"We receive offers of tours from abroad every year"
People's Artist of the Russian Federation Alexander Sladkovsky performed Prokofiev's patriotic cantata in Italy with the famous number "Get Up, Russian People" and received an invitation to perform again next year. In the near future, the conductor and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan, headed by him, plan to tour Vietnam with Denis Matsuev and Vadim Repin. In addition, work is in full swing on a studio recording of all of Gustav Mahler's symphonies — for the first time in Russia. Alexander Sladkovsky told Izvestia about this on the eve of his anniversary, which he will celebrate on the "home" stage of his band — at the Kazan Philharmonic.
"I was invited to Italy again next season"
— Today you are celebrating your own 60th birthday. It will be followed very soon by the same anniversary date of your orchestra — you are practically the same age as him. With what feelings do you cross these boundaries?
— We celebrate the 60th anniversary in the very beautiful hope that life has not been lived in vain. And it continues. One of my main concerns right now is an anthology of all the symphonies by Gustav Mahler. We have already started this work, and I am very glad that we have such a grandiose goal: to record all of his ten symphonies (the tenth is unfinished. — Izvestia). From what has already been done, I will name the Eighth Symphony that has already been recorded. And piece by piece, together with the choir and the singers Ekaterina Semenchuk and Albina Shagimuratova, we recorded what we could from the Third and Fourth Symphonies. It is very difficult to get together at a certain time with soloists, with choirs...
I hope to complete this work in 2026. As far as I know, there are no studio recordings of all Mahler's symphonies in Russia, despite the fact that Valery Gergiev, Valery Polyansky, and Evgeny Svetlanov played them at one time. But then there were recordings from concerts. This is not a studio job. But if we record all this in the studio, then it will, of course, be a very big step for the history of our orchestra.
— You have recently toured in Italy. How were you received there? Given the recent scandal surrounding Valery Gergiev's failed speech, this fact seems particularly noteworthy.
— In Italy, I conducted a performance of Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky cantata. And he played an Elgar Cello Concerto with Gauthier Capuson. It was a symphonic program at the Bari Opera House. Then he performed in the Hungarian city of Debrecen and in Yerevan.
Alexander Sladkovsky
— And how did the Italian public react to Prokofiev, to you? After all, this is a patriotic cantata! "Get up, Russian people, for a glorious battle, for a mortal battle..."
— They reacted well! It's not my first time performing there. I have been invited to Bari for three seasons in a row. So I have a great relationship with both the audience and the orchestra. This is the first time we've met with the choir. And, you know, it was a huge success. And the proof of that is that I was invited there again next season. In general, Bari is a special city for me. The relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker lie there. And besides that, there is also a wonderful orchestra, and a wonderful, kind atmosphere.
"The conductor is responsible for the provision of musicians"
— Even 20 years ago, there was a stereotype that Western orchestras played well, but Russian orchestras were seriously underachieving. Do you think that this situation has changed in general now? Is it possible to say that we have more or less parity with the West here?
— Of course, the situation has changed a lot. Thinking about this topic, I remember my childhood. Then there was the Svetlanov State Orchestra, the Merited Mravinsky Collective, the Fedoseyev Grand Symphony Orchestra, and the Radio and Television Orchestra. Actually, that's all. Geographically— there are only Leningrad and Moscow.
Also, of course, it is impossible not to name the great soloists: Svyatoslav Richter, Leonid Kogan, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich… They were heavenly beings, and we prayed to them, listened with our mouths open, and studied.
Leonid Kogan
But look at the heyday of performing skills in Russia over the past 15-20 years! How many pianists, how many wonderful violinists and cellists, amazing voices! Today we have not one or two names, but dozens of outstanding musicians. The same trend is with orchestras.
— It seems to me that one of the vectors of this movement is the emergence of strong regional collectives.
— Of course, I completely agree with you. And I really like this trend because I am closely watching what is happening outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
The Tatarstan Orchestra was at the forefront of this movement. Dmitry Liss has long made a very good orchestra in Yekaterinburg. But now the teams of Ufa, Chelyabinsk, and Irkutsk are developing very seriously.
I visit Irkutsk every year for Denis Matsuev's Stars on Lake Baikal Festival. And here is Ilya Derbilov (conductor, artistic director of the Irkutsk Philharmonic, appointed in January 2025. — Izvestia) I worked there for several months, and the result was immediately visible. That is, it all depends on the personality of the conductor who takes over the orchestra. There are already some proven patterns that can be used to revive an orchestra, even if it is not at the best initial level.
— What is this pattern?
— It's almost a mathematical formula. The more an orchestra engages, the more successful it is in terms of provision, salaries, and instruments, the more interest the musicians themselves have. And this is all the more interesting for the audience, who are gradually starting to walk and get used to a completely different sound level and sound quality.
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Tatarstan
— And where do you get the conductors worthy for this? We have many regions.
— Let's say there is a Rachmaninov competition. I'm not going to talk about pianists now, it's not really my diocese, but as for conductors, we already see a huge increase in the second competition compared to the first one. And at the next competition, I believe we will see even more talented and capable conductors. This is the very young galaxy that will further develop the orchestral business.
Moreover, life itself forces conductors not only to conduct, but also to organize and arrange the life of orchestras in a real way. Don't just go behind the remote control and say something smart. Every conductor understands that he is personally responsible for how the musicians are provided, what they play, where they play, where they go, and so on. I mean, it's a very complicated process, but it's amazing that we have such a tool as the Rachmaninov Competition, which, as they say, shapes personnel policy. We can see how the guys who go through this competition are already making great progress.
"I am ready to perform with our orchestra anywhere in the world"
— You and the orchestra are planning a tour in Vietnam in the near future.
- yes. Fortunately, we receive some offers from abroad every year. And GASO, despite everything, regularly travels abroad. This is important for any team. Besides, we will have amazing soloists in Vietnam. We are playing one concert with Denis Matsuev, one with Vadim Repin.
The pianist Denis Matsuev
— Isn't this your first tour in this country?
- yes! We've never been to Vietnam before. So this is a new flag on the world map — both our orchestra and my personal one. This is my first time there, too.
— Are there any other regions or countries where you dream of performing with an orchestra? If we are not talking about immediate plans, but about such creative fantasies.
— We've been to a lot of places, but we haven't been to a lot of places either. For example, in Singapore. I don't know if there is an opportunity to go there now. We haven't been to Australia, but to New Zealand. But I am absolutely philosophical about this. I think that everything has its time, first of all. And secondly, I am absolutely ready to perform with our orchestra anywhere in the world today. With any program.
As a leader, my task is to always keep the bar high and constantly improve the skills of each individual musician and the band as a whole. That's what worries me the most. And when to play, where, in which country, with which program… We are always ready.
I won't reveal any secrets, but sometimes it happens that, let's say, the leadership of the republic tells us: we need to fly to such and such a place and give such and such a concert. We can land, fly and play at any moment.
— Mobility, like Valery Abisalovich.
— After all, I studied in St. Petersburg, and I went to Gergiev's rehearsals a lot. For me, he is not only an example of a conductor, but also an organizer. Therefore, I have already accustomed my orchestra to a very high speed and readiness to play at any moment, anywhere in the world, and show what we are capable of.
— You are saying that you are ready to speak somewhere by order of the republic's leadership. In fact, it turns out that the orchestra performs something like diplomatic functions?
—That's right. When I came here 15 years ago, my first task was to create not just a well—playing orchestra, but a band that would represent the republic in Russia and the world.
Do you remember how Tatarstan has been associated for many years with the victories of the Rubin football club and the successes of the Ak Bars hockey players? So I want to say without false modesty that today a lot of people, well, at least in Russia, associate Tatarstan with the orchestra. This is the only regional orchestra that has its own subscription to the Moscow Philharmonic. The only band that records symphonic works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and Shostakovich in cycles every year... And he performs with our best, outstanding contemporary soloists. It was very difficult to do. But it's very nice that we succeeded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
