Moscow Virtuosi visit
Crack ensemble tours with Spivakov
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David Gordon Duke
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Special to The Sun
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Thursday, May 01, 2008
Visiting orchestras are, by definition, a special event here on the West Coast. Vladimir Spivakov has visited before as a conductor, but next Thursday, May 8, he brings with him to the Chan Centre his crack string ensemble, the Moscow Virtuosi.
Despite the recent rise of the Russian entrepreneurial class, these are challenging times for Russian musicians. The days of lavish state subsidies are an increasingly distant memory. Today's players work very, very hard to make a living, says Spivakov.
"For the first time Russian people are earning money, and some don't know how to handle it," he says. There aren't the tax breaks that inspire U.S.-style philanthropy; Russia's new millionaires "are more inclined to buy property in Chelsea than to endow a concert hall."
The ensemble is coming here as part of a world tour commemorating its 30th anniversary. A significant part of what makes the one-night-only Vancouver show so unmissable is the Russian approach to string playing. Although the glory days of the likes of Leonid Kogan and the simply incomparable David Oistrakh are long over, the legacy of the great Russian school is still potent. Simply put, it's all about tone and emotion.
The Virtuosi has a strong quotient of younger players. Has the fabled Russian sound changed? Spivakov sees it as a living tradition, fed by a growing awareness of early music and "authentic" performance practices. Playing music by contemporary Russian composers such as Gubaidulina and Schnittke has also stretched players. Spivakov's dictum: "Ultimately, style determines sound."
Spivakov has a stable ensemble of players he knows well, and these are the players with whom he's touring. The orchestra has an enthusiastic fan base back home and plays to consistently full houses -- even when programs are "all contemporary."
On tour the ensemble is offering some North American audiences Schoenberg and Shostakovich; the Chan program is a double-header, with Vivaldi, Rossini and Bocherini in the first half, Tchiakovsky's Serenade for Strings in the second. A safe program? Maybe, but, if you know Spivakov's way with Tchaikovsky, it's a program to savour. Audiences who've heard his Tchaikovsky with the VSO gloried in a generous, rich -- dare one say authentic? -- Tchaikovsky style. Here's another rare opportunity to hear Russian music in the Russian manner.
"You asked about the Russian sound," Spivakov said almost conspiratorially at the close of our conversation. "You want to know the secret? The sound is in your soul."