“I went to school for my mother and played the violin”: Yuri Bashmet about youth, love for the Beatles and the situation around Placido Domingo

- Now passes the year of music in the UK and Russia. How productive is this format of cultural cooperation, in your opinion?

- This is a great idea (I don’t know who was its composer!), But I participate a lot in these “years of culture”.

In Soviet times, this also happened: the days of the culture of Soviet music in Budapest, somewhere else ... There was always such a topic, but then it died out. At the time of perestroika, probably. But now it has resumed.

And what is connected with 2019 ... You say, it is cross with the UK. My festival is dedicated to this at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, "December evenings of Svyatoslav Richter." There will be paintings, paintings, and music, respectively, will be selected. In general, the festival was started by Richter when Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova persuaded him. Richter himself loved to draw, for him this topic was very harmonious.

Let’s find, let’s say, a theme (he usually did it, but now he doesn’t, we do it) and, if the music is impressionism, then 50 paintings of the impressionists ... And so on. That made sense. Now, in answer to your question, I will say that the whole festival is dedicated to England. Both painting and music will be English.

- You made an alt solo instrument. Did your vision quickly take root, or did you first have to face a lack of understanding among musicians, critics, listeners?

- You know, of course, it is more pleasant for any artist to be praised than to be criticized. But a creative person, of course, scolds himself. There is no stronger criticism than from this artist. He scolds himself so much that no one will seem! And when others praise, I like it, of course.

As for my career, it is random. I generally loved The Beatles at the time. And so, for mom, I went to school and played the violin, and was there in good standing. It was easy for me to succeed.

And then The Beatles ceased to exist, and life collapsed. What are the future prospects? What was offered at that time was not to my liking. I had not yet reached Jimi Hendrix - only then, after about 15 years, I realized that he was a genius in this direction. But then I didn’t like it. Pure jazz didn’t interest me either, but American jazz rock carried me away, I remember. These are such groups as “Blood, Sweat and Tears” (Blood, Sweat & Tears. - RT ), Chicago. I had my own group, I even tried to copy it. It turned out to be a rather miserable copy, because neither traditions, nor tools, nor skill in blood. But I liked jazz rock.

And then there was a competition in Kiev, all-Ukrainian, dedicated to the centenary of Lenin. Therefore, I believe that Vladimir Ilyich determined my fate, although, as you know, I could not be familiar with him.

I began to prepare for this competition, won, and then it became clear that I needed to enter the Moscow Conservatory. That’s how I already went with the flow. And then, of course, luck. Since the alt was not formally considered a solo instrument, on the one hand, I promoted it, on the other, it promoted me. We somehow approached each other in parallel.

I have never heard critics about whether to play the solo solo at all. And by interpretation or by something else they often praised, but sometimes there was criticism. So what? It’s good when someone who is in the material, that is, who knows, criticizes. We have a lot of speculation about this. And now there are those who attract attention to themselves in other ways, are surprised by something, they need to be paid attention. This is all passing, it always has been.

- You once said that the Grammy award was not important for you ...

- No, no, I didn’t say that it’s not important! It was very nice, but from a practical point of view, it gives nothing to the artist. Well, CNN shows the presentation, the press - but why is that all? In order for the plates to sell better, and for the halls to assemble. And all this I had before the Grammy. In this sense, she added nothing. Well, maybe more fame - yes.

- In your opinion, is this award or some other way to popularize the business you are doing?

I will again answer that before this award we still played many times in the same America, in the same Carnegie Hall, and the hall was going to. What is popularization for? In order for people to know and come. They already knew, they came and bought records.

In the case of the Grammy, the nomination itself is very important. A nomination is a victory in the genre ... I already won the nomination, then they can compare me with whoever you want - with a pianist or with a vocalist. Even then, one is chosen: one person or a chamber ensemble, or an expanded ensemble ...

Two weeks after I was awarded the Grammy, there was a Placido Domingo concert in Moscow. He performed with my symphony orchestra. Then there was a banquet, and Domingo raised his glass to congratulate me on the Grammy. There were a lot of people - a thousand. “I want to tell you all,” he says. “How many times have you been nominated?” I answer: "Six." “Did you get it?” - “One, seventh.” “And I was nominated 21 times and got 11, but the most difficult was to get the last,” says Domingo. Why? Because he fell into the category of popular singers among Sting and others (Domingo has such records). And he says: “The most difficult thing was. I was even worried when I got into this nomination and got it. ” So here is the Grammy.

“Praise itself.” Reverse side of criticism.

- Sure. But on the other hand, speaking professionally, where is the voice of Sting, and where is the voice of Domingo?

- He is now in disgrace due to the noise around sexual harassment ...

- This is all speculation. Not so long ago, we again had a concert with him in Moscow. We talked, he is in a great mood, all this “take it easy” (“take this simpler.” - RT ) for him. Well, funny: handsome, genius! 30 years ago, millions of girls were in love with him ... (Dreamed. - RT ) to see him, just to meet, to take a selfie. Millions And here we are talking about nine cases. Time is changing.

So what, what did he offer dinner? This does not mean that he molested! This is some nonsense. Remember my words. They will endlessly choose some kind of figure - Polanski (he lost his career in general), Spacey. How many nerves were lost, but there was a trial, and he (Spacey. - RT ) is absolutely justified. This is all, of course, disgusting.

Remember my words, the opposite story will begin: some boys will remember that a teacher tried to seduce them 30 years ago. And why? Yes, because one of these women was paid $ 50 thousand for each of her interviews. She says this, without shyness. She gave ten interviews - she has already become rich.

- You play on the viola work of Testori. How are old tools fundamentally better than modern ones?

- I didn’t have a trip to some store where old, modern tools are. I had no choice. It was simply always thought that an old Italian instrument has a very noble timbre and has been tested for years. The modern one may sound for several months, and then die out forever - it is not clear what way, how long the tree from which it is made lives. Therefore, old, of course. Here he came, thank God, to me when you were not born yet. In 1975 ... before.

- Do such tools require special care, attention?

“Special care, I would say.” Still, it is wood and glue, there are no nails and screws. When you fly from Moscow to Tokyo, and then to Krasnoyarsk, and then to Sochi, this is all very harmful for the instrument. And it sounds differently. This is a difficult situation.

- Have to get used to it?

- He himself must get used to it! In Sochi, the humidity is incredible, in Turkey incredible. I often go there, the festival takes place there. The hall is located in an underground room, where incredible humidity. Literally solid spike! But something is still audible from the audience. A tree swells from moisture - God forbid, so that nothing cracked. He himself gets used to, acclimatization.

There are some ways, of course (help the tool. - RT ) . For example, grains do not know what in such small pillows (they are placed in optical equipment that flies into space), and these grains absorb moisture. If it’s very wet, then they last 40 minutes, and then you need to - without oil, of course - toss these grains into a frying pan. They are white, but after gaining moisture, they become dark yellow. Lie down on the frying pan for a minute - and again white.

There are all sorts of ways. There is such a tube - it sticks into the ephs and more or less stably holds humidity. If dry, there is some water in the tube. All professionals know this. I have a pipe, I don’t use it, and I don’t use grains now.

The tool should be clean, in order. Because rosin is pouring in - the dust is so white. This degrades the sound, and in general is somehow unpleasant. It cannot be shaken, it cannot lie in some kind of unstable position in a car, for example.