Musical novel. Larisa Gergieva: “It’s better to let Larisa Gergieva’s family sing

Larisa Gergieva. Photo – Andrey Pronin/ITAR-TASS/Interpress

The famous accompanist, artistic director of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers and the National State Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Larisa Gergieva is celebrating a double anniversary - 65 years and half a century of creative activity.

A Culture correspondent spoke with Larisa Abisalovna.

— First of all, I celebrate a creative and, to a lesser extent, personal anniversary. 50 years in the profession, in art - for me this is the most important milestone.

On those same spring days, I took part in a solo concert of a professional bass for the first time. I was still just a college student, a first-year student. It was then that my interest in vocals began. Of course, I have performed before - in an ensemble with instrumentalists, and with good ones, but I have never felt such joy. It was a real shock.

I experienced no less pleasure when, after classes with the singers, I came into the hall and for the first time heard a ready-made opera, which I had learned with them from beginning to end.

— Probably, at first you dreamed of becoming a pianist?

— No, I immediately focused on acting as an accompanist. It seemed to me much more interesting than solo performances.

I was in love with the voice, and I just wanted an ensemble with a singer. Of course, I heard all sorts of things: that the profession is thankless, not very noticeable. But, as it turned out half a century later, it is not so inconspicuous. I do my job and have fun.

The difficulty of the work of an opera accompanist and vocal teacher is that no one teaches this. You have to figure it all out yourself. And I want to tell my young colleagues: you can’t become an accompanist just because your solo career hasn’t worked out - you’ll suffer all your life. You need to love singers, voices, music. Then it's yours. You are a nanny, a teacher, a psychologist, and most importantly, a friend.

Already in my youth, at school in Vladikavkaz, I had a craving for studying new works and composers' names. The desire to understand the profession and self-education means a lot. I sat by the radio and listened to the concerts of Dolukhanova, Arkhipova, Obraztsova.

My ideal was the legendary Gerald Moore - I was guided by his art and ability to interact with the singer. On stage, an accompanist experiences no less emotions than a solo pianist. I remember my feelings when I received applause at La Scala after our concert with Olga Borodina.

— It’s not easy with singers, they’re all different...

- Naturally. With Obraztsova, for example, we never rehearsed for a long time, we’ll try something, and the rest was born spontaneously, already on stage. Arkhipova was completely different: in the most insignificant miniature everything was polished to shine, to perfection.

Communication with any vocalist, even an inept one, provides a lot for professional growth. And there is considerable joy when something starts to work out and you see the result of your work.

— I came across the stage when Valery and I were doing an internship in Vladikavkaz, at the local musical theater. It was there that I realized: I need to prepare the game in such a way that everything is learned more than one hundred percent. A singer has so many tasks on stage that the musical material must be brought to the point of automaticity. Plus I liked the new challenge.

Many years later, I came to this theater as artistic director: the company was on the verge of closure, and I managed to revive it to life. We created such complex and rare operas for Russia as “Manon Lescaut”, “Fedora” by Giordano, “Agrippina” by Handel. It was there that I had my first directorial experience - I directed “Troubadour”.

Now we are becoming a branch of the Mariinsky Theater. I think this will benefit the musical culture of Ossetia and the Caucasus region. All these years, young Mariinsky students have been singing on the stage of the Vladikavkaz Theater, but now cooperation will reach a fundamentally different level.

— How does your main brainchild, the Mariinsky Theater Academy, live?

— This season we have 36 new titles, they are performed at the Mariinsky Theater for the first time. As part of our subscriptions, we have the opportunity to introduce St. Petersburg music lovers to the rarest works: “Lucrezia Borgia” by Donizetti, “Cinderella” and “Werther” by Massenet, “Capulets and the Montagues” by Bellini, “The Thieving Magpie” by Rossini, “The Swallow” by Puccini, “Siberia” Giordano.

Chamber works include Butsko's "Notes of a Madman" and his "White Nights", "Van Gogh's Letters" and Grigory Fried's "Anne Frank's Diary". We actively recall completely forgotten operas - “Grigory Melekhov” by Dzerzhinsky, “Not Only Love” by Shchedrin.

They staged a whole series of children's works, not only classics, but also completely new opuses, written especially for us. Children's subscriptions are especially important - this is a concern for the formation of a new public, the education of true music lovers and theatergoers who will come to our theater.

At such performances there is often interactivity, a small spectator can communicate with the artists, touch the scenery, and touch the amazing and beautiful world of the backstage. Behind all this is the enormous work of young, talented, truly daring soloists.

In general, life at the Mariinsky Theater is very rich - hardly any other theater in the world is in full swing with the same intensity. We trust the young, give them a lot to do, immediately and actively include them in the creative process, and the result is colossal qualitative growth, voices and artistic personalities blossom. With such a busy schedule, however, we never interfere with their tours at other venues. This enriches both the artist and the theater.

I see my purpose in raising children. In addition to vocals and opera, I teach them about life. You need to have great patience and treat them like a mother, hear them, develop the best. There are different characters, different psychotypes - you need to find an approach to each.

In 2018, the Academy will be 20 years old, and I can say without false modesty that a lot has been done, we have launched many real, interesting careers, this is an absolutely successful experiment.

— What problems do modern youth have, and what do you struggle with first?

— The main problem is that they are in a hurry. Nothing comes instantly. There are, of course, miracles: bright talents emerge and progress quickly, but this is rather an exception. A singer must have time to mature, to gain experience. But our guys need everything at once.

I would like to wish them more patience and understanding regarding their capabilities. Listen to the advice of experienced and senior people, teachers and coaches. Do not take on the dramatic repertoire too early, work on styles, and competently build a development strategy.

Accumulate - not only in vocal-technological terms, but also in general cultural terms.

During the Easter Festival (May 7), when on the stage of the Surgut Philharmonic the artists of the Mariinsky Theater performed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” (lyrical scenes in concert performance), during a break between the acts I was able to talk with the director of the program and accompanist, People’s Artist of Russia Larisa Gergieva (as you understand, the sister of maestro Valery Gergiev). She was very interesting to me as the artistic director of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers (see Vestnik No. 19 of May 9 and No. 20 of May 16). It is amazing how much these talented people, brother and sister, do for culture - both Russian and global.

It is much easier to discern a precious rock in an unprocessed stone than to hear a voice and see acting skills in an as yet undeveloped young artist. Larisa Gergieva is a sensitive teacher and accompanist, whose complex and painstaking work at the Academy of Young Singers is to see, hear and allow the vocal and acting talent of an aspiring artist to reveal itself. The result of this grandiose and meticulous work is appreciated by music lovers around the world: everyone associates the Mariinsky Troupe, first of all, with beautiful voices.

Larisa Abisalovna Gergieva is the artistic director of not only the Academy of Young Singers of the Mariinsky Theater, but also the State Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Vladikavkaz). She has outstanding musical and organizational qualities, is one of the best world-famous vocal accompanists, director and jury member of many prestigious international vocal competitions. Among her students are 96 laureates of all-Union, all-Russian and international competitions. She has prepared more than 100 opera productions for various theaters around the world.

Since the reason for Larisa Abisalovna’s visit was the Easter festival, I began the conversation with a question related to this topic, namely:

- Why is Surgut included in the happy cities where the Easter festival takes place?

Well, why not?.. The Easter festival travels around the country, constantly expanding its geography and scale. And this time, in my opinion, it covered more than 50 Russian cities, large and small. This cannot but please and is very impressive. Thanks to this festival, residents of small or very remote cities from St. Petersburg and Moscow have the opportunity to listen to a concert, opera or some rare symphony programs with our famous orchestra. Or chamber programs with amazing works - both unfamiliar and hits of Russian and Western European music, which is what happened now when we traveled to Altai, to the cities of Siberia with chamber programs that I am in charge of. They arouse great interest among music lovers, and allow young soloists to get acquainted with the country. I teach them to sing equally well, to give their all, in Paris, and in London, and, say, in Kemerovo, Barnaul and Tomsk... First of all, in our country, for their audience. In Soviet times, when I was young, cultural ties between cities and republics were closely monitored by the state. The artist simply had to go on tour, represent his theater or philharmonic society. There were very intense creative connections. Then nothing was done for a long time. And now theaters are having a hard time finding the opportunity to go on tour. Thank God that there is an Easter festival, thanks to which the country's audience and music lovers have the opportunity to listen to academic music.

- Recently, here in Surgut, cultural life has stirred up again thanks to the opening of a new Philharmonic building...

By the way, I am pleasantly surprised by the state of your Philharmonic. There are a lot of dilapidated philharmonic societies in the country, where things are not going so well and the inside is not so cozy. And you have such a wonderful room!

- How do you like our viewer?

Viewer?! The viewer is not bad. But it can also be hot. Apparently the climate has an effect (laughs).

- Larisa Abisalovna, in general, in your opinion, how do local music lovers perceive the operatic work today?

I think it's wary. Maybe the viewer is not yet very prepared to perceive academic music. We need to introduce more people to opera, because there are certain traditions. For example, where to applaud and where not to applaud. You need to know the arias. For this, the ear must be trained. The public also needs to be educated. There is only one conclusion: bring such performers and such music as often as possible, and I think everything will be fine.

- Did you like our city?

I didn’t see him at all, because I arrived at night and barely had time to sleep... I hope that this is not the last time I’m in Surgut and I will still have time to get to know him better. When you come to an unfamiliar place, you want to find out why it is so special. Although the fate of an artist is such that it is not always possible to do this. But I try, there are cities that you know. For example, if I take my artists to London, I tell them that it is impossible not to visit there and there, even if we only have one day of tour. I really hope that you also have such sights that you just need to see. Since Surgut has now joined the Easter Festival’s orbit, I think it makes sense to plan for our theater to come here next year with a chamber program.

- Larisa Abisalovna, you travel all over our country, and abroad, looking for singing “diamonds”, tell me, are there many beautiful voices in Russia?

In Russia there is, yes. But we need to work with them, polish them, polish them. A lot of kids just need to be developed spiritually, introduced to culture in general. Well, probably encourage reading. Now is the time for young people who don’t read very much. We need to tear them away from their phones and computers. They should listen a lot. How others sing, how orchestras play. What they write about music. There are such guys who come from the provinces and at first get lost in St. Petersburg, but then settle in well and achieve a lot. If they are hardworking, if they fanatically want to become singers, then they find their place in the sun. But it's hellish work. This is a profession that... depends a lot on the person himself, but also depends a lot on others: teachers, conductors...

- And from luck?

Yes. In addition to your voice and acting skills, you also need to have charisma and stable health. And be confident. And if this is not the case, then you shouldn’t study vocals professionally, because you won’t be able to withstand the competition.

- Do you think it is important for a vocalist to graduate from a higher education institution related to music?

There are cases when young people without special education studied at my academy. One boy came after graduating from flight school, now he is the leading soloist of our theater and often sings at the New York Metropolitan Opera House. I spent several years at the academy. And if you graduated from a conservatory, for example, even better. It all depends on what kind of teacher. With teachers, too, everything is not as good as we would like; there are not many worthy ones.

Sometimes it happens. But, in principle, a person learns a lot on his own. You just need someone nearby who can point you in the right direction. At some point in your life you need to study very closely with a talented teacher. At the same time, a singing age has come, everyone sings - both old and young, everyone takes lessons, even private ones. But it's good. Let them sing better. They get involved in the beautiful, rather than driving around the streets and doing whatever the hell they are doing. I travel a lot around the country, and I manage to meet talented people in the outback, in provincial towns. And some go through a certain path of development and become good vocalists, real professionals.

- Can those whose vocal abilities are not very good, but whose technique is amazing, become great artists and singers?

No, no, they will always lose to the one with nature. Yes, you can learn to sing correctly, you can sing culturally and technically. But if there are no natural data, there is nothing special to count on.

Olga Saburova

Valery Gergiev is a unique example of how art can become business, and business can become art. On Russia Day, the maestro received the third State Prize from the hands of the President - for outstanding achievements in the field of humanitarian work. Gergiev immediately, without leaving Putin, stated that he did not associate the award with the “liberation” (joint with the cellist Roldugin) concert in Palmyra.

It's really not about Syria. And not in the “bonus” 5 million rubles (a drop in the ocean of the conductor’s capital, which he earned in 2015, as follows from his declaration, 130 million rubles). Gergiev is one of those few people close to Putin who are sincerely welcomed all over the world. Gergiev is a genius conducting an ordinary toothpick. He is also wise and cunning in an oriental way. And he knows how to capitalize on his own talent.

Employed the whole family

Gergiev’s biggest headache was the construction of the Mariinsky Theater concert hall (its director is the husband of maestro Svetlana Gergieva’s younger sister, Tamerlan Gugkaev. The older sister, Larisa Gergieva, runs the Academy of Young Singers of the Mariinsky Theater) and the long-suffering Second Stage. Mariinsky-2, born with incredible difficulty (architects and contractors were changed more than once), cost the budget 22 billion rubles. The Auditors of the Accounts Chamber only gasped at the double increase in the original estimate. Following them, St. Petersburg residents gasped, including the expert Piotrovsky: how could they spend so much money on such an “ugliness”?! For what Alexey Kudrin without blinking an eye, he announced the allocation of an additional $25 million for the maintenance of the theater: “Even after I left the Ministry of Finance, it continued to support the Mariinsky Theater.”

Hermitage, don't be jealous! There are things more valuable than money. For example, friendship. The newly approached Kudrin is a great friend of Gergiev. Like German Gref. They are co-chairs of the Mariinsky Board of Trustees and always, regardless of their positions, support the Valery Gergiev Charitable Foundation. The same one from which, in 2009–2010, its director Igor Zotov with his accomplice Kazbek Lakuti, according to investigators, stole 245 million rubles. Zotov claimed that he transferred the money to Gergiev’s account at the request of his boss (he denied everything), and was imprisoned for 8 years. “This is your time, Kazbek!” - Zotov shouted after the verdict was announced. Lakuti received a suspended sentence. There are things more important than evidence. For example, gratitude. Kazbek is Valery Gergiev's cousin. His father Boris Lakuti took care of the Gergiev family after Valery (at the age of 13) lost his father.

Black bathhouse with cello

The state supports Gergiev's Stars of the White Nights festival. And also the “Moscow Easter Festival”, which appeared on the initiative of the maestro. The Mariinsky Orchestra with its main star - the conductor - travels around Russia on a special train every year, and the regions regularly conclude government contracts with the only performer (Gergiev Foundation). In 2016, the Udmurt Philharmonic forced 5,000,000 rubles, Sverdlovsk - at 2.547.500 rubles, Nizhny Novgorod - at 4.500,000 rubles, Tomsk - at 7,000,000 rubles, Kemerovskaya - at 3.000.000 rubles, Tatarstan - at 6,000. 000 rubles, Perm - for 4,000,000 rubles, the Ministry of Culture is not alien to Gergiev of North Ossetia - Alania - for only 2,100,000 “wooden”.

In 2015, the conductor headed the Munich Philharmonic orchestra (the contract was signed until 2020). But the maestro’s main source of income is his performances, mainly abroad - he receives fees for them in euros. Sobesednik.ru got acquainted with Gergiev’s tour schedule until the end of this year and couldn’t believe his eyes: he conducts every day! Moreover, he often gives two or even three (!) concerts in a day.

However, we did find one window for Gergiev: in mid-August he performs in Finland, followed by a two-week break. Then another concert in Sweden - and again a free week. According to Finnish media reports, Valery Abisalovich has long chosen a resort place on the shore of the lake - the cottage complex Härkäniemen Tuvat (“Bull Cape”) and brings his family here every summer. And also friends. This is what the maestro said on Posner’s broadcast: “I am the president of the Finnish Black Sauna Society... We accept one, maximum two per year as knights of the Black Sauna... from those people who have proven that they are worthy, at the piano or on the stage, with the violin or with a cello in his hands.”

Turkey business

Imperial spirit

The only enterprise in which Gergiev failed was the creation of the National Arts Center in St. Petersburg. The musician proposed to unite the Mariinsky Theater, the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, the St. Petersburg State Conservatory and the Russian Institute of Art History. The conductor emphasized the need to revive the Directorate of Imperial Theaters. However, the expert community killed the “imperial” idea. The ex-director of the Russian Institute of Art History, Tatyana Kalyavina, saw to the root: “It is impossible to recreate the directorate without recreating the empire and the imperial leadership.”

Therefore, it’s a small matter.

The best accompanist in the world, a unique vocal teacher, an outstanding pianist - all this is about Larisa Gergieva. This week she accepted congratulations on the 50th anniversary of her creative activity, and the other day she will celebrate her own anniversary. Gergieva performs on world stages and is trusted by the stars of the classical stage. And aspiring performers from different countries dream of learning from her - the People’s Artist of Russia’s method of working with young talents is considered unique.

The most mysterious profession in the world of music. But it seems that Larisa Gergieva solved this mystery 50 years ago, when she gave her first concert on stage with a vocalist. She was 15, and she already felt the voice like no one else, predicted everything, right down to the singer’s desire to catch his breath.

Today the BBC calls her the best accompanist in the world, and Larisa Abisalovna just smiles silently. What does she care about big titles when she has students waiting and working 18 hours every day. For almost 20 years now she has been directing the Academy of Young Opera Singers at the Mariinsky Theater. She developed her own unique system, Gergieva’s system. Delicately, almost in a whisper, she gives advice.

Each artist receives a special approach. It is not surprising that the professionals of her students immediately recognize, as they say, the culture of singing. And she continues to look for new talents, organizing several prestigious international and Russian vocal competitions.

There are always flowers in her office - students bring them to her for no reason, and the first gifts for her anniversary. A portrait from photographs of people dear to her. Here is the idol of her youth, Alain Delon, whom she met on tour in Paris, and Elena Obraztsova, with whom she traveled all over the world, performing with virtually no rehearsal, because the great Obraztsova sang in a new way every time, and Gergieva felt her, here is her brother - the maestro Valery Gergiev.

By the way, she is one of the few who not only teaches, but also stages opera performances on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. One of her last premieres was the mono-opera “Notes of a Madman.”

“It’s such a great pleasure, such happiness when the singer with whom you prepared something comes on stage, already in costume, in makeup, sings the part accompanied by an orchestra, creates an image, and you took a very direct part in this, and you stand in the wings and are terribly worried,” says Larisa Gergieva.

On the day of the anniversary, you still have to come out of the scenes and accept congratulations. Her students will perform here - and this is probably the main gift. A few minutes before their performance. Every note, every sound, of course, is perfected to perfection, all that remains is to correct the bowtie, because performing without her parting words is a bad omen.

“Now I really want my students to show themselves as brightly as possible, to become successful, and so that I still have time to teach as much as possible,” says Larisa Gergieva.

The famous accompanist, artistic director of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Singers and the National State Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania Larisa Gergieva is celebrating a double anniversary - 65 years and half a century of creative activity. A Culture correspondent spoke with Larisa Abisalovna.

Gergieva: First of all, I celebrate a creative and, to a lesser extent, personal anniversary. 50 years in the profession, in art - for me this is the most important milestone. On those same spring days, I took part in a solo concert of a professional bass for the first time. I was still just a college student, a first-year student. It was then that my interest in vocals began. Of course, I have performed before - in an ensemble with instrumentalists, and with good ones, but I have never felt such joy. It was a real shock. I experienced no less pleasure when, after classes with the singers, I came into the hall and for the first time heard a ready-made opera, which I had learned with them from beginning to end.

culture: Perhaps at first you dreamed of becoming a pianist?
Gergieva: No, I immediately focused on acting as an accompanist. It seemed to me much more interesting than solo performances. I was in love with the voice, and I just wanted an ensemble with a singer. Of course, I heard all sorts of things: that the profession is thankless, not very noticeable. But, as it turned out half a century later, it is not so inconspicuous. I do my job and have fun. The difficulty of the work of an opera accompanist and vocal teacher is that no one teaches this. You have to figure it all out yourself. And I want to tell my young colleagues: you can’t become an accompanist just because your solo career hasn’t worked out - you’ll suffer all your life. You need to love singers, voices, music. Then it's yours. You are a nanny, a teacher, a psychologist, and most importantly, a friend.

Already in my youth, at school in Vladikavkaz, I had a craving for studying new works and composers' names. The desire to understand the profession and self-education means a lot. I sat by the radio and listened to the concerts of Dolukhanova, Arkhipova, Obraztsova. My ideal was the legendary Gerald Moore - I was guided by his art and ability to interact with the singer. On stage, an accompanist experiences no less emotions than a solo pianist. I remember my feelings when I received applause at La Scala after our concert with Olga Borodina.

culture: It’s not easy with singers, they’re all different...
Gergieva: Naturally. With Obraztsova, for example, we never rehearsed for a long time, we’ll try something, and the rest was born spontaneously, already on stage. Arkhipova was completely different: in the most insignificant miniature everything was polished to shine, to perfection. Communication with any vocalist, even an inept one, provides a lot for professional growth. And there is considerable joy when something starts to work out and you see the result of your work.

culture: Falling in love with the voice came immediately. Did the theater captivate you just as quickly?
Gergieva: I came across the stage when Valery and I were doing an internship in Vladikavkaz, at the local musical theater. It was there that I realized: I need to prepare the game in such a way that everything is learned more than one hundred percent. A singer has so many tasks on stage that the musical material must be brought to the point of automaticity. Plus I liked the new challenge. Many years later, I came to this theater as artistic director: the company was on the verge of closure, and I managed to revive it to life. We created such complex and rare operas for Russia as “Manon Lescaut”, “Fedora” by Giordano, “Agrippina” by Handel. It was there that I had my first directorial experience - I directed “Troubadour”. Now we are becoming a branch of the Mariinsky Theater. I think this will benefit the musical culture of Ossetia and the Caucasus region. All these years, young Mariinsky students have been singing on the stage of the Vladikavkaz Theater, but now cooperation will reach a fundamentally different level.

culture: How does your main brainchild, the Mariinsky Theater Academy, live?
Gergieva: This season we have 36 new titles, they are performed at the Mariinsky Theater for the first time. As part of our subscriptions, we have the opportunity to introduce St. Petersburg music lovers to the rarest works: “Lucrezia Borgia” by Donizetti, “Cinderella” and “Werther” by Massenet, “Capulets and the Montagues” by Bellini, “The Thieving Magpie” by Rossini, “The Swallow” by Puccini, “Siberia” Giordano. Chamber works include Butsko's "Notes of a Madman" and his "White Nights", "Van Gogh's Letters" and Grigory Fried's "Anne Frank's Diary". We actively recall completely forgotten operas - “Grigory Melekhov” by Dzerzhinsky, “Not Only Love” by Shchedrin.

They staged a whole series of children's works, not only classics, but also completely new opuses, written especially for us. Children's subscriptions are especially important - this is a concern for the formation of a new public, the education of true music lovers and theatergoers who will come to our theater. At such performances there is often interactivity, a small spectator can communicate with the artists, touch the scenery, and touch the amazing and beautiful world of the backstage. Behind all this is the enormous work of young, talented, truly daring soloists.

We now have a whole scattering of star voices, they are involved and in demand. I personally am very attracted to large ensemble operas, because this is an excellent opportunity for young people to express themselves and grow in a very diverse repertoire. In general, life at the Mariinsky Theater is very rich - hardly any other theater in the world is in full swing with the same intensity. We trust the young, give them a lot to do, immediately and actively include them in the creative process, and the result is colossal qualitative growth, voices and artistic personalities blossom. With such a busy schedule, however, we never interfere with their tours at other venues. This enriches both the artist and the theater.

I see my purpose in raising children. In addition to vocals and opera, I teach them about life. You need to have great patience and treat them like a mother, hear them, develop the best. There are different characters, different psychotypes - you need to find an approach to each. In 2018, the Academy will be 20 years old, and I can say without false modesty that a lot has been done, we have launched many real, interesting careers, this is an absolutely successful experiment.

culture: What problems do modern youth have, and what do you struggle with first?
Gergieva: The main problem is that they are in a hurry. Nothing comes instantly. There are, of course, miracles: bright talents emerge and progress quickly, but this is rather an exception. A singer must have time to mature, to gain experience. But our guys need everything at once. I would like to wish them more patience and understanding regarding their capabilities. Listen to the advice of experienced and senior people, teachers and coaches. Do not take on the dramatic repertoire too early, work on styles, and competently build a development strategy. Accumulate - not only in vocal-technological terms, but also in general cultural terms.

Photo at the announcement: Alexander Nikolaev/Interpress/TASS