The orchestra has been created, and more productions are needed for Stajion.

- Yeah, one performance per year is nonsense, not a single repertoire theater in Russia lives so.

- And we would like four ballets and four operas per season. Plus, Riville all the best that is in the repertoire: Three Isaacan performances and others ... to save all the best.

- By the way, let's do more about it. In Perm, I often heard such a rebuke-the premiere series of performances passed, but someone was not in the city, someone did not have time, etc. People want to see the sensational performance, but it is not ...

- If you do high -quality products, it is impossible to make a rivyle earlier than a year later. Because all the performers are busy, and then, Riville is expensive. It is better that the audience misses the performance than if they were tired of them. This season we planned all the operas of Mozart - da Ponte, in December there will be the “Queen of the Indians”, in February there will be a “nose”, everything that we did will repeat.

- And from the new one?

- The authentic “Prince Igor” is planned, where everything will be like in the theater of the XIX century, we even want the original lighting (now we are coordinated with firefighters). A magnificent, static performance, where the music is in the foreground. This is the most expensive project of the coming season, and it is at risk. Then the “Hoffmann's Tales” in the production of Katerina Evanglatos, she is a chic director-pastry, and the scenery and costumes are Gali Solodovnikova. In this performance, the maximum participation of its soloists is planned, so we will play it many times. Then the Orango and the Conditionally Milituted Project of Shostakovich in the production of Alexei Miroshnichenko. At the Diaghilev festival, we will show the “sacred spring” Stravinsky in the production of Romeo Castelpucci. In September 2015, we will make Rheingold on Rurtrians with Johannes Senses. Imagine, the Germans order Wagner to us!

And in 2016 we plan Bob Wilson with Travate. And also "Missa solemnis" with Peter Sellar. Then co-products with ex-en-service, the production of Katie Mitchell. The orchestra and the choir are in demand, we are invited next year to the festival in ex-en-provence ... In March, we have a tour in Brussels, Helsinki, Athens and Lucerne. London, Paris and Vienna are planned. I would like to open a new scene that we are going to build, with a “peak lady” in Chernyakov’s production ... Well, how can we plan all this if everything can change at one moment? What guarantees? Our authority is threatened. All, not only Perm, but also the authority of Russia.

- Returning to Perm conflicts: I try to understand their nature. Or maybe you had to do a completely new story with Musicaeterna in the city, and leave the Perm opera as it is in its repertoire quality?

- Statistics show: with my arrival, the attendance of the theater increased by 12 percent. A young public came to the theater. Don Juan will now be shown 6 times, and everything is sold. Full house. The numbers speak for themselves. And on old, exhausted performances - a half -empty hall. People do not want to return to the former.

But what was the Stagione Theater in 1902 in Perm: 115 performances per season. 31 name, of which four opera premieres. The ratio of Russian and foreign authors - 8 to 12, and by name - 13 to 18! The premieres showed 8 performances in cycles, rivals-three or four performances.

In general, a repertoire theater is not a Russian tradition, but a Soviet one. There was one “main viewer”, and he could go daily to the Bolshoi Theater or Moscow Art Theater. And under it they made a diverse repertoire for a week. And then it dispersed most Soviet theaters. And before the revolution, both Mariinka and the Alexandrinsky Theater staged performances in blocks.

- Which of the soloists inspires you in the troupe, are there rising stars after the hope of Kucher?

- Zarina Abaeva. When she performs after long joint classes - it seems that she is the best in the world, many foreign experts were in admiration. She recently sang the scene of Desdemona at the rehearsal so that I thought - ah, where is Othello to make the opera the whole ... There is still Nadezhda Pavlova.

- In Perm, Nadezhda Pavlov is again, only this time in the opera?

“You haven't heard her yet, you will just fall in love with her.” It will be in the first composition of Don Juan. Platonov brought her, he heard somewhere. She is a chic dramatic actress, fire. In general, there are many. Two Natasha - Bukla and Kirillova, is Tanya Kaminskaya, Nadezhda Babintseva, Larisa Kell. Two young girls from the internship group Dasha Telyatnikova and Natasha Leskova, both Mezzo-soprano. They combine a solo career with the choir. Like at one time and coachman. And among the singers there is Boris Rudak, Artem Golubev. Very stable Vladimir Taisaev. A beautiful voice is Alexander Sugudin.

- For three years I waited for you to notice it ...

- I noticed for a long time, he is just a kind of peculiar, he has role, he teaches for a long time, he began late. If he were 20 years old, we would have made him a world career. My priorities - so that the voice is not just strong, but fascinating. Like Abaeva.

- This process, I understand, is fascinating you: find voices, open artists, make stars of them. But how do they exist in Perm in the Stagion system if they are not in demand in new productions? For this, do you need a repertoire theater?

- Everyone is busy with us.

- And what about the directors in the theater? There is no one at all now?

- Eat. Tatyana Poluektova. She is a very talented actress, knows all the performances of the repertoire very well. We will attract other directors. But very difficult. The scene is not equipped in a modern way.

- At the end of August, the news came: your entry “Figaro's Wedding” was awarded the Echo Klassik award in the category “Best Record of the Year: Opera XVII -XVIII centuries”, my sincere congratulations! How are things for the future?

- But the regional Ministry of Culture did not congratulate us. But we are the priority of Sony . There are many plans, now “Cosi” and Ramo are coming out, after the premiere we write down “Don Zhuan”, then we will begin the Russian series. Already recorded “Spring Spring” and “Wedding”, Tchaikovsky’s violin concert with Patricia Kopachinskaya on the “veins”, then its fourth, fifth and sixth symphony.

- Tchaikovsky on residential strings?

- And what? Haifets and Guberman played on residential strings. Then we write down all Beethoven's symphony. Then “Eugene Onegin” and “Peak Lady” - new worthy notes are needed.

- Do these discs appear in Perm?

- This is not so simple, now they have found a distributor, they will appear.

- Returning to our main topic. In general, how should the artist’s relationship with the authorities in this country be arranged so that there are no such misunderstandings? Do you have many points in your contract or all agreements only in words?

- I believe that everything can be in words ... In words - the greatest dignity of a person. “In the beginning there was a word ...” If I give a word, you know that I will not betray you.

- In this case, what are the functions of all cultural departments? What scheme should be here?

- Probably, there should be a working commission of these experts. We need a strategy for the development of culture of the region, and not for a year, but for five, ten, twenty years.

- Do you believe that the new theater, the new scene will be built, you will play there, and the big directors will put up performances?

- Yes, I believe. The governor promised me, Viktor Fedorovich Basargin. He gave a word. I am sure - he is a man of a word. I have a very good relationship with Viktor Fedorovich. I trust him.