Fedor Tarasov bass. Fyodor Tarasov: “dramatic images are closer to me
Fyodor Borisovich Tarasov (b. 1974) - philologist, literary critic. Graduated from the Faculty of Philology and graduate school at Moscow State University and the Moscow Conservatory. Candidate philological sciences. He worked as a senior researcher at the Institute of World Literature (IMLI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and became a doctoral student at IMLI. Published in the collections "Gospel text in Russian literature", " Spiritual potential Russian classical literature" and others. The monograph "Pushkin and Dostoevsky: the Gospel word in the literary tradition" is being prepared for publication.
There are many examples in history when physicists made good lyricists, but professional humanists achieved outstanding success in other fields. professional fields succeeded much less often. Fyodor Tarasov, Olga RYCHKOVA’s interlocutor, is a happy exception: in addition to successful career A Dostoevist philologist (he graduated from graduate school at the age of 23, and entered doctoral studies at the age of 30), he has other achievements...
Fyodor, for most of my classmates Dostoevsky was one of the most boring writers. More precisely, “Crime and Punishment,” which was part of the literature program. You “fell ill” with Dostoevsky as a high school student...
I really “got sick” of Dostoevsky, probably in the ninth grade, when I read his famous “Pentateuch” in one gulp - five great novels from “Crime and Punishment” to “The Brothers Karamazov”, written by Dostoevsky after hard labor. Then, of course, I read his other works, but it was this moment that became the birth of my real research interest in literature and predetermined my subsequent philological life. However, it cannot be said that such a passion for Dostoevsky arose unexpectedly, spontaneously. Apparently, the soil was unwittingly prepared from childhood, and even from infancy. The longer I live, the more grateful I am to my parents for the fact that I was born and throughout my preschool years, together with my older brother, lived without a break in a small, then completely remote village near Moscow, where they went after graduating from Moscow University (it should be noted - in defiance of the general reverse flow from the villages to cities). From the cradle in my soul freestyle country life with subsistence farming, the crowing of roosters and the mooing of a neighbor's cow and the sound of poems by Pushkin and Yesenin, records by Bach and Haydn, Russian classical music and ancient Russian chants. The open spaces outside the window of our old wooden house with a Russian stove and albums with reproductions of masterpieces of world art coexisted freely. But it all began, of course, with an unconscious infant assimilation of the main Book - with the victoriously chewed off clasp of a large old leather liturgical Gospel.
With such childhood impressions behind me, how could I do it in the most impulsive way? adolescence not respond to the age-old questions of Dostoevsky’s “Russian boys” that stir the consciousness? And when I graduated from school at the age of fifteen, there was no doubt: only to the philological faculty of Moscow State University, to study Dostoevsky. As life has shown, this aspiration turned out to be quite serious, and not just a teenage impulse, because then there was a diploma on Dostoevsky and a Ph.D. thesis, which I defended at the same philological faculty of Moscow State University.
What new did you bring to science with your PhD dissertation “The Gospel Text in Dostoevsky’s Fiction”? And what is the topic of the doctoral dissertation?
By the time I took up this topic, it had already become quite popular in the literary community, which is understandable not only in the context of the general trend of humanitarian thought in the late 1990s, but also because of the obvious paramount importance for Dostoevsky’s work of the question of the role of the Gospel in it . Many studies by prominent thinkers of the late 19th and 20th centuries that were unavailable in Soviet period, works by modern authors appeared. And there was an impression that the issue was fairly fully covered. However, when trying to draw on these various studies and compile the whole picture about what laws the New Testament word entered and lived in art world writer, many contradictions arose.
Which ones?
On the one hand, the tendency to stick to the letter of the Gospel word and focus on direct Gospel references in Dostoevsky’s works led to straightforward descriptiveness, leaving out the deep subtexts that were clearly present in the writer. On the other hand, the desire to “decipher” one or another artistic ways“coded” biblical meanings led to arbitrary interpretations that were divorced from the analyzed material, and even to statements about a new “literary” Gospel and a “new” Christianity. Both logics inevitably encounter, during their consistent development, inevitable, irremovable contradictions and the need to cut off some of the “inconvenient” facts. Thus, the need to identify and formulate the laws of interaction between the word of the Gospel and the word of Dostoevsky, taking into account both the specifics of the writer’s artistic method and the totality of his works throughout his entire creative path, was clearly outlined to me.
How did you cope with the task?
A great help here is the unique Gospel of Dostoevsky, given to him by the wives of the Decembrists in Tobolsk on the way to the prison: for four years of hard labor, this was the only book that Dostoevsky read, and it preserved notes made by his hand. Their system analysis indicates the whole uniting them deep meaning, expressing for Dostoevsky the whole essence of Christianity and in general human existence. This meaning lays the starting point in artistic system coordinates of Dostoevsky, the scale of events happening to his heroes is a phenomenon of a completely different order than literary quotation or "modeling" of the Gospel literary means. Delving deeper into this issue took me beyond the scope of Dostoevsky’s work. As is known, he persistently positioned himself as a successor to Pushkin, being a radically different artist from him. In the monograph “Pushkin and Dostoevsky: the Gospel Word in the Literary Tradition,” which formed the basis of my doctoral dissertation, I show that this continuity becomes obvious precisely from the point of view of the fundamental role of Gospel texts and meanings in their work.
Returning to childhood: in our time, many schoolchildren, albeit reluctantly, still overcame Dostoevsky and other classics. Most modern teenagers, as we are widely assured, do not read at all. Can philologists prove useful to school teachers in this regard?
And they should, and they can, and they turn out to be useful. I myself know such examples. One of them is regularly held in the gymnasium of the town of Pechora Kornilievskie educational readings, at which prominent scientists from leading universities in Russia, including Moscow State University, directly share the latest knowledge with school students scientific achievements. One of the important indicators of accuracy, depth and truthfulness scientific research- the author’s ability to tell and explain the essence to a student.
And the film adaptations literary works making the classics closer to the people?
From a formal point of view, in the context of a clear roll modern culture to visual genres for the broad masses, the film adaptation of literature, of course, reduces the distance between them and the classics, making it “ours.” But this is a double-edged sword: in essence, such a formal rapprochement can turn out to be both a bridge between the people and classical literature, and an abyss that destroys the path to it. Film adaptations of Dostoevsky eloquently illustrate this, for example, the novel “The Idiot”. In the early 2000s, the parody film “Down House” by Roman Kachanov and the television series “The Idiot” by Vladimir Bortko appeared one after another. The first of them “modernizes” the writer’s plot as much as possible, fitting it into reality popular culture, practically leaving nothing from Dostoevsky himself except external plot analogies. The second, on the contrary, tries to preserve the spirit and letter of the author of the novel as much as possible. And here an interesting paradox worked: if in the first case, dissecting a masterpiece of Russian literature with a mockingly dull “pop” scalpel gave an indistinctly boring result that immediately sank into oblivion, then in the second the whole country gathered in front of the TV screens, and the showing of the next episode beat the ratings of everyone the most popular entertainment television programs. The fact is very indicative in terms of searching for areas of fruitful interaction between literature and cinema.
Since we have moved from literature to cinema, let's move on to others the most important arts. For several years you were simultaneously a doctoral student at IMLI and a student at the conservatory; last year you graduated from the conservatory in vocal class. Who are you - a philologist or a singer?
At the very height of my philological activity, an unexpected revolution occurred in my life. Although it has been brewing for more than one year. Dozing somewhere inside me, like Ilya Muromets on the stove, the thick low bass decided to make itself known, and since my graduate years, amateur singing in a friendly circle gradually developed into periodic tests on the concert stage. Apparently, my childhood fascination with the button accordion also came back to haunt me: I so loved the accordion accordion player, which I inherited from my father, that I began to torment the instrument when I was not yet able to put it, as it should be, on my knees. He put him on the bed and, standing next to him, tried to make sounds. In parallel with getting to know my own voice and accumulating professional advice to pay serious attention to it, the desire to become a real singer grew uncontrollably. Being a candidate of philological sciences and a senior researcher at the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences, I envisioned a path of self-education and private lessons from bel canto masters in singing. But it happened differently. One fine summer day, shortly after entering the doctoral program at IMLI, I came, as a fun experiment, to enter the vocal department of the Moscow Conservatory. As a joke, because it was unthinkable for me to become a student again, go to lectures, take exams. I fully felt all this unthinkability when, having gone through all the musical entrance tests, passed the last one entrance examination- composition. It was worth going through such an experiment just for this feeling alone, when under the stern gaze of those whom you could introduce to “ high department"with your philological discoveries and publications, you are trying to adapt these discoveries to the format of a school essay!
Well, how did the selection committee evaluate the essay of the applicant - candidate of sciences?
Be that as it may, I “did not put my honors to shame” and, having received a fatal “A” for an essay, I was faced with a fact: I was enrolled as a first-year student at the conservatory. The jokes were over, adjustment to the new life began, which went very smoothly - I found myself in my element. Since then, more than one laureate has appeared in the baggage international festivals and competitions, and solo concerts and performances are regularly held at the Moscow Conservatory, the Moscow International House of Music, in Russian cities and abroad (Spain, USA, Argentina, Uruguay, Japan, North Korea, China, Latvia, etc.). So both the publication of the monograph and the defense of the doctoral thesis had to be postponed, and only after graduating from the conservatory did it become possible to bring this scientific work to its logical conclusion.
What area of activity primarily refers to the concept of “creative plans”?
I really hope that, although almost all my energy and time are now spent on the vocal profession, my philological “half” will continue to develop, for which there are such prerequisites as invitations from Moscow universities to head departments and develop scientific schools. And the vocal art itself combines music with words, so the philological baggage for a singer is simply a treasure!
Olga Rychkova
exlibris.ng.ru
Our guest was the singer, Doctor of Philology, Fyodor Tarasov.
We talked about how our guest's journey through classic literature to classical singing, how the study of the spiritual quest of Pushkin and Dostoevsky is combined with performances on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater and other famous stages, as well as about Fedor’s upcoming solo concert in Moscow.
A. Pichugin
Hello, here, in this studio, Liza Gorskaya -
L. Gorskaya
Alexey Pichugin.
A. Pichugin
And Fyodor Tarasov will conduct this part of the “Bright Evening” with us. Fedor - soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, Doctor of Philology, senior researcher at the Institute of World Literature Russian Academy science, by the way!
F. Tarasov
Good evening!
Our dossier:
Fedor Tarasov. Born in 1974 in a small village near Moscow. At the age of 15 he entered the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University and graduated with honors in 1995. Three years later he successfully defended candidate's thesis in Russian literature of the nineteenth century and continued his professional philological activities at the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 2002, he took part in an international competition and became its winner in the category academic singing, and in 2003 its first solo concert. Graduated with honors from the Moscow State Conservatory. Fedor Tarasov's performances take place at famous stage areas Moscow, as well as in other cities of Russia and abroad. Laureate of international competitions, member of the Russian Writers' Union, Doctor of Philology.
A. Pichugin
You are probably the first soloist of the Bolshoi Theater and a Doctor of Philology - a Doctor of Science, in principle, not in a specialized field, not related to music in any way?
F. Tarasov
Apparently yes. The staff of the Bolshoi Theater told me that this is a unique, first case in their history. And accordingly, in my personal history too. I also had a chance to become the first student of the Moscow Conservatory - a Doctor of Science, but, unfortunately, I did not use this chance. I don't know if it's unfortunately or fortunately.
L. Gorskaya
And why?
F. Tarasov
Because this is what happened: I entered doctoral studies at the Institute of World Literature, where I worked before the conservatory. I now have three years of scientific leave. And a few months after this event, unexpectedly for myself, I entered the Moscow Conservatory at the vocal department. And my life changed dramatically. A completely different story began. I had to study like all students, go to all classes, since there was only full-time education at the vocal department, take tests, exams, sessions, and so on. That is, I had to spend all my time on studying and still manage to earn money for a living somewhere. Therefore, I had no opportunity to finish my dissertation.
A. Pichugin
And you only entered the conservatory at the age of 29?
F. Tarasov
Yes, it was such a story of jumping into the last carriage, because at that time, I don’t know how it is now, at that time the age limit of 30 years was for men to enter the conservatory. But I had no intention of doing so, strictly speaking. I took private vocal lessons...
A. Pichugin
For yourself, what is it called?
F. Tarasov
For myself, yes. I have already begun some kind of concert life. It so happened that my friends, against my will, began to organize concerts for me. My close friend, the artist Philip Moskvitin, is very interesting artist, a graduate of the Glazunov Academy - organized the first solo concert in my life, secretly from me, because he knew that I would not agree to this adventure. Then he confronted me with a fact. This was before I entered the conservatory; from that moment my concert life began. Three or so months later, the pianist with whom I performed at that first concert organized a second concert for me, and so on. That is, my existence began in musical life. I thought that somehow it would develop. I tried to improve my vocals with private lessons. In addition, I sang in the choir, which, in fact, was where my singing life began. And I was looking for teachers who would suit me, and life brought me together with a wonderful teacher - the wife of the conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the Moscow Conservatory. And we studied with her, we studied for some time, quite short, but very active. And at every lesson she began to strongly advise me to enter the conservatory and get a real musical education. I agreed with her, but deep down I didn’t plan this at all - my philological life and some kind of career were developing quite well. I have already been offered, in light of my upcoming doctorate, to head a department at one of the Moscow universities, and so on. That is, a rather rosy prospect was emerging. And here - absolutely everything from scratch, into complete uncertainty. In addition, becoming a student after I graduated from Moscow State University, graduate school, all these candidate exams...
A. Pichugin
I don’t think I really wanted to anymore.
F. Tarasov
That is, there were already a lot of these exams in my life. Yes, for me it was something out of the ordinary. But nevertheless, my teacher strongly advised me in every lesson. And when the days of auditioning for the Moscow Conservatory arrived, at the next lesson the teacher asked me - this woman is an opera singer and a famous teacher - she asked me: “Well, how are you going in general? The audition will end soon." And I felt a little awkward - I seem to be an adult man, but I behave like some kind of boy. I decided that I would go and sing this audition, and then report back with a clear conscience. And so I went and sang. Then I saw myself on the list of those who qualified for the next round. There are only three rounds - a preliminary audition and two qualifying round. And at the preliminary audition, 80-90% of applicants are eliminated, much like the entrance essay to the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University.
L. Gorskaya
Yes Yes Yes!
F. Tarasov
And there remain, in fact, real competitors - applicants for training. I saw myself on the list and was quite surprised, but nevertheless reported to my teacher. She zealously took hold of me. She and I spent days and nights catching some fleas there in the work that I was preparing for the next tour.
L. Gorskaya
What kind of fleas, just wondering?
F. Tarasov
Intonation, breathing, phrasing of phrases, colors in notes, in general, are somehow artistic and technical nuances. In general, we sculpted, sculpted, built everything. The second round came, I came to the second round. Apparently, it helped me that I had no intention of going there. I arrived completely relaxed psychological state. I thought that here I am now...
A. Pichugin
Will I finally cut it off?
F. Tarasov
Yes, I’ll do something like that to report, and then I’ll run on and go about my business. So I sang the second round and passed again. And for the third round, only those who really want to see remain. The main thing here is to somehow not make a mistake and sing properly.
A. Pichugin
I already wanted it in my heart, didn’t I?
F. Tarasov
I wanted to. The third round took place in Great hall conservatory. For me this was already such a huge interest. Because to sing in the Great Hall of the Conservatory is every person’s dream, in hall number one, in fact, for an academic musician here in Russia. I was looking forward to this moment. My teacher and I took the audience to the conservatory, sang properly, she instructed me. I was the very last one on the list. And the dean warned that whoever is late to leave, no matter how talented he is, even Chaliapin, can say goodbye to the conservatory. And so we train and train. I looked at my watch casually and saw that I had a scheduled exit in two minutes. And I immediately ran to another building along a huge spiral staircase. And they are already shouting to me from above: “Fedya, where are you wandering? Everyone has already sung, now the commission will disperse!”
L. Gorskaya
Oh-yo-yo!
F. Tarasov
And just imagine: it’s summer, it’s hot, and I’m running at this sprinting speed along the huge flights of stairs of the service entrance of the conservatory, up there, to the exit to the stage. My accompanist is already shouting to me: “Fedya, take out the notes!” As I walked, I pulled out the sheet music and thrust it into her hands. She ran onto the stage to indicate that everything was fine - we were here. As I ran, I immediately fastened the buttons and threw on my jacket. I jump onto the stage, I feel like I’m pouring sweat, I’m just suffocating from all these marches. So what should I do? The accompanist whispers to me: “Fedya, don’t sing! Stop and breathe." I realized that, indeed, it was simply impossible to sing in such a situation. I stood, breathed, the commission looked at me in dead silence, I looked at them, breathing like that, like after a marathon...
L. Gorskaya
Stage pause.
F. Tarasov
Yes. And then I understand that I have to sing already - there is some kind of tension hanging in the hall. I signaled to the accompanist. And I had a Mozart aria with very long cantilena phrases.
A. Pichugin
Just explain along the way, please, what these are: cantilena phrases?
F. Tarasov
This is when there is such a broad, very smooth phrase. Here you need long breath and sing everything very evenly, smoothly, beautifully, and there’s nowhere to catch your breath. And just imagine: I was looking forward to the performance in the Great Hall of the Conservatory, but the only thing I remember was to finish singing this phrase and not suffocate. I gasped for breath to sing the next phrase. And this whole performance passed for me like in some kind of dark dream, like some kind of confusion. I still didn't understand what happened. But I finished singing my aria, thank God. Since I had very low notes there, my range was checked only in the upper region. Usually, when there is an exam, you sing a piece, if everything is good, you are asked to show your range in order to understand the capabilities of your voice, if some of your capabilities were not demonstrated in the piece.
L. Gorskaya
That is, after the performance you are also asked to sing some notes?
F. Tarasov
Yes Yes Yes! Rise to the very, very top. In general, I overcame all this in some kind of semi-fainting state. I left the stage with the full feeling that some kind of catastrophe had occurred. I was in a very terrible mood. I go so sad, I wander to the conservatory cafeteria to wait for the results. And then I went to the list, I thought: “Okay, the experiment is over. As a matter of fact, I expected this!” And imagine my surprise when I again saw my name on the list of those who had passed!
F. Tarasov
I had to wave my hand and say, “Sorry!”
A. Pichugin
But do you regret that this happened?
F. Tarasov
No, I don’t regret it at all! Although in the first months of studying at the conservatory I was so depressed, because I realized that these were no longer some games, not some experiments, that I really needed to completely change my life, my regime, my schedule. For some time I completely said goodbye to philology, because I actually had to start something unknown from scratch. Usually, students first study at school, then at a music school, and then enter a university. Naturally, I didn’t have any school. When I was a child, I had a music school far away, but so much time has passed that it’s almost as if it never existed.
A. Pichugin
What class of music school?
F. Tarasov
According to the accordion class. The only thing that saved me was that I sang in the choir. This is also a school that helped me a lot.
L. Gorskaya
But this is choral singing, not solo.
F. Tarasov
L. Gorskaya
Where is it for you?
F. Tarasov
Here - in Moscow, let's say. As a rule, singers sing who also have some kind of musical activity in parallel. That is, when I sang in the choir, I also participated in the concerts of the ensemble, which was led by the choir director.
L. Gorskaya
What kind of ensemble?
F. Tarasov
This is a chamber ensemble “Da camera e da chiesa” - there is such an ensemble of ancient music.
L. Gorskaya
Interesting!
F. Tarasov
And thus I began to immerse myself in the concert environment - I began to go to concerts, listen to records. That is, my musical development occurred in some sense involuntarily, not purposefully, but, nevertheless, it happened. And the voice developed, it continued to somehow get stronger. And then the event that I just told you about happened. My life has changed dramatically. And after overcoming this slight depression, when my life had already settled down, I realized that I was in the right place, that I like everything here, and that my soul is revealed in what I do, that I get great pleasure from it, in addition to some kind of professional growth. Everything in life has already fallen on those tracks that have led me to those intermediate results that you voiced when you introduced me. When I graduated from the conservatory and sang the state exam, it was hot. Maybe you remember - there was smog in Moscow, forty-degree heat.
A. Pichugin
F. Tarasov
L. Gorskaya
I think everyone remembers.
F. Tarasov
Yes. Full hall at the conservatory. People were sitting in shorts and T-shirts, fanning themselves with some magazines and newspapers. I stood on stage in a woolen tailcoat, a bow tie, and a shirt. Sweat poured out of me like a hail, blurring my vision so that I literally had to survive. I sang a large forty-minute program, very complex. Because you had to show everything that you can do, everything that you have been taught. And thank God, this exam went very well. The chairman of the commission said that he should be given an A+ and recommended to audition for the Bolshoi Theater. Using this resume from the selection committee, I went to the Bolshoi Theater.
L. Gorskaya
Right away?
A. Pichugin
Well, it's not far to go there.
L. Gorskaya
F. Tarasov
In the smog, yes, yes, yes. But, naturally, they told me that there were no seats in the theater, that the staff was fully staffed. But, nevertheless, the bass voice is quite rare in our modern reality, quite shrill, so to speak.
L. Gorskaya
A. Pichugin
No, tenors are common.
L. Gorskaya
Tell us!
F. Tarasov
Yes, there are many more tenors. Even more baritones - middle voices. And there are quite a few low voices, and they are becoming fewer and fewer. They are, so to speak, quite in short supply.
L. Gorskaya
Why is it getting smaller, why?
F. Tarasov
Don't know. My thoughts are that there are several factors involved. The first is, indeed, a certain auditory background. Because the voice is very connected with hearing. The background is auditory, it is quite shrill, somehow all raised up, so to speak. If you watch our pop music, the so-called pop music, then you will actually not hear a low voice at all.
L. Gorskaya
Yes, all squealing and screaming.
F. Tarasov
Yes. And besides, go out into the street or into any environment where you find yourself, you will rarely hear such deep and low overtones. Basically, this is some kind of fast pace, some high speeds, some grinding, screeching sounds. This is one moment. The second point is that maybe some environmental issues are related to the way of life. Still, low voices require a certain majesty, leisurely, epic quality, so to speak. But these are just my guesses.
L. Gorskaya
Fedor is very majestic! Our radio listeners don’t see it, but he’s majestic. Moreover, he even speaks without a microphone, his voice is so strong!
A. Pichugin
Maybe we can remove the microphone altogether?
A. Pichugin
Fyodor Tarasov - soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, Doctor of Philology, is our guest today in the program “ Bright evening" We started talking about the Bolshoi Theater, but before we finally move on to it, I would still like to go back a few years. You still have a lot unusual story, related to age: you went to school at the age of five, at the age of 15 you entered Moscow State University, without a passport, moreover.
L. Gorskaya
Poor child!
F. Tarasov
Yes, I did it with a birth certificate, it was very comical and fun!
A. Pichugin
Why did this happen? Were you immediately identified as a child prodigy?
F. Tarasov
No, the thing is that from childhood I grew up to be such a lively person - energetic, quick-witted, I began to speak and read very early. And the parents, of course, saw all this and took some notes for themselves. The second factor is that I have an older brother with whom we did everything together. We were inseparable until the moment he got married. Then already, by natural reasons, somehow we spun off, or something, from each other. And so, we were always together, we did everything together, we were inseparable, apparently, that’s why our parents decided to send us to school together. Naturally, everyone dissuaded them, saying that the child was being deprived of his childhood, doomed to some kind of terrible torment At school…
L. Gorskaya
What is better: with your brother at school or sitting at home alone?
A. Pichugin
Run around in the yard.
F. Tarasov
Of course, it's better to go to school with your brother! I am personally so grateful to my parents that they gave me up at that moment. Can you imagine, this is still Soviet time, that is, it was much harder to do than now. And yet, this happened, I am very glad, because, firstly, we were together again, at the same desk. We helped each other, advised each other, and so on. Then, I felt very comfortable at school. I was never behind; moreover, I graduated from school with a medal. And at many points he was the leader in the class. My excellent students copied math tests and got A's when I got C's or B's for...
L. Gorskaya
Why? They copied it carefully!
F. Tarasov
I have such a creative nature - I loved to cross out something, paint over it, I had dirt in my notebook. The consequence was that I went to an art studio to study painting. And the excellent students were neat, they wrote everything so neatly, they were given A’s. And our math teacher really loved that everything was beautiful, clean, and so on. But then, of course, she realized this and sent me to the Math Olympiad instead of the excellent students. But, nevertheless, I couldn’t make it to an A in mathematics, but I won a medal. And my brother and I were very happy that we studied at school together, then we entered the Faculty of Philology at Moscow State University together. There we were in the same group, too, going to graduate school together... We almost defended our PhD dissertations together, but that was no longer possible, so with a break of a month.
A. Pichugin
Doctorates aren't together either?
F. Tarasov
The doctorates are not together either - I had a story with the conservatory, so I had to delay the defense. I graduated from school at the age of 15 and entered Moscow State University, and graduated at the age of 20. And I had the opportunity to choose further paths and paths in life at a fairly young age. So I chose graduate school, decided to try myself in scientific activity. And everything seemed to be working out very well, but I felt that some part of my soul was not in demand, somewhere inside me it was seething, asking to come out. And where to throw out this impulse, I did not realize for a long time, until I felt that a voice was waking up in me, such a low, strong voice that did not give me peace. Guys, my classmates in the Faculty of Philology also noticed this. We organized some skits there, impromptu concerts, where my voice had already begun to emerge. And then the choir appeared. So, involuntarily for myself, I became involved in a certain ancient tradition - not only in Russia, but, it seems, in Europe in general, when professional musicians were born from the church environment, from liturgical music, so to speak.
A. Pichugin
And now? You are a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, but do you have time to study science or has it remained somewhere on the sidelines? We introduce you as a senior researcher at the Institute of World Literature.
F. Tarasov
I have already finished my work at the Institute of World Literature, because after my doctoral studies and defense of my dissertation, I did not return there...
A. Pichugin
Oh, so we cross out this part of the presentation?
F. Tarasov
Yes, this is part of my story, so to speak. As for the Bolshoi Theater, I was a guest soloist there, that is, I worked there under a contract.
A. Pichugin
Oh, we'll be back now. You received your diploma, and straight from the conservatory through the smog, wading through the smoke of Moscow streets, in the heat...
F. Tarasov
Yes, despite the heat and the smog, I rushed there. I got a lot of auditions there different people I've been bugged many times. And this happened, I think, six times, if I'm not mistaken. And just first in the first summer, when there was smog, and then in the second summer, when there was another smog - it all coincided in a very funny way. And in the end they offered me a contract, which I worked honestly from 2012 to 2014. I was a guest soloist. Now my contract has ended. Let's see how this story with the Bolshoi Theater will develop further. The fact is that I am very interested in my solo projects, a lot of different ideas. Therefore, now I want to direct all my time and energy specifically to their implementation, not really feeling like a theatrical person, to be honest. Although I really liked it at the Bolshoi Theater. And, of course, there is a colossal feeling when you go out on historical scene, where all the greats who went down in the history of our music stood.
L. Gorskaya
Is there no such feeling at the conservatory?
F. Tarasov
At the conservatory, naturally, there is this feeling at first. Then it becomes a little blurry during the educational process.
L. Gorskaya
Are you getting used to it?
F. Tarasov
Yes, you get used to it. And now the conservatory is going through a difficult time.
L. Gorskaya
What is it that is wrong with her?
F. Tarasov
Hard to tell. I don’t communicate very closely with my conservatory colleagues now. Many strong singers and some teachers leave for the West... they left for the West at one time. Those pillars that still held some level in their hands are aging, some are already leaving for the Kingdom of Heaven. But there are no new resources yet. New young resources of the same level. Because for some opportunistic reasons they are also rushing...
F. Tarasov
A. Pichugin
F. Tarasov
To the West, yes, to theaters that accumulate the best, most powerful forces.
L. Gorskaya
Now, indeed, there is such a flourishing of musicals. An insane number of them are now being created, new ones are being written and played.
F. Tarasov
Both musicals and some borderline genres are very interesting things. Opera itself is going through quite a difficult time right now. And those few centers that exist, maintain the level and produce some interesting productions, they attract the main forces to themselves. Therefore, unfortunately, our situation now is not the most rosy. Although, perhaps, over time, some flanking ways to solve this problem will be found.
L. Gorskaya
By the way, have you ever thought about playing or singing in a musical?
F. Tarasov
Interest Ask! When I was just starting my life in vocals, in vocal music, such a tempting offer immediately appeared - the producers of the musical “Dracula” found me.
A. Pichugin
Did they offer Dracula?
F. Tarasov
Yes, and they offered me main role.
L. Gorskaya
F. Tarasov
It was very tempting. I was just taking my first steps. I came to the director, he showed me his preparations and explained what was required of me. I watched it all, listened to it, and somehow my soul felt a little painful. And after some time I called and said: “No, thank you! I don't want!" After that, I saw posters posted all over Moscow...
L. Gorskaya
- “I could have been in this place!”
F. Tarasov
Yes. ... with a photo of the person who plays the main role. I thought: “Yes, I could be in this place!”
A. Pichugin
Listen, Fyodor’s voice is already going off scale in my headphones! Therefore, I suggest listening, finally turning to music, listening to how he sings. We've been listening to the way he speaks for 23 minutes already, but not yet how he sings. The romance “Why is the heart so disturbed,” as I understand it, will now sound - famous romance on the air of radio "Vera". And it is performed by Fyodor Tarasov.
The romance “Why is the heart so disturbed” performed by Fyodor Tarasov sounds.
A. Pichugin
It was the romance “Why is the heart so disturbed” performed by Fyodor Tarasov, our guest today. Liza Gorskaya and Alexey Pichugin are here with you. And literally in a minute we are here again, in this studio, don’t switch!
A. Pichugin
Hello again, friends! This is “Bright Evening” on the waves of Radio Vera. In the studio Liza Gorskaya -
L. Gorskaya
Alexey Pichugin.
A. Pichugin
And today our guest is Fyodor Tarasov, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater, Doctor of Philology. As we found out, Fedor was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater from 2012 to 2014. But it is quite possible that in the future he will also be a soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. While the romance was playing and there was a short break, we found out... When Elizaveta and I were preparing for the program yesterday, I had a desire to hear a song - a romance too, probably... You can call it a romance, right?
F. Tarasov
Certainly!
A. Pichugin
Romance “Coachman, don’t drive the horses.” I really like the way it sounds when the bass plays it. I only heard it once. But, unfortunately, today we do not have the opportunity to stage it specifically performed by Fedor, although, of course, he has it in his repertoire. But, nevertheless, you have some interesting story connected with him.
F. Tarasov
Yes, I really love performing this romance too. Very often he gets into romance concerts and is loved by the people, causing strong emotions. And there was a very funny story with him when I went to the God-saved city of Samara on City Day. There was a big concert on the embankment with a large crowd of people. Many artists performed, including yours truly. The main guest star was Zurab Lavrentievich Sotkilava, our famous tenor, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater. The concert was a great success. And so all the artists participating in it came out
onto the stage for the finale. Behind the artists is an orchestra. And according to the plan, Sotkilava sings the romance “Coachman, don’t drive the horses” to the accompaniment of the orchestra, and everyone, as far as possible, somehow sings along or plays along with him. And I managed to go on stage and stand next to Sotkilava. He finishes the first verse, the orchestra plays a short passage, and Sotkilava pushes me by the elbow and says: “You sing the second verse!” This is a surprise for me, fortunately I know the words well, but the key is tenor. She's very high.
L. Gorskaya
A. Pichugin
For my inexperienced, where the bear spent the night, spent the winter - what is that?
F. Tarasov
I explain that each voice has its own range, given to it by nature. There are high voices that sing in a high range, low voices that sing in a low range. Accordingly, for each voice, the tonality that is characteristic of the nature of this voice is chosen. And tenor tonality is in a completely different range than bass. And in order for a bass to sing in a range that is unusual for it, you have to manage...
L. Gorskaya
We must step on the throat of our own song.
F. Tarasov
Yes. Either have a huge range, or something like that... And even if you have a huge range, you still feel terribly uncomfortable there, that is, you have to somehow adapt in order to sing in your own voice and in a tessitura that is completely unusual for you , as the professionals say. Or move it an octave lower, but then it will sound very ugly and unnatural - why mumble down there (depicts how it will sound an octave lower). And what? I had to sing in the tenor range. And I somehow, with some kind of expression, gave out this verse, somehow played on something, adapted somewhere on the fly, in general, taxied, but since then I realized that there was...
L. Gorskaya
It’s better not to stand with Sotkilava.
F. Tarasov
Yes, it’s better to be somewhere at this moment...
L. Gorskaya
Why did he do this to you? This is not comradely.
F. Tarasov
I don't know. Or he joked like a star who can afford such improvisation...
A. Pichugin
Is it possible for Alexey from Moscow to write literally two or three lines from him right now? But it will be performed live.
F. Tarasov
Now I'll move a little away from the microphone.
L. Gorskaya
Moreover, in tenor key, please!
F. Tarasov
No need for tenor! (Performs a fragment from the romance “Coachman, don’t drive the horses”).
A. Pichugin
Oh great! Thanks a lot!
L. Gorskaya
Alexey is happy!
A. Pichugin
Yes, my dream has come true!
F. Tarasov
You're welcome! I am ready and love improvisation. I have this unspoken motto: improvisation is the key to success. Apparently, she helped me out at that moment...
L. Gorskaya
When, secretly from you, your artist friend gave you a concert?
A. Pichugin
In general, it helps in life.
F. Tarasov
Both at that moment, and when he slightly framed Sotkilav. I often get to perform on air on different radio stations. And sometimes even whole mini-concerts take place in studios, and a cappella, and sometimes I also invite my musician friends. And we arrange such improvisations. This can be very pleasant for musicians, and, apparently, for radio listeners too.
A. Pichugin
In general, I think that the size of our giant Vera radio studio, in principle, allows us; we already had precedents when musicians came and played instruments. It seems to me that a whole orchestra could be placed here. But let this be a foundation for the future. We are about solo work They never started talking, they kept getting ready and getting ready. You say that for you this is still more important than being in the troupe of some theater, even the Bolshoi Theater.
F. Tarasov
Yes, because in a theater troupe, no matter how wonderful and interesting it may be, you are a certain element in a mechanism that you do not create. And I always like to come up with something myself and create some kind of integral project, and be responsible for it myself, and not for some small area that is allotted to you due to the libretto of the opera, due to some director’s plans, and so on Further. And it’s no coincidence, apparently, that my life in music began with concert performances. And even when you sing in a group concert, not in a solo concert, that is, you have a certain section - it seems like an opera production, where you also have a certain section for which you are responsible, nevertheless, you still have more freedom, more opportunity to come up with something yourself, maneuver, and so on. And in the end, you are responsible for yourself. Apparently, that’s why I devote most of my time and energy to solo programs, the most varied. These are programs with orchestras, and with pianists, and with ensembles - academic and folk instruments, and so on. That is, there are a lot of opportunities to vary, to choose the sound that suits the idea, program, repertoire, and so on. In addition, you have the opportunity to tour, choose those countries, places, venues that you like.
A. Pichugin
You say it so easily: choose those countries, those sites. Really, are you doing this yourself or do you have a director who chooses and offers you some options for where you can go?
F. Tarasov
I have my partner-director, who is responsible for part of my concert activities, mainly in Moscow and in Russian philharmonic societies. In addition, there are a lot musical groups and organizations with which I have developed friendly relations during my singing career, who constantly invite me to participate in their projects, in their festivals, and concert programs. Cooperation with both embassies and Russian houses in different countries. Over the years of my musical activity managed to visit a lot of countries, communicate with a huge amount interesting people and gain a wealth of experience.
A. Pichugin
Where did your most unforgettable solo performance take place?
F. Tarasov
I have two of the most unforgettable. One is painfully unforgettable, and the other is enchantingly unforgettable.
A. Pichugin
Isn't it painful to audition at a conservatory?
F. Tarasov
No. A painfully unforgettable thing happened to me in Cyprus. It was fabulous, from the point of view of the impression, the feeling of the trip - this beauty, they organized wonderful excursions for us. But I got sick, I had the so-called non-closure of the ligaments.
A. Pichugin
Oh, I know what it is!
F. Tarasov
And I needed to sing a solo concert in these conditions outdoors. That is, I had two performances there: the first in the gallery, where there was good acoustics, and it saved me - the acoustics. And the second performance was in the open air, where you just had to give out, as they say, full program All.
L. Gorskaya
F. Tarasov
Yes, of course it is dangerous. I had no choice - there was a solo concert, and of course there was no way to change. And so I had to hold on. And I remember this feeling - as if you were going out at a tank with a pitchfork!
A. Pichugin
Nice image!
F. Tarasov
That's pretty much how it feels!
A. Pichugin
Listen, if the ligaments are not closed, it seems to me that it is difficult to speak, simply impossible!
F. Tarasov
Yes, but somehow I could speak, but singing was very difficult. I came up with some artistic and theatrical effects, I somehow changed the tonality of the works. We changed the program in order to stage some easier things for the voice. In general, I survived it all, but what was it worth, what nerves! Even now I remember with horror. And the second feeling - enchanting - was in Japan. I had a two-week tour of Japan, there were 8 cities. Amazingly interesting! This was the first visit to Japan in my life. Enchanting impressions from culture, from communication, from people, from Japanese cities, so cosmic. And the first shock for me was when you sing your most shocking songs, you give your all 100% and you know that in Russia, from the very first song, the audience starts up, it’s on everyone’s ears, and by the end you are greeted with a standing ovation and everyone goes crazy. And then I sang the first thing - it seemed like there was zero emotion. I sang the second thing - again the same thing. You think that you are doing something wrong, you start inventing, you just go out of your way - everything is the same. And you think: “That’s it! Disaster, failure! This was the first concert. You can’t find any room for yourself anymore, you finish singing the program. The presenter announces that at the end of the concert this and that will be played. You finish singing this piece at the end of the concert. And suddenly the audience - as if everyone had jumped out of their seats, everyone started shouting “A-ah!”, stamping their feet, applauding... You understand that it’s simply not customary for them to somehow express their emotions between works... In general, it is not customary to show their own emotions in advance emotions. I remember how my soul felt lighter: “Well, thank God! Everything is fine!". But that's not what I wanted to talk about. This is the preamble.
L. Gorskaya
What about the ambulatory?
F. Tarasov
And that's the same key event What happened was when I sang three songs in Japanese, naturally without knowing Japanese - very famous folk songs. And two of them went well for me right away, I learned them and sang them with ease. And to be honest, somehow the song didn’t work for me - it was long, with a huge number of words and verses. During the tour I managed to learn it after all, I seemed to know it. But when I repeated it to myself, some hesitations still occurred. I constantly turned it over in my head and seemed to remember it. But when you go on stage, especially a new piece on foreign language, and a stressful situation still occurs. Whatever you say, when you go on stage, there is always a slight stress, and when you are not yet a completely experienced artist - and then my artistic experience was only a few years, three years or something. And I was just mastering some directions, and was still a student at the conservatory. And so you imagine: stress, I sang these two songs, which I did well. I sing the third song, finish the second verse and realize that I forgot the third.
L. Gorskaya
F. Tarasov
It feels like everything has just been erased from your head. And so with part of my mind I controlled the completion of the second verse, with another part of my brain I controlled the accompanists in order to be, so to speak, in sync. At the same time, I communicated with the audience in order to be in character and not interrupt this contact. And in some corner of my consciousness I tried to remember what was next! And I couldn't remember. My whole body was filled with lead - it’s just a disaster, how is this possible! The guys, experienced musicians who accompanied me, somehow instinctively understood that I was confused. They played a long play during which I was supposed to remember, but I didn't remember anything.
L. Gorskaya
Have you tried taking the paper with you?
F. Tarasov
This is a different story. Now, if you want, I will tell you how I became a laureate in Kazan, singing in the Tatar language.
A. Pichugin
Fyodor Tarasov is our guest in the “Bright Evening” program on radio “Vera”. Fedor is an opera singer, bass, Doctor of Philology. Another one interesting story is waiting for us.
L. Gorskaya
So how did the story with the third Japanese song end?
F. Tarasov
The loss was over, I had to enter. I didn't remember the words. And here, attention is an interesting point, for which I really love my profession, its kind of extreme. I take a deep breath into my lungs to sing, but I don’t know what I’m going to sing. And so I begin to exhale and enter - already begin to sing something with my voice, not knowing what I will sing. And at that moment everything resolved itself - I began to sing the vocalise - the melody of this song - and invited the audience to participate in the performance. Moreover, I didn’t plan it, it somehow happened on its own. And people started smiling because famous song, someone began to sing along, someone simply smiled. And so I sang the vocalise until I remembered.
A. Pichugin
Oh, did you still remember?
L. Gorskaya
Is vocalization without words?
F. Tarasov
When I found a way out of the situation in this way, the stress slowly left me, and I sang a vocalise - that is, a melody without words, until the words were remembered. And then I entered and sang the song to the end. The concert went off with a bang, everyone was happy. But it’s hard to even imagine how many kilograms I lost during this concert!
A. Pichugin
So it was possible to finish with vocalization and that’s it, no? Is this not professional?
F. Tarasov
This would be a little inappropriate, because all the fireworks, surprises and inventions are welcome, but they must be within the framework of the work, which you must still finish the way you are supposed to finish the work, that is, sing it to the end.
A. Pichugin
What about the second story?
F. Tarasov
And the second story: I was a participant in the festival, and then in the competition in Kazan. It was international competition named after Rashid Vagapov, where I received first prize. Naturally, I had to sing one piece in the Tatar language, which I, naturally, do not know. I also walked backstage before my appearance and repeated the words, and realized that there were snags - that they were not popping up in my mind in time. And on stage there is no time to remember and think, because the music flows, and you have to constantly sing, be in character and, of course, give out the words without any delay. And I realized that I could fail. And I had to write words on my hands, on my palms. And I sang the entire song, emotionally raising my hands, fortunately the content of this song was conducive to such gestures. The commission, which was sitting in the hall, said: “Oh, what does this have to do with the song!”
A. Pichugin
TO Tatar culture!
F. Tarasov
To the Tatar culture, what an image!
L. Gorskaya
They deceive people, they make a fool of them!
F. Tarasov
Indeed, I was emotionally invested, but from time to time I looked at my upraised palms. And after performing, I ran to the toilet to quickly wash these words written with a pen from my palms. And one of the commission members came there, looked at me, smiled with a wide smile...
A. Pichugin
Well, what, on the other hand? What's the big deal?
F. Tarasov
However, they still gave me the bonus!
A. Pichugin
What's wrong with that? Well, it was written by a man, but it’s still not his native language!
F. Tarasov
Then Shaimiev, who attended the concert in Opera House, where this concert took place - he was still the president of Tatarstan at that time - he said that this artist should be invited.
A. Pichugin
Have you been a frequent visitor to Kazan since then?
F. Tarasov
Yes, I became friends with Kazan. I was invited to philharmonic concerts. I also became friends with the plenipotentiary representative of Tatarstan. By the way, I very much admire their approach to their national culture and, in general, to the talents that they notice elsewhere. They are very tenacious people, they immediately take them into their orbit and include them in their events. So I took part in the days of Tatarstan in Moscow at the House of Music, singing, again, in the Tatar language famous work composer Yakhin is a Tatar composer who can be called a kind of Tatar Rachmaninov.
A. Pichugin
Does philology, as a science, still occupy some place in your life?
F. Tarasov
Firstly, as you already understood, she occupies the place that helps me in the art of singing.
A. Pichugin
No, just like science!
F. Tarasov
As a science, it remains not only on the periphery of my life, but somewhere fragmentarily manifesting itself in separate outbursts. Because my whole life has gone in this direction. But I don’t break with philology, I periodically participate in conferences, speak for schoolchildren and teachers. I write some materials at the request of certain organizations, and so on, introductory articles for some publications. That is, I continue to somehow participate in this life, but I understand that the more you immerse yourself in something and try to develop, the more time and effort it takes. And you can’t completely split into two.
A. Pichugin
Is your specialization Russian literature of the nineteenth century? Dostoevsky, as far as I know, doctoral dissertation...
F. Tarasov
My doctoral dissertation was on the topic: “Pushkin and Dostoevsky: the gospel word in the literary tradition.” I published a monograph on this topic, which was even published in Germany. Quite unexpectedly for me, they offered me to publish this monograph in Germany. She enjoyed interest there, although I myself made no effort to do so. In general, I often participate in round tables in museums, schools, and universities - I also give reports on this topic. And I learn with surprise that during the years in which I studied at the conservatory and, accordingly, during the time that I slowed down in writing my dissertation, nothing...
L. Gorskaya
Hasn't changed?
F. Tarasov
Nothing significant has been done in the narrow area in which I conducted my research. That is, I realized that it was not in vain that I completed this monograph and defended my dissertation, which I vowed to do at IMLI when I started my doctoral studies. I like to finish what I start, and I finished this job too...
A. Pichugin
And you continue to sing in the church choir, of course?
F. Tarasov
Yes, I continue to sing. I am very glad that this is where my singing life began. And I receive some kind of colossal inner satisfaction from participating in divine services as a singer. And therefore, their tribute to some kind of admiration for church culture, firstly, more precisely, even secondly. And first of all, after all, I - Orthodox Christian and I really love worship, I love coming to church to pray. And here, when you can pray and sing at the same time - for me it’s just such a holiday of the soul. Therefore, I really love singing in the choir and try to do it as often as possible, as far as my singing schedule allows me.
L. Gorskaya
Can you conduct a choir? Do you know how?
F. Tarasov
Basically, there were several extreme situations when I had to do this.
L. Gorskaya
Your job is extreme!
F. Tarasov
Yes. I have a friend - a village priest, a real ascetic, who was a simple villager, but now he undertook to restore the destroyed temple in his village. And then he was ordained rector of this temple. And he began to restore not only this temple, but also the nearby monastery - the famous Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery, which has now been completely restored and is in a flourishing state. Before this, the monastery was, let's say, a shelter for the mentally ill. And there were about five hundred of these mentally ill people, in my opinion. And the monastery itself was in a deplorable, completely destroyed state. And so my friend priest Alexander Zapolsky undertook to restore one of the churches, which was the easiest to restore. And he and I held the first Liturgy there, when there were still holes in the roof, when there was still some kind of curtain instead of an iconostasis, there were no floors at all - they just threw up boards. And so we gathered friends - who could sing. And I presided over this first Liturgy. It was very exciting - the first experience of regency in my life, but thank God, I seemed to know the sequence of the Liturgy well.
L. Gorskaya
But it’s also extreme there - you need to get the book on time, in in the right place open…
A. Pichugin
In general, knowledge of the Charter!
F. Tarasov
Yes, sure! Open the book, set the tone...
L. Gorskaya
And so that the next book is ready!
F. Tarasov
Certainly! But the event was colossal, I was simply at the height of bliss that I was lucky enough to participate in such important event. And these mentally ill people ran around the temple in flocks, someone came in, they were interested. And from that moment the liturgical life in the monastery began. And now it is in a wonderful, flourishing state, there is an abbot there, there are brethren there, that is, the full life of the monastery has begun. And I remember those moments with some kind of colossal inspiration and really love coming there. And this priest-friend always invites me to holidays - both on the throne holidays, and on the day of consecration, and on some holidays for the villagers. I give concerts there, sing in the choir and am very friendly with the village parishioners and with other priests who were already ordained after that historical moment and serve in that deanery. In general, for me it’s something like this live connection and great support for your professional activities.
A. Pichugin
We will end our program with a romance based on the poems of Boris Pasternak “Chalk, Chalk all over the Earth” performed by Fyodor Tarasov. Thank you very much! Fedor - opera singer, bass, Doctor of Philology, was our guest today.
F. Tarasov
Thank you very much for the invitation! I am very happy to communicate with radio listeners! And, taking this opportunity, I would like to invite you to my upcoming solo concert.
A. Pichugin
Yes, let's do it!
F. Tarasov
It will take place on February 17, at 19:00, in the Great Hall Central House scientists on Prechistenka. It is called “Premonition of Spring,” which will feature romances from the nineteenth, twentieth, and even twenty-first centuries.
A. Pichugin
Thank you!
L. Gorskaya
How interesting! Where can I get tickets?
F. Tarasov
Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office of the Central House of Scientists.
L. Gorskaya
That is, it will be possible to buy it there, on the spot?
F. Tarasov
Yes, sure! I will be very glad to see everyone!
A. Pichugin
Lisa Gorskaya -
L. Gorskaya
Alexey Pichugin.
A. Pichugin
Fedor Tarasov. “Chalk, chalk all over the earth” completes our program.
F. Tarasov
All the best!
The romance “Chalk, Chalk all over the Earth” performed by Fyodor Tarasov sounds.
We talked with the Moscow bass Fyodor Tarasov, who came to the Philharmonic with a program from the repertoire of his namesake Fyodor Chaliapin: about the great Russian bass, about Fyodor Dostoevsky playing important role in the life of the singer, and about why our guest ended up on the student bench at the age of 29.
Your first literary impression was your acquaintance with the Gospel text. What was your first musical impression?
The first musical impression is the record “Trio of Accordion Players”. By the way, we sat after the concert with Gennady Ivanovich Mironov and Alexander Tsygankov (an outstanding virtuoso domrist - ed.), and recalled various interesting moments from life, including this record. I no longer remember the artists who recorded it: Tsygankov named several names, but, unfortunately, they were never etched in my memory. But then it was a strong impression: I wanted to play the accordion.
- And you played?
Yes, and I got the instrument from my father, and he, in turn, from his uncle, an accordion player. I was so small that I couldn’t hold the button accordion in my hands - I just put it on the bed, stood next to it and pulled the bellows, trying to extract sounds from it. This gave me tremendous pleasure! As a result, I went to study at a music school in a button accordion class.
Still, after graduating from music school, you decided not to connect your life with music and chose literature...
You know, when I graduated from music school, I was still just a child. I have a new hobby - painting. I started studying in an art studio. I even had thoughts of connecting my life with painting... But then another important discovery happened for me: Dostoevsky. As a teenager (I think I was in the seventh or eighth grade then), I became engrossed in Dostoevsky and read, if not almost all of him works of art, then there are a large number of them. This fascinated me so much that I decided to study literary criticism, entered the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University and successfully graduated.
- At the philology department, did you know from the very beginning that you would study Dostoevsky?
Yes, you can say that this is why I did it. I wanted to study his work in great detail and deeply. This fascinated and inspired me a lot. I studied with pleasure, defended my diploma on the works of Dostoevsky, and then my PhD thesis. Scientific life was very interesting! After studying in graduate school and defending his PhD, he went to work at the Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences. I worked there for a long time, about six years, in my opinion: I was a senior researcher, involved in the planned work of the institute. In particular, I was preparing a collection of Tyutchev’s works, since the preparation and celebration of the poet’s anniversary fell precisely in those years. At the same time, he continued to do his work. As a result, in 2004 I decided to go to doctoral studies and write a doctoral dissertation. The topic is: “Pushkin and Dostoevsky: the gospel word in the literary tradition.” At the same time, I entered the Moscow Conservatory in the vocal department, and it so happened that I devoted the years of my scientific leave mainly to vocal training.
It seems to me that creativity and science require different mindsets. Are these two directions not in conflict with each other?
For some reason, it turned out that these two sides are combined in me. I will even say that they do not conflict with each other, but, on the contrary, one area of activity is a help to the other. The only thing that creates a certain conflict here is that it is very difficult to study both seriously and deeply at the same time. You are literally torn into two parts. At some point I realized that this was simply physically impossible. You need to make a choice. But then it was obvious: the singing had pulled in its direction.
- How old were you when you entered the conservatory?
I was already 29 years old - an adult. Of course, it was a little scary to change my life so dramatically. Firstly, my philological activity developed quite successfully. Secondly, going back to university and returning to student status was completely unthinkable. I couldn't imagine starting from scratch again. Then I also had doubts... Thank God, at that moment my parents supported me morally: I always listen to their advice, they are very wise people. I remember that a lot of things were planned for that period of time. I entered the conservatory with a feeling of complete liberation: I was not worried, I did not think that if I failed the exam, it would be a disaster.
- Did you have to write an introductory essay on Russian literature? What was it about?
It was about the image of Tatyana Larina in Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin”. The funny thing about this situation was that I recently wrote an article about the role of gospel texts in shaping the image of Tatiana. I decided to use it when writing an essay in order to please the commission with material that they, apparently, had never encountered before in their lives. Started writing school essay on four sheets... I sat for a long time. I remember that all the applicants had already written something, submitted it and, in the end, I was left alone. I had just started copying the final copy when a woman from the commission came up to me and said that the time was up. I asked for at least 10 more minutes to rewrite. But she replied that there is no time anymore - put a mark in the draft in the place to which you managed to rewrite it completely, and then we will check the draft. I didn’t even have time to check the essay, but, thank God, the Moscow State University school did not let me down, so I received my A for the essay. But the feeling was fantastic: I, a candidate of philological sciences, senior researcher at the IMLI RAS, am writing a school essay!
Maxim Gorky said that “in Russian art, Chaliapin is an era like Pushkin.” Do you agree with this statement?
To some extent I agree, of course. As before Pushkin there was a very powerful tradition in literature, which he knew very well, and, nevertheless, laid the foundations of the literature of the new historical period, so did Chaliapin. He came to the vocal world, which already had its own powerful traditions, and introduced his own coordinate system, which absorbed the roots that existed before him. Yes, the situations are typologically very similar indeed. Maybe the scales are not exactly the same.
Why do you think Chaliapin became such a well-known figure? Even those who have never heard a recording know his name...
Chaliapin possessed not only vocal skill, but also a brilliant acting gift, and in addition, he existed as a singer in a real collaboration with outstanding cultural figures of his time, which could not but affect the scale of his creative consciousness and the fame of his name.
TO When you perform arias and songs from his repertoire, do you focus on Chaliapin’s performance?
It’s hard for me to name a bass who doesn’t focus on his performance. Another thing is that he cannot be imitated. You will never sing like that, and you don’t need to. Some aspects of his style already look somewhat comical in our time. Nevertheless, his method, his artistic approach is very valuable. Listening to him enriches you enormously. These methods can and should be used in modern performance.
- Is there anyone, besides Chaliapin, whom you look up to?
Eat. I would even say that for me this bass is in some sense a greater standard than Chaliapin, in relation to modern performance. Although this singer is also not our contemporary - this is the Bulgarian singer Boris Hristov, a follower of Chaliapin. I listened to his recordings a lot, studied from them, they gave me a lot. I even tried to imitate Christ at some points, without fear that it would be somehow caricatured. He is a universal artist, who paints stunning pictures with sound with such a wealth of nuances, with such depth that in some moments, from my point of view, he surpasses Chaliapin. Those colors that Christ found on this moment are not an anachronism.
In general, it is very important for me to combine traditions with modern sound, motives. Thanks to this, it is possible to respond to today's challenges and pressing issues. Answer not with some immediate superficial answers, but offer those options that, like Christ’s, will not fade with time. This is probably why I turn to him even more often than to Chaliapin. But this does not at all negate the greatness of the latter. Chaliapin came to vocal art at the right time. If he had not existed, it seems to me, there would have been no Christov, there would have been no Gyaurov (Bulgarian bass - ed.), there would not have been our famous Russian basses, the Pirogov brothers, Nesterenko...
- Since we are talking about Russian basses, why is this particular timbre associated with Russia?
It seems to me that bass is the timbre face of Russia. The bass in the color of his voice is such power, epic breadth, depth, richness, masculinity. And then... There are few low male voices in the world, and they are not born everywhere. For some reason, it so happens that in Russia there are much more of them than in other countries. Perhaps our country itself, its scope, the conciliar nature of its worldview contributes to the fact that such voices are born in it. The voice is very closely related to hearing, and hearing greatly influences the voice. And hearing is directly related to the world in which you live, to the sounds that surround you, to your perception of the world.
- Which opera characters are closest to you?
I'm closer dramatic images, maybe even tragic, majestic, noble. Tsar Boris, for example, in the opera “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky, King Rene in the opera “Iolanta” by Tchaikovsky, King Philip in “Don Carlos” by Verdi - characters strong-willed, with a pronounced moral principle, suffering for themselves and for everything that happens, aware of their responsibility for what is happening around them, with a rich inner world, with many different feelings, sometimes in harmony, sometimes in conflict with each other.
- You say that philology helps music. What exactly?
Everything is simple here. Vocal art is a combination of music and words. Moreover, the vast majority of vocal compositions are written based on the texts of famous literary works, poetic or prosaic. Knowledge cultural context helps in performance, helps to embody all this in voice.
- You analyze texts separately vocal music?
I can't do it any other way! It is very important. There are, of course, vocalists who don’t pay much attention to the lyrics. I think this is wrong. This leads to the fact that even if you have a very beautiful voice, then in the first moments you naturally impress the audience with it, but a minute passes, two, three, and then you want to understand what you want to convey to us with your beautiful voice. This is where other laws come into play. Therefore, if you haven’t done some work, if you don’t have this content in your soul, in your mind and in your heart that you want to convey to the public, then excuse me: the listener will start yawning and won’t come to you a second time.
You've probably seen the opera The Brothers Karamazov. Did you like it? How do you feel about the idea of creating a tetralogy of operas based on Dostoevsky? To what extent does Dostoevsky rely on music?
You know, Dostoevsky connects very well with music. Moreover, he loved music very much and had a keen understanding of it. Music plays a very important role in his works. Even the most famous scientific work on Dostoevsky speaks about this - Bakhtin’s work on polyphonic novel Dostoevsky, which played a colossal role in the study of the writer’s novelistic work. There is a musical term already in the title. Therefore, here all the cards are in hand, as they say. This is a productive idea. I liked the opera. There are, of course, questions, but they always exist. I liked the fact that it aimed to bring out what Dostoevsky wanted to say, but through musical means. After all, often in our contemporary art people turn to the works of the greats in order, relatively speaking, to “show off at their expense”: you don’t have your own interesting content, which you could convey, and you take what has already gained fame. You mock it a little, try to do something witty and get away with it. But it is very sad that we often encounter this today. In the opera The Brothers Karamazov the situation is completely different. One can see the desire to connect the deep literary content With musical language. I fully support this.
- Which Dostoevsky novels would you set to music?
Naturally, his famous “Pentateuch”: “Crime and Punishment”, “Idiot”, “Demons”, “Teenager”, “The Brothers Karamazov”.
- Do you feel more like a vocalist today?
Yes, definitely.
- Do you think this is the final choice?
I'm not a seer, so I can't say. From the point of view of my feeling today, yes. And then as God wills.
- Finally, three short question. Everything is clear with your favorite writer. Who is your favorite composer?
Mussorgsky.
- Favorite novel by Dostoevsky?
"The Brothers Karamazov".
- Favorite literary character?
This complex issue. I think he “lives” somewhere with Pushkin. Maybe this is Petrusha Grinev from The Captain's Daughter. I'm not sure because I'm Lately I haven’t thought about this question, but as life progresses, shades of worldview and preferences change.
Fedor Tarasov - organization of the concert - ordering artists on the official website of the agency. To organize performances, tours, invitations to corporate events - call +7-499-343-53-23, +7-964-647-20-40
Welcome to the official website of agent Fedor Tarasov. The birthplace of the future famous and talented singer was a small village near Moscow. As Fedor recalls, he grew up in an amazing atmosphere of closeness with nature and true harmony. And this amazing peace was complemented by the enchanting sounds of classical music. His parents graduated from Moscow State University and were comprehensively developed people, as evidenced by their rich collection of books and albums with paintings.
Creative achievements
From the age of three, little Fedor tried to master his father's button accordion. The boy was also interested in literature, so it is not surprising that he later entered the Faculty of Philology at Moscow State University. He even became a member of the Russian Writers' Union. But the singer’s talent prevailed. Even during his student years, Fedor surprised his classmates with his excellent performance opera parts. Soon the singer's powerful bass aroused the interest of professional musicians. He starts singing in the church choir.
2002 - the first step towards vocal Olympus was victory at the International Youth Arts Festival. Then the guy had neither academic vocal education nor numerous performances. Fyodor Tarasov was able to organize a concert already in 2003.
2004 - Fedor becomes a student of the vocal department of the Moscow State Conservatory. He graduated with honors. In the same year, the singer begins to actively perform in concerts. Fyodor Tarasov could organize the performance with the best concert venues capital Cities. He also actively tours abroad. The most sophisticated listeners in Japan, Spain, Greece, Germany, Cyprus, and Italy obey him. His amazing bass conquers Europe and America.
The singer became a laureate of numerous competitions and festivals. The secret is simple. He performs professionally best arias one of the most famous operas European and Russian composers. But he didn't stop at the classics. Fyodor's repertoire always includes tender romances, urban, military and folk songs. They will conquer the soul and heart of any listener.
Nowadays
Now it is quite possible to order a performance by Fyodor Tarasov. Although it is better to do this in advance, because the singer has an extremely dense tour schedule. He also actively collaborates with other famous opera stars. That’s why Fedor’s concert always turns into a celebration and a monumental theatrical performance. You can learn more about Fedor Tarasov on his official website.
