Pull -proof Vladimir Martynov

Surprisingly, all opponents of Vladimir Ivanovich Martynov are in fact his like-minded people. But most fans diverge with him in the main thing.

Opponents agree with Vladimir Ivanovich himself that he is not a composer [1] . And hot supporters refuse to believe it.

But salt, no, is not in details and, no, not in the Martynovsky la-minor soberness (admittedly, few have managed to properly appropriately appropriate what has long been considered a public property). The whole difference, in general , is intonation. You can endure the verdict “He is not a composer” with an angry pathos of a truth -seeker. And you can, with the conviction of Artyur Onegger, proclaimed as a lead: "I am not a composer!" [2] - As the birthday man does.

Martynov became the hero of a truly classic paradox: his cult status as a composer refutes his theory even better than all possible rational arguments. Vladimir Ivanovich succeeded that several generations of the followers of Vladimir Ilyich did not succeed - to build his own utopia to the end, hermetic and therefore internally consistent, in which many believed (albeit in a separate country). Build - and live not by lies.

His book about the fate of world composer music, published in the publishing house called “Russian Path”, even before it became a trend, caused serious battles. Conceptual disputes flared up between those who did not read it, and those who read only her.

In truth, the majority of critics of Martynov did not read the book and do not oppose what is written there. In this, they, hardly wanting, follow the author’s methodology - after all, Vladimir Ivanovich also fights more with his own ideas about modern composer music than with her. The fundamental impermanence of almost none of the leading foreign composers, who have become known over the past half a century, is a reception of a polemic in every sense of the word. But if you look differently - they didn’t read his book either.

Perhaps Stravinsky is wrong and the size of any artist should still be measured with the sincerity of his beliefs. In this reading, Martynov is a true artist, and he does not need to be a composer to anyone.

Without the Martynov phenomenon, Russian culture would be much more ordinary. And La Minora in her would hardly have become less.

* * *

Vladimir Ivanovich is our wizard of the emerald city. If you refuse to put on green glasses, then the effect, of course, will not work. But, on the other hand, how can the artist be blamed for the illusion? And most importantly, aren't green glasses a wonderful invention in themselves?

Happy birthday to you, Vladimir Ivanovich!

As Francis Fukuyama said in his late article, this is not the end of history. Continue to write it!

[1] See, for example, V. Martynov’s replica “from a composer point of view, everything that I play is an absolute Mura” in the previous anniversary interview and many other statements.

[2] This refers to the book of Arthur Onegger “I am a composer” (1951).