Interviewed by Natalia Remmer
Gidon Markusovich, good afternoon. You are constantly traveling. What does a musical map of the world look like today? Which country has the most classical music fans?
Gidon Kremer: Genuine music is welcome everywhere and appreciated, but at the same time there is a widespread fascination with glamor. The trend of seeking entertainment extends to the classics. Sometimes "stars" replace the composer's message with their own attractiveness, in their own way. In a word, instead of serving music, they use it. Such a substitution of values for many occurs unnoticed. I gravitate towards those who are inspired by the music itself, by those masterpieces on which I myself was brought up. I wrote about this in detail in my last book, Confessions of a Mirage Artist.
Many of you are ranked as a Russian music school. What do you think about it?
Gidon Kremer: Despite the fact that I studied at the Moscow Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky owes much to his great teacher, David Fedorovich Oistrakh, I do not consider myself a school, and I think that a genuine artist and author is distinguished by their own, unique style, and not “school”.
Who do you consider outstanding conductors of our time?
Gidon Kremer: I had the good fortune of collaborating with 500 conductors. The most impressive meetings were with Leonard Bernstein, Herbert von Karayan, Nikolaus Arnonkur, but I will not select the best ones - I’ll probably forget someone. A lot of them…
What was your biggest musical discovery and biggest musical disappointment?
Gidon Kremer: The disappointments are mainly associated with those musicians who betray music in the name of their own glory, who instead of serving their cause become amateur conductors or "proxies."
And the most vivid impressions of recent years are performances with such great artists as Mikhail Pletnev, Marta Argerich, Slava Polunin, composers Viktor Kisin, Gia Kancheli, Leonid Desyatnikov.
You actively participate in political life, hold concerts in someone's defense and support. Why are you doing this? Does it bother you to see a world without stereotypes?
I have not been and will not become a politician, and I am far from wanting to connect myself with any ideology. This desire was repulsed from me by the “ideology” that surrounded me in my youth, when I lived and acted in what was called the Soviet Union. At the same time, as a person and an artist, I cannot be indifferent to everything connected with injustice and falsehood. And let my view of things and events is subjective - I consider it necessary to express it. As a musician, I am truly capable of doing this only with sounds.
Please tell us about your relationship with the tool.
I was lucky in life. I often played wonderful instruments - the violins of Stradivarius and Guarneri, and now I play the violin of their teacher Niccolo Amati. And yet I believe that each artist first of all carries an instrument in himself.
How do you feel about female conductors?
I had to play with many female conductors. I will not hide, I am also sometimes inclined to prejudices. Although, in principle, I think that we must fight them! But when I come across a genuine talent, such as, for example, the young Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinite, I am happy to see a wonderful musician and all prejudices disappear by themselves. I am sure that the whole world will open before Mirga, for she is not only talented and convincing, but also modest and honest. Great happiness is to face such a phenomenon.
Do you manage to enjoy worldly joys in between tours? What place does comfort and material well-being occupy in your life?
My vacations, unfortunately, are still too short, and comfort takes the last place. The main thing is that in a noisy world around nothing distracts from work and rare meetings with friends.
You perform with different orchestras. What is the determining factor for uniting a team, turning it into a single whole? Is it possible to achieve a balance between weak and strong links within the same orchestra?
For almost 18 years now I have been leading the team I created - the Kremerata Baltic orchestra. It was here that I found like-minded people and harmony in their approach to music. These young guys are open to new music and unexpected projects. Sharing your own ideas with them is a pleasure.
Our last hobby is the discovery of the outstanding Russian composer Mechislav Weinberg, colleague and close friend D.D. Shostakovich. I want to do everything so that his work is appreciated all over the world. One of our latest projects is also the New Seasons project, one of the variants of which we present today, touring the Arab world.
Most recently, you presented a bright project with Slava Polunin. Should I wait for new star duets?
While I want to continue what I started. The Commonwealth of Glory with our team "Snow Symphony" is still pleasing. It is a pity that our schedules do not allow more frequent meetings on stage. And the new is always in design. It’s too early to talk about them.
What is the secret of your creative longevity?
There is no secret - there is one rule: to be open to everything and try to live your life. Gidon Kremer's repertoire includes works by both classical and modern composers. The violinist collaborated with such composers as Astor Piazzolla, Philip Glass, Alfred Schnittke, Georgs Pelecis, Leonid Desyatnikov, Alexander Raskatov, Alexander Wustin, Lera Averbach, Peteris Vasks, Arvo Pyart, Victoria Polevaya, Roberto Carnevale, John Coolidge Canams and Gulia.
