The Musical Heritage of the JINR Member States

On 20 March, the Culture Centre "Mir" will host the first concert of the series "Acquaintance through Music. The Musical Heritage of the JINR Member States" performed by the Dubna Symphony Orchestra. We spoke to the orchestra's director Natalia Castro about the premiere of the musical project, which will be another step in the manifestation of the long-standing creative friendship between the orchestra and the Institute.

Natalia Aleksandrovna, just the other day you will be presenting your unique project to the public. Please, tell us about the very concept and the idea of its creation.

The idea was conceived long before the given situation. It is very beautiful and interesting for us as musicians, because it is first of all an occasion to turn to the musical heritage of these countries, to study it, to find the most interesting, most national, perhaps less familiar, or on the contrary, the most iconic works by composers. To find not only a variety of music, but also show in this series different ensembles - duets, trios, quartets, chamber ensembles, and, of course, a large orchestra!

What composers' music will be played at the Culture Centre "Mir" on 20 March?

The series will open with the music by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok, featuring his Violin Sonata No.1. In the early 1920s, Bartok created two sonatas for violin which became a new word in violin art. In his sonatas, the composer presented a completely different interpretation of the instrument - instead of a lyrical performance, the violin sounded like the Hungarian folk instrument cymbals, playing pizzicato chords.

The program will be continued with a poignant piano trio by Mieczyslaw Weinberg (Poland--Russia), created in 1945. His compositions are rarely heard in concert halls, it was not until the composer's centenary that programs featuring his work began to appear on billboards more often. It will therefore be an event for the Dubna audience to hear such a rare performance!

Who will take the stage this evening?

Performers are soloists of the Dubna Symphony Orchestra Sergei Pospelov, Margarita Pospelova, and Fedor Zemlerub. There is a lot to say about each of them - they are all winners of international competitions, excellent pupils of star performers: Sergei Pospelov is a student of Eduard Grach, People's Artist of the USSR, Professor of the Moscow State Conservatory; Margarita Pospelova is a student of the famous concert pianist O.M.Yablonskaya (USA); Fedor Zemlerub is a student of N.N.Shakhovskaya, People's Artist of the USSR, Professor of the Moscow State Conservatory.

Sergei Pospelov.

How do you see the project developing?

The amount of music that can be included in this project is very large. I think we should limit ourselves to a time frame and do a series of concerts from March to September 2022. We may alternate between different genres and ensembles, but, finally, in December, we dream of a large orchestra and, for example, of a Romanian rhapsody by J.Enescu... Time will tell how things will work out.

How did the musicians in the orchestra take the new format that you offered them? Do they make any unusual suggestions for further programs?

The atmosphere in our team is very creative. The orchestra's musicians deserve a special talk. They are extraordinary. I admire each one. The piety and professional respect with which they treat our conductor Sergei Pospelov is worth a lot. That is what the quality and results are based on. And when there is a creative challenge, no one is left out. The project was hotly discussed by all of us. Margarita Pospelova, for example, dreams of playing Beethoven's 3rd Piano Concerto, so we will dedicate one of the series' concerts to the German genius by including his violin concerto in the program. But the main thing we agree on with our musicians is that each individual program should be part of a carefully thought-out overall plan.

D.D.Shostakovich said: "...through music you will find new forces within yourselves, unknown to you before. You will see life in new tones and colors". It's an incredible mission for musicians, isn't it?

Yes, sometimes I envy myself when I sit in the audience at our concerts. Music, after all, can remove all the accumulated negativity, give rise to a new perception of the familiar and let you know that you can answer many life's questions...

Eleonora Yamaleeva