Semyon Schlosman: “A wonderful article” means only that it contains a wonderful result - 2

(Ending. Beginning in the TRV-HUNDER No. 10)

- I had a theory that all good mathematicians are listening to good music. She gradually resolved - it turned out that not all. Nevertheless, it seems that there is some kind of correlation. Is it true or is it the aberration of my immediate environment?

- I know many mathematicians who listen to music. The idea that these two activity is in some kind of relationship does not bother me. I accept it internally.

I listen to a lot of music. But I know, there are mathematicians who are engaged in the music, and I can’t understand this completely. I can’t imagine that you can listen to serious music by doing mathematics. I can't do that.

- What kind of music are you listening to?

- I am very unoriginal, I listen to mostly Bach. I would listen to someone else, but life is short. Time is limited, therefore, if you do something, you need to choose the best. If you read books and listen to music, then the best. In my case, this is a bang.

- Not Teleman and not Mozart?

-I love many who, but-this, of course, is rude, but in the first place is still a bang.

- And besides Bach?

- A rather big list, I can be mistaken in order: Wagner, Brookner, Schubert, Chopin, Shuman.

- The nineteenth century is not falling out?

- No. Prokofiev, Shostakovich ...

- Stravinsky?

“I know him less ... Composers to Bach: Froberger, Buysteuhuda.” But I know them worse too. Both Mozart and Haydn, of course ...

- Shnitka?

-I once loved Shnitka, but now I feel that he fits in Shostakovich. It seems to me - believing that the music will be listened to for centuries - our time will be more remembered by Shostakovich. Schnita is bright, but not so deep. Although I listened to him a lot. With Sergey Israilevich (Gelfand . - Approx. Ed.) We were at the conservatory at the first performance of his quintet in Moscow. I was completely shocked. At this concert, I understood the possibilities of music: what musical sounds are, how they can act - much wider than I assumed before.

I have listed composers. But I have a second principle: there are performers who need to listen to everything that they play.

- Who, except Guld?

- Grigory Sokolov, today, in my deep conviction, the greatest performer. Richter: I listened to many of his records and saw him on stage twenty or thirty times. Quartet Borodin in the old composition. I can’t do anything, I really like how Gergiev conducts. When Natalya Gutman plays, I would go to listen regardless of what she decided to fulfill. Abbado was a wonderful conductor. I have never been at his concerts, but I heard a lot of records.

- Do you not remember Yuri Nikolaevsky? There was such a chamber conductor.

-I remember, I remember. Once I was in the hospital, and he performed with Richter Bach. I ran away from the hospital for this concert.

- It is very sorry that he was very underestimated.

- Indirectly this assessment is confirmed by the fact that Richter played with him. I listened little. It was some kind of training orchestra, right?

- Yes, he taught at the conservatory.

- In general, I studied music in childhood. But I had serious love for it only when I was already studying at the Faculty of Mathematics, because there it was easy to develop it further: quite a few people were shared by this hobby and invited others to participate in it. I remember how we were driving from Moscow State University Emergencies at the Emergency Ambulance for the Barchei concert. There was a fashion - to go to the concerts of Barchi. Very good fashion, I advise everyone. Besides him, Bach’s music had nowhere to hear. Then I met him and fell in love with him for life. I still return to Bach and listen to in different performance. In particular, performed by Sokolov. I put it above all the performers I listen. Along with Richter.

- What is more significant: a composer, a specific work or a specific performer? If, for example, to choose from concerts going on the same day?

- There is a vivid example. I was going to the Sokolov concert, and he fell ill, and instead of him another pianist, Lugansk. I thought: "Well, nothing, but he plays Schubert, whom I love very much." And it was amazingly boring - I did not even expect that it could be so.

This is partly the answer to your question. Lugansk, apparently, is interesting, where he can demonstrate his virtuosity. And I began to love Schubert after I heard Sokolov playing him. And I decided that I would listen to everything that Sokolov plays. When I listened to Sonata Schubert in his performance, a new world opened for me. This world, of course, is well known to the wide layers of mankind, only I was ignorant in this regard.

- It seems to me that Schubert is a brilliant composer, but at the same time bad in the sense of composer equipment. He has separate wonderful places, but he does not know how to tie them into a whole.

- categorically disagrees. I have it quite high, not far from Bach.

- Interesting. Because just the bang is very integral, even some relatively passing items, such as cantata, are very uneven, but at the same time everyone is very well made. And Schubert, on the contrary, has even the most ingenious things ...

- In this direction it is impossible to argue, because there is no subject of dispute. I can advise you to listen to its last piano sonatas, but you probably already know them.

- I know Schubert very selectively.

- These sonatas are “divine slowness”, as Richter said, he loved them. And Richter did not play everything, only what he liked. For example, Shostakovich was offended by him. “Why,” he said, “you are not playing my preludes and fugues?” And Richter answered: “And I do not like everything. Those that I like, I play. " Or maybe he did not personally tell him, but the interviewer, as I am to you now. And he played Sonata Sonata. The latter played everything. In Schubert there is an achievement: whoever plays slower is better - such an amazing thing.

- It is clear why you like Sokolov.

- This formula does not manage to use this formula. In fact, incredible courage is required to play an extra minute. There is a completely wonderful film about Richter; The correspondent and musical critic Bruno Monsenjon talked with many great musicians and then made films out of an interview. Richter was already quite old, it was only the shadow of the great musician. So watching these frames even a little hurt. Monsenjon suggested that Richter read his diary. And so in the film happens: Richter sits at the table and reads from his diaries. Highly recommend. In this film, Schubert's sonatas are sounded in his performance, try to listen.

- Thank you.