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State Academic Symphony Chapel of Valery Polyansky. Symphony Chapel of Russia, Valery Polyansky, Philharmonic Choir "Yaroslavia"

March 20, 2012 at Great Hall The Moscow Conservatory will host a concert by the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia under the direction of artistic director and chief conductor Valery Polyansky. The audience will be presented with Ludwig van Beethoven's Solemn Mass, opus 123.

The uniqueness of combining the choir and the symphony orchestra, allows you to achieve a harmonious masterpiece. Thanks to his talent, the artistic director of the Capella brings the spirit of modernity to a piece of music created several centuries ago.

The project "Offering to Svyatoslav Richter" is an annual event conceived as a tribute to the memory of brilliant pianist. For several years this concert has been a traditional bright event in the life of Moscow and attracts a wide audience of professionals and amateurs. classical music. “The audience is happy to come to this annual concert, paying tribute to the memory of one of the most brilliant musicians XX century. Playing a concert on your birthday was a tradition of Svyatoslav Teofilovich, which we continue,” notes Svyatoslav Pisarenko, general director of the Sviatoslav Richter Foundation.

The discovery and promotion of talents from the provinces, musicians and artists, is one of the main activities of the Foundation. The beginning of summer festivals, where young people can show their achievements, was laid by a team led by Valery Polyansky, a sound that conveys various shades of the famous Svyatoslav Richter himself. Many young performers were lucky enough to participate in this project and get a chance to be presented to the general public, to demonstrate their talent and love for music.

On March 20, on the birthday of the great maestro, already well-known and won love and respect musicians will take the stage in the Great Hall of the Conservatory and dedicate their performance to Svyatoslav Teofilovich. The concert starts at 19:00.

The State Academic Symphony Capella of Russia (GASK) emerged in December 1991 as a result of the merger of the State Chamber Choir of the USSR under the direction of Valery Polyansky and the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR Ministry of Culture. Valery Polyansky became the artistic director and chief conductor of the new ensemble.

The activities of the choir and orchestra of the GASK of Russia under the direction of V. Polyansky are carried out both in joint performances and separately. Due to this special, unique structure, the Capella has the opportunity to refer to many wonderful examples of classical music - masses and oratorios, requiems and cantatas - intended for soloists, choir and orchestra.

The extraordinary diligence and perseverance of the chief conductor is reflected in the quality of the performance. Every detail of the composition is carefully verified and then inscribed in the interpretation of the entire work. The conductor is especially successful in monumental works: Mahler's symphonies, Berlioz's oratorios "Romeo and Julia" and "The Childhood of Christ", large forms of Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich, Schnittke, etc.

Being a regular participant of the subscriptions of the Moscow Conservatory and the International House of Music, the ensemble often performs with the finalists of the International Tchaikovsky, Scriabin and Rachmaninov Competitions, tours in the USA, England, Italy (Spoletto), Germany, Switzerland (Geneva), in the countries of the South-Eastern Asia.

Russian conductor, choirmaster, teacher; laureate of the international competition, National artist Russia, laureate State Prizes Russia, artistic director and chief conductor of the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia - Valery Polyansky belongs to a rare number of musicians of that generation, which is associated with the flowering of Russian musical classics.

In his student years, Valery Kuzmich was the head of several amateur choirs. Later he became a conductor of the Moscow Operetta Theater, then Bolshoi Theater while teaching at the Moscow State Conservatory.

Polyansky is one of the few who to this day combines devoted service to traditions and bold innovation. Not only creative work, but the Maestro's life itself is an example of service to art. The service with which the legendary musicians of bygone times treated their skills. Because interpretation famous masterpieces the classics performed by Valery Polyansky and the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia headed by him sound stylish and harmonious in a special way.

Attention to the legacy of the past and adherence to high canonical patterns Valery Polyansky in a unique way combines with constant search new, bold experiments and the most unusual experiments. This combination of tradition and innovation is the creed of the maestro and his Chapel. After all, it was Polyansky with his team who once became the first performers of many oratorio works by Alfred Schnittke, who became real phenomena in the 90s and discovered unknown musical worlds.

The history of the creation of the Sviatoslav Richter Foundation

Carry great art to the provinces and help the young talented musicians and artists - this was the main idea of Svyatoslav Richter when the Foundation was created in 1992. The fund was conceived as Charitable organization- at that time one of the few in the country that devoted its efforts to holding classical music festivals in the Russian provinces and developing creativity.

In the sixties, in the "House on the Oka" near a small town known for the names of great artists, writers and musicians, among the amazing Russian nature, Svyatoslav Teofilovich worked a lot and fruitfully. He believed that this was an excellent place for creativity. It was there, during the summer season, Richter prepared six musical programs for his first US tour. After this trip, the music world recognized the great pianist of our time.

In the early 1990s, Richter came up with the idea of creating a House of Creativity for Young Musicians and Artists in Tarusa, where they could, as he once did, fruitfully work. financial support active rest he saw young people in receiving funds from the annual music and art festivals, from his personal and charitable contributions from his friends and colleagues. Therefore, he planned to actively participate in the concerts of the festival himself, as well as invite Yuri Bashmet, Natalia Gutman, Eliso Virsaladze, Galina Pisarenko and others: those who together with him became the founder of the Foundation. Richter's idea of establishing the Foundation was supported, and at the same time he himself transferred the ownership of the Foundation to the "House on the Oka", located on the edge of the forest on the high bank of the Oka.

The first Music and Art Festival in Tarusa, dedicated to Grieg's work, took place in the summer of 1993. The artistic design of the festival, the program of which was compiled by Richter himself, was an exhibition of works by Scandinavian artists from the collection of the Pushkin Museum im. A.S. Pushkin. The concerts were a huge success, both in Tarusa and in Moscow. Unfortunately, Richter did not manage to realize the idea of creating a creative laboratory for young people.

The Foundation continues the ideas of the master. In the summer of 2012, the traditional summer music festival in Tarusa will be held for the twentieth time, in which, along with outstanding musicians, young performers also take part. For each of them, this invitation is an event in their professional and creative life, a start consecrated by the name of a great musician.

On March 20, the Foundation annually celebrates the birthday of Svyatoslav Teofilovich with the concert "Offering to Svyatoslav Richter" in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. At present, in addition to the festival and concert activities, the Foundation is implementing a summer creative music school program. Hundreds of outstanding musicians were pupils of summer camps in their time.

State Academic Symphony Chapel of Russia- a unique team of over 200 artists. It unites the choir, orchestra and vocal soloists, who, existing in an organic unity, at the same time retain a certain creative independence.

The State Capella was formed in 1991 by the merger of the State Chamber Choir of the USSR under the direction of Valery Polyansky and the State Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR headed by Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

Both teams have come a long way. The orchestra was founded in 1957 and until 1982 was the orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Television, since 1982 - the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR Ministry of Culture. IN different time it was led by S. Samosud, Yu. Aranovich and M. Shostakovich. The chamber choir was created by V. Polyansky in 1971. Since 1980, the team has received new status and became known as the State Chamber Choir of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR.

With the choir, Valery Polyansky traveled all over the republics of the USSR, became the initiator of the festival in Polotsk, in which Irina Arkhipova, Oleg Yanchenko, the Ensemble of Soloists of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR participated ... In 1986, at the invitation of Svyatoslav Richter, Valery Polyansky and his choir presented a program from the works of P. I. Tchaikovsky at the festival "December Evenings", and in 1994 - "All-Night Vigil" by S. V. Rachmaninov. At the same time, the State Chamber Choir made itself known abroad, triumphantly performing with Valery Polyansky at the festivals "Singing Wroclaw" (Poland), in Merano and Spoleto (Italy), Izmir (Turkey), in Narden (Holland); memorable participation in the famous "Promenade Concerts" in the Albert Hall (Great Britain), performances in historical cathedrals France - in Bordeaux, Amiens, Albi.

The State Capella's birthday is December 27, 1991: then Antonin Dvorak's cantata "Wedding Shirts" conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky was performed in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. In 1992 artistic director and Valery Polyansky became the chief conductor of the GASK of Russia. The activities of the choir and orchestra of the Chapel are carried out both in joint performances and in parallel. The ensemble and its chief conductor are welcome guests at the best venues in Moscow, regular members of the Moscow Philharmonic, the Moscow Conservatory and the Moscow International House of Music, and have performed with the finalists of the international Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov competitions. The chapel toured with triumph in the USA, England, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and in the countries of Southeast Asia.

The basis of the group's repertoire is cantata-oratorio genres: masses, oratorios, requiems of all eras and styles - Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Berlioz, Liszt, Verdi, Dvorak, Rachmaninoff, Reger, Stravinsky, Britten, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Eshpai . Valery Polyansky constantly conducts monographic symphonic cycles, dedicated to Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninov, Mahler and other great composers.

Many Russian and foreign performers. A particularly close and long-term creative friendship connects the team with Gennady Nikolaevich Rozhdestvensky, who annually presents his personal philharmonic subscription with the State Capella of Russia.

In recent years, the team has developed its own scheme in building the season. His extreme points devoted to performances in small towns. Since 2009, the Capella has been holding the September Evenings festival in Tarusa (together with the Svyatoslav Richter Foundation), introducing masterpieces of symphonic and choral music residents of Torzhok, Tver, Kaluga. In 2011, Yelets was added, where the world premiere of Alexander Tchaikovsky's opera The Legend of the City of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane, staged by director Georgy Isahakyan, was triumphant. “We don't need a lot of words about patriotism,” V. Polyansky formulated his position, “young people just need to hear this music that inspires love for the motherland. It is a crime that there are cities where people have never heard a live symphony orchestra, never seen opera performances. We are trying to correct this injustice."

The repertoire policy of the State Capella reflects and important dates world history. To the 200th anniversary of the victory in Patriotic War 1812, a concert performance of Prokofiev's opera "War and Peace" took place (in Torzhok and Kaluga), the world premiere of the oratorio "The Sovereign's Affairs" by A. Tchaikovsky (2013, Lipetsk, Moscow) was timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, and on the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia sounded "Life for the Tsar" by M. Glinka.

A landmark event of 2014 was the concert performance by the State Capella of Prokofiev's rarely performed opera Semyon Kotko, which took place on the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater and in the Central academic theater Russian Army and was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. At the same venues, the team celebrated its 70th anniversary Great Victory performance of K. Molchanov's opera "The Dawns Here Are Quiet".

The touring activity of the State Capella is intensive. The orchestra's excellence was applauded by the British audience during the 2014 autumn tour. “There are conductors who consider Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony too famous and play it on auto-pilot, but Polyansky and his orchestra were just great. The music of Tchaikovsky, of course, entered the flesh and blood of this collective; Polyansky played this immortal masterpiece in the way I am sure Tchaikovsky himself would like to hear it,” noted British critic and composer Robert Matthew-Walker.

In 2015, the orchestra's concerts were triumphant in the United States, Belarus (the festival of sacred music "God Are Mighty") and Japan, where the audience appreciated V. Polyansky's interpretations of Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies.

Valery Polyansky

Valery Polyansky- a musician of multifaceted talent, the highest culture, deep erudition. His charisma as a conductor is equally manifested both in the field of choral art and at the symphony orchestra, and creative searches are brilliantly realized in the most different genres– be it operas, compositions for a cappella choir, monumental cantata-oratorio works, symphonies, contemporary compositions.

Valery Polyansky was born in 1949 in Moscow. His vocation was determined very early: graduating from a music school, at the age of 13 he was already conducting the choir. Then followed the years of study with E. Zvereva at the school at the Moscow Conservatory, which V. Polyansky finishes in three years; at the Moscow State Conservatory, the young musician studied simultaneously at two faculties: conducting and choir (class of Professor B. Kulikov) and opera and symphony conducting (class of O. Dimitriadi).

In graduate school, fate brought together V. K. Polyansky with G. N. Rozhdestvensky, who had a great influence on the further creative activity young conductor.

The most important milestone in the life of Valery Polyansky was 1971, when he organized the Chamber Choir of the students of the Moscow Conservatory, and also became the conductor of the Moscow Operetta Theater.

In 1975 in Italy, at the largest international competition "Guido d'Arezzo", Valery Polyansky and his Chamber Choir became the undisputed winners. For the first time, a choir from Russia received a Gold Medal in the nomination "Academic Singing", having also won the "Golden Bell" - the symbol of the best choir of the competition. Valery Polyansky was awarded special prize as the best conductor of the competition. The Italians then wrote about the musician: "This is a genuine Karajan of choral conducting, with exceptionally bright and flexible musicality."

In 1977, V. Polyansky, without leaving the choir, became the conductor of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR, where, among other things, he participated, together with G. Rozhdestvensky, in the production of Shostakovich's opera Katerina Izmailova, and conducted other performances.

In the same years, cooperation with the Union of Composers begins: Valery Polyansky boldly takes on the development of new scores, becomes a regular participant in the Moscow Autumn festival of contemporary music. The best Russian composers dedicate their compositions to him - N. Sidelnikov, E. Denisov, A. Schnittke, S. Gubaidulina, D. Krivitsky, A. Vieru. “... It is necessary that the works of our days sound. We live in a world full of different emotional colors, emotional moods, experiences, confrontation of passions. All this is reflected in one way or another in the richest treasury of world music, everything must be presented on the modern concert stage. Support contemporary composers is our duty,” says the conductor.

Heading the State Chamber Choir, Valery Polyansky collaborated fruitfully with the leading symphony ensembles of Russia and foreign countries, repeatedly performed with orchestras of Belarus, Iceland, Finland, Germany, Holland, USA, Taiwan, Turkey. He staged Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin" in the Gothenburg musical theater(Sweden), for several years he was the chief conductor of the Opera Evenings festival in Gothenburg.

Since 1992, Valery Polyansky has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the State Academic Symphony Capella of Russia.

The conductor has made over 100 recordings at leading recording companies, both in Russia and abroad. Among them are works by Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, Glazunov, Scriabin, Bruckner, Dvorak, Reger, Shimanovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke (Schnittke's Eighth Symphony, released by the English company Chandos records in 2001, was recognized as the best recording of the year). It is impossible not to say about the recording of all choral concerts the remarkable Russian composer D. Bortnyansky and the revival of the music of A. Grechaninov, which was almost never performed in Russia.

The conductor is also one of the best interpreters of Rachmaninov's heritage, his discography includes all the composer's symphonies, all his operas in concert performance, all choral works. Valery Polyansky - President of the Rachmaninoff Society, head of the International Rachmaninoff Piano Competition.

Currently, the conductor's attention is given to G. Mahler: for the first time in Russia, the State Capella is conducting a unique cycle "Gustav Mahler and his time", designed for several years. In 2015, when Tchaikovsky's anniversary was widely celebrated, V. Polyansky and Capella held the Music for All Seasons festival, which was called "unprecedented" in the media. All the composer's symphonies, the Nine Sacred Choirs, the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" and the opera " Queen of Spades in concert performance.

Since 2000, in the programs of the State Capella, the attraction to the genre of opera in concert performance has been clearly distinguished. To date, V. Polyansky has performed about 30 operas. This includes both Russian classics (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grechaninov) and foreign authors, in particular Verdi, to whom the maestro has dedicated special season tickets for several seasons in a row. Among the Verdi masterpieces presented by the Chapel are the operas Louise Miller, Il trovatore, Rigoletto, The Force of Destiny, Falstaff, Macbeth and others. To the 200th anniversary of the birth of Verdi on historical scene Bolshoi Theater V. Polyansky with the State Capella held a gala concert "Viva, Verdi", which included fragments from 13 operas and the composer's "Requiem". The project turned out to be so popular that it was then repeatedly repeated in the subscriptions of the Moscow Philharmonic and at the closing of the Amber Necklace festival (Kaliningrad, 2015).

Constantly in the conductor's field of vision are modern scores, he has performed a number of Russian and world premieres, including: "Gesualdo" by A. Schnittke (2000), " Last days Pushkin" by A. Nikolaev (2007), "The Legend of the City of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane" by A. Tchaikovsky (2011), "Albert and Giselle" by A. Zhurbin (2012), oratorio "The Sovereign's Affairs" by A. Tchaikovsky (2013) .

Valery Polyansky strives to present the opera in a historically accurate interpretation, uses the original author's editions, attracts musicians from the State Capella and leading singers of famous Russian theaters. Collaboration with the Capella allowed many singers to creatively realize themselves in operas that are not on the playbill of their theaters, and thus expand and enrich their repertoire. Polyansky managed to assemble a team of like-minded people, develop his own original style in interpreting the form of the concert performance of the opera.

The conductor's contribution to musical culture has been highly recognized with state awards. Valery Polyansky - People's Artist of Russia (1996), laureate of the State Prizes of Russia (1994, 2010), holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2007).

Philharmonic Choir Chapel "Yaroslavia"

Philharmonic Choir Chapel "Yaroslavia" was created in the fall of 2003 by the famous Yaroslavl musician and teacher S. M. Berezovsky. The appearance in Yaroslavl of a team of such a scale and level has become a significant cultural event. The Capella was composed of professional musicians, graduates of Moscow universities, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kostroma.

The chapel leads an intensive creative life. Her performances are distinguished by bright theatricality and artistry. The team is able to organically transform into a chamber and large concert choir, which allows it to perform a wide variety of repertoire.

In 2008, Vladimir Kontarev, a well-known conductor and teacher, professor at the Moscow Conservatory, laureate of the L.V. Sobinov Prize, became Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Yaroslavia Philharmonic Choir Chapel. The high prestige of the musician, his rich artistic experience helped the band to win international recognition.

In the spring of 2011, Yaroslavia was awarded the title of laureate at the International Festival of Church Music in Hajnówka (Poland). The skill of the Capella, which continues the best traditions of the Russian choral performing school, was highly appreciated international jury, critics and the musical community.

Philharmonic Choir Chapel "Yaroslavia" is a member of many bright creative projects. Thus, with the State Symphony Orchestra "New Russia" conducted by Yuri Bashmet, soloists of the Bolshoi Theater and dramatic artists, a concert version of Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin" was performed; with the Symphony Orchestra, choir and soloists of the Mariinsky Theater under the direction of Valery Gergiev – The Bells by S. V. Rachmaninov. The Capella also participated in major projects with artists from the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, the Moscow Academic Musical Theater named after K. S. Stanislavsky and V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, the Moscow New Opera Theater named after E. V. Kolobov, with the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia named after N.P. Osipov, the Yaroslavl Academic Governor's Symphony Orchestra, chamber orchestras Pratum Integrum, "Russian Camerata", ensemble of soloists "Hermitage". Among such artistic events are concert performances of the operas “Tosca”, “Madama Butterfly” by G. Puccini, “Otello” by G. Verdi, “Cinderella” by G. Rossini, “Khovanshchina” by M. P. Mussorgsky; works of the cantata-oratorio genre - "Alexander Nevsky" by S. Prokofiev, Requiem and Grand Mass in C minor by W. A. Mozart, "Nenia" by I. Brahms, "Carmina Burana" by K. Orff, "Kursk Songs", "Pathetic Oratorio ”, “Poem in memory of Sergei Yesenin” by G. Sviridov, “Seven songs about God” by A. Mikita, “Requiem” by A. Karamanov. Famous conductors performed with the Capella: Vladimir Andropov, Murad Annamamedov, Yuri Bashmet, Evgeny Bushkov, Dmitry Volosnikov, Valery Gergiev, Wolf Gorelik, Valery Polyansky, Dimitris Botinis (Greece), Claudio Vandelli (Italy), Johannes Wildner (Germany), Terje Mikkelsen (Norway), Andres Mustonen (Estonia) and others.

The team constantly takes part in major Russian and foreign festivals, including the Moscow Easter under the direction of Valery Gergiev, Yuri Bashmet's festivals in Yaroslavl and Sochi, Moscow Autumn, the Transfiguration Arts Festival and the International Festival organ music named after Leonid Roizman in Yaroslavl, “Five Kremlin Festival” in Veliky Novgorod, J.S. Bach Music Festival in Tver, “Organ Evenings in Kuskovo” in Moscow, Prokofiev Festival in Donetsk (Ukraine), Credo Orthodox Sacred Music Festival (Estonia) , music festivals in Bialystok, Katowice, Rybnik (Poland), Vologda, Vladimir, Kostroma, Rybinsk and many other cities.

Oksana Sekerina

Oksana Sekirina was born in Novy Urengoy, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. She graduated from the Khanty-Mansiysk branch of the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music.

The concert activity of the singer began during her studies. Among the highlights are participation in the program for the 30th anniversary of the creative activity of Metropolitan Hilarion in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, where Oksana Sekerina performed with the Russian National Orchestra (2014); performance of the role of the Mother of God in the British premiere of Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev's) oratorio The Passion According to Matthew at London's Cadogan Hall (conductor Alexei Puzakov), which received rave reviews from the press. In September 2015 Oksana Sekerina performed as Liza Brichkina in a concert production of Kirill Molchanov's The Dawns Here Are Quiet at the Bolshoi Theater of Russia (conductor Valery Polyansky).

Rustam Javaev

A native of Astrakhan, Rustam Yavaev graduated from the Moscow State Pedagogical University with a degree in opera and chamber performance (class of teacher M.A. Ganeshina and professor G.I. Urbanovich) and postgraduate studies (2005) in the class solo singing State Classical Academy. Maimonides (class of professor G.I. Urbanovich). In 2006, the singer completed an internship at the G.P. Vishnevskaya Opera Singing Center.

Winner of the All-Russian Student Competition in Yekaterinburg (1st Prize, 2000), Diploma Winner of the "Bela Vose" Competition in Moscow (2001), Laureate of the International Music Competition of the 20th Century in St. Petersburg (2nd Prize, 2002), Laureate of the All-Russian Competition in Kostroma (1st Prize , 2004), winner of the Ilham Shakirov International Competition (Kazan, 2005), winner of the International Competition "Amber Nightingale" in Kaliningrad (3rd prize, 2006), winner of the International Competition in Italy (Pesaro) "Citta di Pesaro" (2nd prize, 2009) .

Rustem Javaev collaborated with the College early music at the Moscow Conservatory, where he participated in performances of operas and oratorios by K. Monteverdi, J. A. Hasse, J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel, A. Scarlatti, K. V. Gluck, J. Pergolesi, F. Cavalli, J. Peri, D. Bortnyansky. The singer repeatedly participated in the Moscow Autumn festival at the Moscow House of Composers, performing the music of modern domestic and foreign composers. In 2011, Rustam Yavaev was invited as a soloist to the Bolshoi Theater of Russia to perform the cantata "Stabat mater" by A. Vivaldi in the ballet performance "Reflection". The singer conducts an active concert activity in Russia and abroad.

Anton Vinogradov

Anton Vinogradov graduated Russian academy music named after the Gnessins (class of Professor, Honored Artist of Russia V. V. Gromova) and postgraduate studies at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (class of Professor, People's Artist of Russia P. I. Skusnichenko). In 2011 he participated in a master class by D. Hvorostovsky.

Laureate of the 1st Prize at the Moscow International Festival of Slavic Music (2008) and the 2nd Prize of the S. V. Rachmaninov International Music Competition (St. Petersburg, 2009).

In 2010 he became a soloist of the Mosconcert and the Moscow theater "New Opera" named after. E. V. Kolobova. Since 2014 - soloist of the Moscow State Academic Chamber Musical Theater named after B. A. Pokrovsky. Toured in Switzerland, Hungary, Canada, Australia.

In the repertoire of the singer of the part: Almaviva ("The Marriage of Figaro" by W. A. Mozart), Belcore ("Love Potion" by G. Donizetti), Malatesta ("Don Pasquale" by G. Donizetti), Count di Luna ("Troubadour" by G. Verdi ), Germont (La Traviata by G. Verdi), Athanael (Thais by J. Massenet), Tonio (Pagliacci by R. Leoncavallo), Alfio (Country Honor by P. Mascagni), Michele (The Cloak by G. Puccini), Onegin (“Eugene Onegin” by P. Tchaikovsky), Robert, Ebn-Khakia (“Iolanta” by P. Tchaikovsky), Yeletsky (“The Queen of Spades” by P. Tchaikovsky).

As a guest soloist of the State Capella of Russia, he participated in a concert performance of Donizetti's opera L'elisir d'amore on the stage of the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.

The State Academic Symphony Chapel of Russia is a grandiose group of over 200 artists. It unites vocal soloists, choir and orchestra, which, existing in an organic unity, at the same time retain a certain creative independence.

GASK was formed in 1991 by the merger of the State Chamber Choir of the USSR under the direction of V. Polyansky and the State Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Culture of the USSR, headed by G. Rozhdestvensky. Both teams have come a long way. The orchestra was founded in 1957 and immediately took its rightful place among the best symphonic ensembles in the country. Until 1982, he was the orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Television, at various times it was led by S. Samosud, Y. Aranovich and M. Shostakovich: since 1982 - GSO of the Ministry of Culture. The chamber choir was created by V. Polyansky in 1971 from among the students of the Moscow State Conservatory (subsequently the composition of the choristers was expanded). Participation in the Guido d'Arezzo International Competition of Polyphonic Choirs in Italy in 1975 brought him a real triumph, where the choir received gold and bronze medals, and V. Polyansky was recognized as the best conductor of the competition and awarded a special prize. In those days, the Italian press wrote: "This is a genuine Karajan choral conducting, with an exceptionally bright and flexible musicality. After this success, the team confidently stepped onto the big concert stage.

Today, both the choir and the GASK orchestra are unanimously recognized as one of the most high-class and creatively interesting musical groups in Russia.

The first performance of the Capella with the performance of A. Dvorak's cantata "Wedding Shirts" conducted by G. Rozhdestvensky took place on December 27, 1991 in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and was an outstanding success, which set the creative level of the group and determined its high professional class.

Since 1992, the Capella has been headed by Valery Polyansky.

The Capella's repertoire is truly limitless. Thanks to a special "universal" structure, the team has the opportunity to perform not only masterpieces of choral and symphonic music belonging to different eras and styles, but also refers to the huge layers of the cantata-oratorio genre. These are masses and other works by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Rossini, Bruckner, Liszt, Grechaninov, Sibelius, Nielsen, Szymanowski; requiems by Mozart, Verdi, Cherubini, Brahms, Dvorak, Fauré, Britten; John of Damascus by Taneyev, The Bells by Rachmaninov, The Wedding by Stravinsky, oratorios and cantatas by Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Shostakovich, vocal and symphonic works by Gubaidulina, Schnittke, Sidelnikov, Berinsky and others (many of these performances became world or Russian premieres) .

In recent years, V. Polyansky and the Capella have paid special attention to concert performances of operas. The number and variety of operas prepared by GASK, many of which have not been performed in Russia for decades, are amazing: Tchaikovsky's Cherevichki, Enchantress, Mazepa and Eugene Onegin, Nabucco, Il trovatore and Louise Miller by Verdi, The Nightingale and Oedipus Rex by Stravinsky, Sister Beatrice by Grechaninov, Aleko by Rachmaninov, La bohème by Leoncavallo, Tales of Hoffmann by Offenbach, The Sorochinskaya Fair by Mussorgsky, The Night Before Christmas by Rimsky-Korsakov, André Chenier » Giordano, Cui's Feast in Time of Plague, Prokofiev's War and Peace, Schnittke's Gesualdo...

One of the foundations of the Capella's repertoire is the music of the 20th century and the present day. The team is a permanent participant of the International Festival contemporary music"Moscow autumn". In autumn 2008 he took part in the Fifth International Gavrilinsky music festival in Vologda.

The chapel, its choir and orchestra are frequent and welcome guests in the regions of Russia and in many countries of the world. In recent years, the band has successfully toured the UK, Hungary, Germany, Holland, Greece, Spain, Italy, Canada, China, the USA, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden…

Many outstanding Russian and foreign performers collaborate with the Capella. A particularly close and long-term creative friendship connects the team with G. N. Rozhdestvensky, who annually presents his personal philharmonic subscription with the State Architectural Complex.

Capella's discography is extremely extensive, numbering about 100 recordings (most for Chandos), incl. all choral concertos by D. Bortnyansky, all symphonic and choral works by S. Rachmaninov, many works by A. Grechaninov, almost unknown in Russia. A recording of Shostakovich's 4th symphony has recently been released, and Myaskovsky's 6th symphony, Prokofiev's War and Peace, and Schnittke's Gesualdo are being prepared for release.

Ruslan Roziev

Ruslan Roziev is a soloist of the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia.

Born in 1984 in Chardzhou (Turkmenistan). Graduated from the piano department of the Belgorod music school named after S. A. Degtyarev (2002, class of teacher L. N. Girzhanova), studied at the Voronezh state academy Arts at the Department of Solo Singing (2002–2007, class of N. N. Amelin), after which he continued his education at the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Singing Center. On the stage of the Center he made his debut as Monterone in the opera Rigoletto by G. Verdi. The singer also took part in the master class of Sherrill Milnes (as part of the II Festival of Master Classes "Glory to the Maestro"), in 2011 he trained at the Tampa Opera (Florida, USA).

Ruslan Roziev is the winner of the II prizes of the interregional competition of young vocalists "Orpheus" (Volgograd, 2006) and the IV International Competition opera artists Galina Vishnevskaya (Moscow, 2012), holder of a diploma for participation in the Gala Concert of the XXXV Review of Vocalists - Graduates of Russian Music Universities (St. Petersburg, 2007).

In the 2010/11 season he was a guest soloist with the Royal Opera of Wallonia (Liège, Belgium) and the Santander International Festival (Spain), in the 2011/12 season he was a guest soloist with the Lyon Opera (France) and the Aix-en-Provence Opera Festival (France), in the 2012/13 season - guest soloist of the Rome Opera (Italy).

In the repertoire of the singer of the part in the operas by G. Verdi - Sparafucile and Monterone (Rigoletto), Banquo (Macbeth); parts of Bartolo (The Marriage of Figaro by W. A. Mozart); Mephistopheles ("Faust" by Ch. Gounod); Escamillo and Zunigi (Carmen by G. Bizet); roles in operas by P. Tchaikovsky - King Rene and Bertrand ("Iolanthe"), Gremin, Zaretsky and Rotny ("Eugene Onegin"); N. Rimsky-Korsakov - Malyuta Skuratov ("The Tsar's Bride"), Father Frost ("The Snow Maiden"), Tsar Saltan ("The Tale of Tsar Saltan"); D. Shostakovich - Priest ("Katerina Izmailova"), Shvokhnev ("Players"); the parts of Boris Godunov, Varlaam and Pimen (Boris Godunov by M. Mussorgsky); Aleko ("Aleko" by S. Rachmaninov); Inquisitor (" Fire Angel» S. Prokofiev); Mr. Gobino ("Medium" by D. Menotti).

With the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia conducted by V. Polyansky, R. Roziev took part in the premiere production of A. Tchaikovsky's opera The Legend of the City of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane (2011). He also performed the parts of: Marquis de Calatrava in "The Force of Destiny" by G. Verdi, Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky, General Belliard in "War and Peace" by S. Prokofiev; bass parts in the Requiems by A. Dvorak and G. Verdi, "The Solemn Mass" by L. van Beethoven.

Ruslan Roziev successfully tours in Russia, France, Belgium, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, USA, Mexico.

Maxim Sazhin

Maxim Sazhin is a soloist of the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia.

Born in 1978 in Kostroma. Graduated from the vocal faculty of the Moscow state university culture and arts (2006, class of G. I. Mitsenko).

Laureate III All-Russian open competition vocal music named after G. V. Sviridov (2007, II prize), II International competition for young opera singers in memory of M. D. Mikhailov (2011), diploma winner of the III All-Russian Open Competition of Opera Singers "St. Petersburg" (2007) and the International Tenor Competition in memory of Luciano Pavarotti (2008).

The career of a musician began in his student years. He was the soloist of the Mari state theater Opera and Ballet named after E. Sapaev (2004–2008), Galina Vishnevskaya Center for Opera Singing (2007–2009), guest soloist of the Perm Academic Opera and Ballet Theater (2011–2012). Since 2008 he has been a soloist with the Moscow State Academic Children's Musical Theater named after N. Sats, since 2009 he has been a guest soloist with the Russian Opera Theatre.

Since 2010, Maxim Sazhin began cooperation with the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia under the direction of Valery Polyansky, three years later he became the soloist of the group. The singer has participated in many concerts and opera performances Chapels, including the world premiere of A. Tchaikovsky's opera "The Legend of the City of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane" in the city of Yelets, "War and Peace" by S. Prokofiev, "The Governor" by P. Tchaikovsky.

As a guest soloist, he performed on the stages of foreign theaters - the Royal Walloon Opera, Lyon Opera, Rome Opera, took part in international festivals in Aix-en-Provence and Santander.

Anastasia Privoznova

Anastasia Privoznova is a soloist of the State Academic Symphony Choir of Russia conducted by Valery Polyansky. In February 2015, she performed in the Capella's program dedicated to the 175th anniversary of P. I. Tchaikovsky on the Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia.

Anastasia Privoznova graduated from the Ural State Mussorgsky Conservatory (2006, class of Professor V. Yu. Pisarev). From 2003 to 2006 she was a soloist of the Nizhny Tagil Philharmonic. She collaborated with the symphony orchestra conducted by E. Revinson, the Ryabinka folk instruments orchestra conducted by O. Popov, chamber orchestra«Classic» conducted by D. Davydov, piano trio Bon ton, Theater old romance under the direction of E. Vernigor.

The singer is a laureate of the IV Regional Vocal Competition of the Urals and Siberia (Yekaterinburg, 1996), the III Open All-Russian Competition "Three Centuries of Classical Romance" (St. Petersburg, 2006), the II International G. Vishnevskaya Opera Singers Competition (Moscow, 2008), the vocal competition named after I. Petrov (Moscow, 2009), winner of the Grand Prix of the IV International Vocal Competition "Tour to the Stars" (Moscow, 2011).

From 2006 to 2008, A. Privoznova studied at the Center for Opera Singing under the guidance of G. Vishnevskaya. As a soloist of the Center, she took part in productions of the operas The Tsar's Bride by N. Rimsky-Korsakov (Marfa), Carmen by G. Bizet (Mikaela), in the phantasmagoria performance Marriage and Other Horrors (Parasia). In 2006 she took part in the tour of the Opera Singing Center in St. Petersburg, dedicated to the anniversary of Galina Vishnevskaya. Participated in festivals in Russia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Azerbaijan. In 2010, she performed in a production of the opera Boris Godunov at the Royal Walloon Opera in Liege (Belgium) and at the International Festival in Santander (Spain). Participated in the celebration of the International women's day in Pyongyang (North Korea).

As a guest soloist of the Russian Opera, she performed the part of Parasi in M. Mussorgsky's opera Sorochinskaya Fair (2010). Participates in the projects of the Moscow Philharmonic.

Member of the jury International Competition-Festival military-patriotic song "Heirs of the Victory", within the framework of this festival gives charity concerts.

In the repertoire of the singer of the part: Tatiana ("Eugene Onegin" by P. Tchaikovsky), Iolanta ("Iolanthe" by P. Tchaikovsky), Francesca ("Francesca da Rimini" by S. Rachmaninov), Violetta ("La Traviata" by G. Verdi), Mimi ( "La Boheme" by G. Puccini), Marguerite ("Faust" by Ch. Gounod); soprano parts in W. A. Mozart's Requiem, G. B. Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, F. Poulenc's Stabat Mater, arias, romances and songs by Russian and foreign composers.

Vladimir Ovchinnikov

"Those who have ever heard the performance of Vladimir Ovchinnikov - the most sensitive and expressive pianist - are aware of the perfection of form, the purity and power of sound that his fingers and intellect reproduce" - this statement of the Daily Telegraph largely reflects the brightness and originality art of the musician-successor of the famous Neuhaus school.

Vladimir Ovchinnikov was born in 1958 in Bashkiria. Graduated from the Central Special music school at the Moscow Conservatory in the class of A. D. Artobolevskaya, and in 1981 - the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied in the class of Professor A. A. Nasedkin (student of G. G. Neuhaus).

He is a laureate of the International Piano Competition in Montreal (Canada, 2nd prize, 1980), the International Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Vercelli (Italy, 1st prize, 1984). Particularly important are the victories of the musician at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1982) and at the International Piano Competition in Leeds (Great Britain, 1987), after which Ovchinnikov made his triumphant debut in London, where he was specially invited to play in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

The pianist performs with many of the world's largest orchestras, including the Royal philharmonic orchestra and the BBC Orchestra (UK), the Royal Scottish Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestras of Chicago, Montreal, Zurich, Tokyo, Hong Kong, the Gewandhaus Orchestra (Germany), the Polish Radio National Orchestra, The Hague Resident Orchestra, the French Radio Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra and the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia.

V. Ovchinnikov’s creative partners were many well-known conductors: V. Ashkenazy, R. Barshai, M. Bamert, D. Brett, A. Vedernikov, V. Weller, V. Gergiev, M. Gorenstein, I. Golovchin, A. Dmitriev, D. Conlon, J. Kreitzberg, A. Lazarev, D. Liss, R. Martynov, L. Pechek, V. Polyansky, V. Ponkin, G. Rozhdestvensky, G. Rinkevičius, E. Svetlanov, Yu. Simonov, S. Skrovashevsky, V. Fedoseev, G. Solti, M. Shostakovich, M. Jansons, N. Järvi.

The artist has an extensive solo repertoire and tours in the best halls of the world. Among them are the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London, Hercules Hall and Gewandhaus in Germany, Musikverein in Vienna, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Théâtre des Champs Elysées and Salle Pleyel in Paris.

The pianist took part in famous international festivals held in different countries of the world: Carnegie Hall, Hollywood Bowl and Van Clyburn in Fort Worth (USA); in Edinburgh, Cheltenham and BBC Proms (UK); Schleswig-Holstein Festival (Germany); in Sintra (Portugal); in Stresa (Italy); at the Singapore Festival (Singapore).

At various times, V. Ovchinnikov recorded on CDs works by Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, N. Rubinstein, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, Reger, Barber, which were released on the labels EMI, Collins Classics, Russian Seasons, "Shandos", "Gold Club", "Olympia".

Pedagogy occupies a significant place in the artist's life. For several years V. Ovchinnikov worked at the Royal Northern College of Music in Great Britain. Since 1996, he began teaching at the Moscow Conservatory, since 2001 the pianist has also been working at Sakuya University in Japan, and since 2005 at the Faculty of Arts of Lomonosov Moscow State University as a visiting piano professor. From 2011 to 2016, Vladimir Ovchinnikov headed the Central Music School at the Moscow Conservatory.

V. Ovchinnikov has been performing in concerts of the Moscow Philharmonic Society for many years. He is also a People's Artist of Russia (2005), a member of the jury of many prestigious international piano competitions - including the Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow, the Viana da Motta in Lisbon, the Busoni name in Italy, Scheveningen in The Hague, the PETINA competition in Tokyo, the name of A.D. Artobolevskaya in Moscow.

Valery Polyansky

Valery Polyansky is a musician of many-sided talent, the highest culture, deep erudition. His charisma as a conductor manifests itself equally in the sphere choral art, and behind the console of a symphony orchestra, and creative searches are brilliantly realized in a variety of genres - be it operas, compositions for a cappella choir, monumental cantata-oratorio works, symphonies, modern compositions.

In graduate school, fate brought V. K. Polyansky to G. N. Rozhdestvensky, who had a great influence on the further creative activity of the young conductor.

In 1975 in Italy, at the largest international competition "Guido d'Arezzo", Valery Polyansky and his Chamber Choir became the undisputed winners. For the first time a choir from Russia received gold medal in the "academic singing" nomination, having also received the "Golden Bell" - the symbol of the best choir of the competition. Valery Polyansky was awarded a special prize as the best conductor of the competition. The Italians then wrote about the musician: "This is a genuine Karajan of choral conducting, with exceptionally bright and flexible musicality."

In the same years, cooperation with the Union of Composers begins: Valery Polyansky boldly takes on the development of new scores, becomes a regular participant in the Moscow Autumn festival of contemporary music. The best Russian composers dedicate their compositions to him - N. Sidelnikov, E. Denisov, A. Schnittke, S. Gubaidulina, D. Krivitsky, A. Vieru. “... It is necessary that the works of our days sound. We live in a world that is full of a wide variety of emotional colors, spiritual moods, experiences, confrontation of passions. All this is reflected in one way or another in the richest treasury of world music, everything must be presented on the modern concert stage. It is our duty to support contemporary composers,” says the conductor.

Heading the State Chamber Choir, Valery Polyansky collaborated fruitfully with leading symphony ensembles in Russia and foreign countries, and repeatedly performed with orchestras from Belarus, Iceland, Finland, Germany, Holland, the USA, Taiwan, and Turkey. He staged Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin" at the Gothenburg Musical Theater (Sweden), for several years he was the chief conductor of the "Opera Evenings" festival in Gothenburg.

Since 1992, Valery Polyansky has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the State Academic Symphony Capella of Russia.

The conductor has made over 100 recordings at leading recording companies, both in Russia and abroad. Among them are works by Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, Glazunov, Scriabin, Bruckner, Dvorak, Reger, Shimanovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke (Schnittke's Eighth Symphony, released by the English company Chandos records in 2001, was recognized as the best recording of the year). It is impossible not to mention the recording of all choral concerts by the remarkable Russian composer D. Bortnyansky and the revival of A. Grechaninov's music, which was almost never performed in Russia.

Since 2000, in the programs of the State Capella, the attraction to the genre of opera in concert performance has been clearly distinguished. To date, V. Polyansky has performed about 30 operas. This includes both Russian classics (Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grechaninov) and foreign authors, in particular Verdi, to whom the maestro has dedicated special season tickets for several seasons in a row. Among the Verdi masterpieces presented by the Chapel are the operas Louise Miller, Il trovatore, Rigoletto, The Force of Destiny, Falstaff, Macbeth and others. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Verdi, on the historical stage of the Bolshoi Theater, V. Polyansky with the State Capella held a gala concert “Viva, Verdi”, which included fragments from 13 operas and the composer's Requiem. The project turned out to be so popular that it was then repeatedly repeated in the subscriptions of the Moscow Philharmonic and at the closing of the Amber Necklace festival (Kaliningrad, 2015).

Constantly in the conductor's field of vision are modern scores, he has performed a number of Russian and world premieres, including: "Gesualdo" by A. Schnittke (2000), "The Last Days of Pushkin" by A. Nikolaev (2007), "The Legend of the City of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane" by A. Tchaikovsky (2011), "Albert and Giselle" by A. Zhurbin (2012), oratorio "The State's Affairs" by A. Tchaikovsky (2013).

Valery Polyansky strives to present the opera in a historically accurate interpretation, uses the original author's editions, and attracts musicians from the State Capella and leading singers from famous Russian theaters to the realization of operas in concert performance. Collaboration with the Capella allowed many singers to creatively realize themselves in operas that are not on the playbill of their theaters, and thus expand and enrich their repertoire. Polyansky managed to assemble a team of like-minded people, develop his own original style in interpreting the form of the concert performance of the opera.

The conductor's contribution to musical culture is highly recognized state awards. Valery Polyansky - People's Artist of Russia (1996), laureate of the State Prizes of Russia (1994, 2010), holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2007).

Sergei Rachmaninov

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (April 1 (March 20), 1873 - March 28, 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor.

Synthesized in his work the principles of St. Petersburg and Moscow composer schools(as well as the traditions of Western European music) and created his own original style, which subsequently influenced both Russian and world music of the 20th century.

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff was born on April 1, 1873 into a noble family. For a long time the place of birth was considered the estate of his parents Oneg, not far from Novgorod; studies of recent years call the Semenovo estate of the Starorussky district of the Novgorod province (Russia).

The composer's father, Vasily Arkadyevich (1841-1916), came from the nobility of the Tambov province. The history of the Rachmaninov family goes back to the grandson of the Moldavian king Stefan the Great Vasily, nicknamed Rakhmanin. Mother, Lyubov Petrovna (nee Butakova) - daughter of the director Cadet Corps General P. I. Butakov. The composer's paternal grandfather, Arkady Alexandrovich, was a musician, he studied piano with J. Field and gave concerts in Tambov, Moscow and St. Petersburg. Romances have survived piano pieces his compositions, including "The Farewell Gallop of 1869" for piano four hands. Vasily Rachmaninoff was also musically gifted, but he played music exclusively amateurishly.

S. V. Rachmaninov's interest in music was revealed in early childhood. The first piano lessons were given to him by his mother, then the music teacher A. D. Ornatskaya was invited. With her support, in the fall of 1882, Rachmaninov entered the junior department of the St. Petersburg Conservatory in the class of V. V. Demyansky. Education at the St. Petersburg Conservatory was going badly, since Rachmaninov often skipped classes, so at the family council it was decided to transfer the boy to Moscow and in the fall of 1885 he was admitted to the third year of the junior department of the Moscow Conservatory to Professor N. S. Zverev.

Rachmaninov spent several years in a famous Moscow private boarding school. music teacher Nikolai Zverev, whose pupil was also Alexander Nikolayevich Skryabin and many other outstanding Russian musicians (Alexander Ilyich Ziloti, Konstantin Nikolayevich Igumnov, Arseny Nikolayevich Koreshchenko, Matvey Leontievich Presman, etc.). Here, at the age of 13, Rachmaninoff was introduced to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, who later took a great part in the fate of the young musician.

In 1888, Rachmaninov continued his studies at the senior department of the Moscow Conservatory in the class of his cousin A. I. Siloti, and a year later, under the guidance of S. I. Taneyev and A. S. Arensky, he began to study composition.

At the age of 19, Rachmaninoff graduated from the conservatory as a pianist (with AI Siloti) and as a composer with a large gold medal. By that time, his first opera, “Aleko” (thesis work) based on the work “Gypsies” by A. S. Pushkin, the first piano concerto, a number of romances, piano pieces, including the prelude in C sharp minor, which later became one of the most famous works Rachmaninov.

At the age of 20, due to lack of money, he became a teacher at the Moscow Mariinsky Women's School, at the age of 24 - conductor of the Moscow Russian Private Opera Savva Mamontov, where he worked for one season, but managed to make a significant contribution to the development of Russian opera.

Rachmaninoff gained early fame as a composer, pianist and conductor. However, his successful career was interrupted on March 15, 1897 by the unsuccessful premiere of the First Symphony (conductor - A.K. Glazunov), which ended in complete failure both due to poor performance and - mainly - because of the innovative nature of the music. According to A. V. Ossovsky, Glazunov's inexperience as an orchestra leader during rehearsals played a certain role. This event caused a serious nervous disease. During 1897-1901, Rachmaninoff could not compose, and only the help of an experienced psychiatrist, Dr. Nikolai Dahl, helped him get out of the crisis.

In 1901, he completed his Second Piano Concerto, the creation of which marked Rachmaninov's exit from the crisis and, at the same time, the entry into the next, mature period of creativity. Soon he accepted an invitation to take the place of a conductor at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. After two seasons, he went on a trip to Italy (1906), then settled in Dresden for three years to devote himself entirely to composition. In 1909, Rachmaninoff made a major concert tour of America and Canada, performing as a pianist and conductor. In 1911, S. V. Rachmaninov, while in Kyiv, at the request of his friend and colleague A. V. Ossovsky, listened to the young singer Ksenia Derzhinskaya, fully appreciating her talent; he played a big role in the development of the opera career of the famous singer.

Soon after the revolution of 1917, he took advantage of an offer that unexpectedly came from Sweden to perform in a concert in Stockholm and at the end of 1917, together with his wife Natalya Alexandrovna and daughters, left Russia. In mid-January 1918, Rachmaninoff traveled via Malmö to Copenhagen. On 15 February he performed for the first time in Copenhagen, where he played his Second Concerto with conductor Heeberg. Until the end of the season, he performed in eleven symphony and chamber concerts, which gave him the opportunity to pay off his debts.

November 1, 1918, together with his family, sailed from Norway to New York. Until 1926 he did not write significant works; creative crisis thus continued for about 10 years. Only in 1926-1927. new works appear: the Fourth Concerto and Three Russian Songs. During his life abroad (1918-1943) Rachmaninoff created only 6 works that belong to the heights of Russian and world music.

He chose the United States as his permanent residence, toured a lot in America and Europe and was soon recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his era and the greatest conductor. In 1941 he completed his last work, recognized by many as his greatest creation, is the Symphonic Dances. During the Great Patriotic War, Rachmaninoff gave several concerts in the United States, the entire collection of money from which he sent to the Red Army fund. He donated the money from one of his concerts to the USSR Defense Fund with the words: “From one of the Russians, all possible assistance to the Russian people in their struggle against the enemy. I want to believe, I believe in complete victory.

The last years of Rachmaninov were overshadowed by a fatal illness (lung cancer). However, despite this, he continued his concert activity, which was stopped only shortly before his death.

The creative image of Rachmaninoff as a composer is often defined by the words "the most Russian composer." This brief and incomplete characterization expresses both the objective qualities of Rachmaninov's style and the place of his heritage in the historical perspective of world music. It was the work of Rachmaninoff that acted as the synthesizing denominator that united and fused the creative principles of the Moscow (P. Tchaikovsky) and St. Petersburg schools into a single and integral Russian style. The theme "Russia and its fate", the general one for Russian art of all types and genres, found in the work of Rachmaninov an exceptionally characteristic and complete embodiment. In this regard, Rachmaninoff was both a successor to the tradition of operas by Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky's symphonies, and a link in the unbroken chain of national tradition (this theme was continued in the works of S. Prokofiev, D. Shostakovich, G. Sviridov, A. Schnittke and etc.). The special role of Rachmaninoff in the development of the national tradition is explained historical position creativity of Rachmaninov - a contemporary of the Russian revolution: it is the revolution, reflected in Russian art as a "catastrophe", "the end of the world", that has always been the semantic dominant of the theme "Russia and its fate" (see N. Berdyaev, "The Origins and Meaning of Russian Communism") .

Rachmaninov's work chronologically refers to that period of Russian art, which is usually called " silver age". Main creative method The art of this period was symbolism, the features of which were clearly manifested in the work of Rachmaninov. Rachmaninov's works are saturated with complex symbolism, expressed with the help of symbolic motifs, the main of which is the motif of the medieval chorale Dies Irae. This motif in Rachmaninov symbolizes a premonition of a catastrophe, "the end of the world", "retribution".

In the work of Rachmaninov are very important Christian motives: being a deeply religious person, Rachmaninoff not only made an outstanding contribution to the development of Russian sacred music (Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, 1910, All-Night Vigil, 1916), but also embodied Christian ideas and symbols in his other works

Rachmaninov's work is conventionally divided into three or four periods: early (1889-1897), mature (it is sometimes divided into two periods: 1900-1909 and 1910-1917) and late (1918-1941).

Rachmaninov's style, which grew out of late romanticism, has since undergone significant evolution. Like his contemporaries A. Scriabin and I. Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff at least twice (c. 1900 and c. 1926) radically updated the style of his music. The mature and especially late style of Rachmaninoff goes far beyond the post-romantic tradition (“overcoming” of which began as early as early period) and at the same time does not belong to any of the stylistic trends of the musical avant-garde of the 20th century. Thus, Rachmaninov's work stands apart in the evolution of world music of the 20th century: having absorbed many achievements of impressionism and the avant-garde, Rachmaninov's style remained uniquely individual and original, unparalleled in world art (excluding imitators and imitators). In modern musicology, a parallel with L. van Beethoven is often used: just like Rachmaninoff, Beethoven went in his work far beyond the limits of the style that educated him (in this case - Viennese classicism), while not joining the romantics and remaining alien to the romantic worldview.

The first - the early period - began under the sign of late romanticism, assimilated mainly through the style of Tchaikovsky (First Concerto, early pieces). However, already in the Trio in D minor (1893), written in the year of Tchaikovsky's death and dedicated to his memory, Rachmaninoff gives an example of a bold creative synthesis of the traditions of romanticism (Tchaikovsky), the "Kuchkists", the ancient Russian church tradition and modern everyday and gypsy music. This work, one of the first examples of polystylistics in world music, seems to symbolically herald the continuity of tradition from Tchaikovsky to Rachmaninoff and the entry of Russian music into new stage development. In the First Symphony, the principles of stylistic synthesis were developed even more boldly, which was one of the reasons for its failure at the premiere.

The period of maturity is marked by the formation of an individual, mature style based on the intonational baggage of Znamenny chant, Russian songwriting and the style of late European romanticism. These features are clearly expressed in the famous Second Concerto and Second Symphony, in the piano preludes op. 23. However, starting with the symphonic poem "Isle of the Dead", Rachmaninov's style becomes more complicated, which is caused, on the one hand, by an appeal to the themes of symbolism and modernity, and on the other hand, by the implementation of the achievements of modern music: impressionism, neoclassicism, new orchestral, textural, harmonic techniques. The central work of this period is the grandiose poem "The Bells" for choir, soloists and orchestra, to the words of Edgar Poe, translated by K. Balmont (1913). Brightly innovative, saturated with unprecedented new choral and orchestral techniques, this work had a huge impact on the choral and symphonic music XX century. The theme of this work is typical for the art of symbolism, for this stage of Russian art and Rachmaninov's work: it symbolically embodies various periods human life leading to inevitable death; the apocalyptic symbolism of the Bells, carrying the idea of the End of the World, presumably influenced the "musical" pages of T. Mann's novel Doctor Faustus.

The late - foreign period of creativity - is marked by exceptional originality. Rachmaninov's style is made up of an integral fusion of the most diverse, sometimes opposing stylistic elements: the traditions of Russian music - and jazz, the old Russian znamenny chant - and the "restaurant" stage of the 1930s, the virtuoso style of the 19th century - and the harsh toccato of the avant-garde. In the very heterogeneity of stylistic premises lies philosophical meaning- absurdity, cruelty of being in modern world loss of spiritual values. The works of this period are distinguished by mysterious symbolism, semantic polyphony, and deep philosophical overtones.
Rachmaninov's last work, Symphonic Dances (1941), vividly embodying all these features, is compared by many with M. Bulgakov's novel The Master and Margarita, completed at the same time.

The significance of Rachmaninov's composer creativity is enormous: Rachmaninoff synthesized various trends in Russian art, various thematic and stylistic trends, and combined them under one denominator - the Russian national style. Rachmaninoff enriched Russian music with the achievements of the art of the 20th century and was one of those who brought the national tradition to a new stage. Rachmaninoff enriched the intonation fund of Russian and world music with the intonation baggage of the Old Russian Znamenny chant. Rachmaninoff for the first time (along with Scriabin) brought Russian piano music to the world level, became one of the first Russian composers whose piano works included in the repertoire of all pianists in the world. Rachmaninoff was one of the first to synthesize the classical tradition and jazz.

The significance of Rachmaninoff's performing arts is no less great: Rachmaninoff the pianist became the standard for many generations of pianists from different countries and schools, he approved the world priority of the Russian piano school, hallmarks which are: 1) deep content of performance; 2) attention to the intonation richness of music; 3) "singing on the piano" - imitation of vocal sounding and vocal intonation by means of the piano. Rachmaninov, a pianist, left reference recordings of many works of world music, on which many generations of musicians learn.

State Academic Symphony Chapel of Russia

The State Academic Symphony Chapel of Russia is a unique group of over 200 artists. It unites the choir, orchestra and vocal soloists, who, existing in an organic unity, at the same time retain a certain creative independence.

Both teams have come a long way. The orchestra was founded in 1957 and until 1982 was the orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Television, since 1982 - the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR Ministry of Culture. At various times it was led by S. Samosud, Yu. Aranovich and M. Shostakovich. The chamber choir was created by V. Polyansky in 1971. Since 1980, the group has received a new status and became known as the State Chamber Choir of the USSR Ministry of Culture.

With the choir, Valery Polyansky traveled all over the republics of the USSR, became the initiator of the festival in Polotsk, in which Irina Arkhipova, Oleg Yanchenko, the Ensemble of Soloists of the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR participated ... In 1986, at the invitation of Svyatoslav Richter, Valery Polyansky and his choir presented a program from the works of P. I. Tchaikovsky at the festival "December Evenings", and in 1994 - "All-Night Vigil" by S. V. Rachmaninov. At the same time, the State Chamber Choir made itself known abroad, triumphantly performing with Valery Polyansky at the festivals "Singing Wroclaw" (Poland), in Merano and Spoleto (Italy), Izmir (Turkey), in Narden (Holland); memorable participation in the famous "Promenade Concerts" in the Albert Hall (Great Britain), performances in the historic cathedrals of France - in Bordeaux, Amiens, Albi.

The State Capella's birthday is December 27, 1991: then Antonin Dvorak's cantata "Wedding Shirts" conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky was performed in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. In 1992, Valery Polyansky became the artistic director and chief conductor of the State Auditorium of Russia. The activities of the choir and orchestra of the Chapel are carried out both in joint performances and in parallel. The ensemble and its chief conductor are welcome guests at the best venues in Moscow, regular members of the Moscow Philharmonic, the Moscow Conservatory and the Moscow International House of Music, and have performed with the finalists of the international Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov competitions. The chapel toured with triumph in the USA, England, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and in the countries of Southeast Asia.

The basis of the group's repertoire is cantata-oratorio genres: masses, oratorios, requiems of all eras and styles - Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Berlioz, Liszt, Verdi, Dvorak, Rachmaninoff, Reger, Stravinsky, Britten, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Eshpai . Valery Polyansky constantly conducts monographic symphonic cycles dedicated to Beethoven, Brahms, Rachmaninoff, Mahler and other great composers.

Many Russian and foreign performers collaborate with the Capella. A particularly close and long-term creative friendship connects the team with Gennady Nikolaevich Rozhdestvensky, who annually presents his personal philharmonic subscription with the State Capella of Russia.

In recent years, the team has developed its own scheme in building the season. Its extreme points are devoted to performances in small towns. Since 2009, the Capella has been holding the September Evenings festival in Tarusa (together with the Svyatoslav Richter Foundation), introducing the masterpieces of symphonic and choral music to the residents of Torzhok, Tver, and Kaluga. In 2011, Yelets was added, where the world premiere of Alexander Tchaikovsky's opera The Legend of the City of Yelets, the Virgin Mary and Tamerlane, staged by director Georgy Isahakyan, was triumphant. “We don't need a lot of words about patriotism,” V. Polyansky formulated his position, “young people just need to hear this music that inspires love for the motherland. It is a crime that there are cities where people have never heard a live symphony orchestra, never seen opera performances. We are trying to correct this injustice."

The repertory policy of the State Capella also reflects the most important dates in world history. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the victory in the Patriotic War of 1812, a concert performance of Prokofiev’s opera “War and Peace” took place (in Torzhok and Kaluga), the world premiere of the oratorio “The Sovereign’s Affairs” by A. Tchaikovsky was timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (2013, Lipetsk, Moscow), and Glinka's Life for the Tsar was performed on the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia.

A landmark event of 2014 was the concert performance by the State Capella of Prokofiev's rarely performed opera Semyon Kotko, which took place on the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater and the Central Academic Theater of the Russian Army and was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War. At the same venues, the team celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory by performing K. Molchanov's opera “The Dawns Here Are Quiet”.

The touring activity of the State Capella is intensive. The orchestra's excellence was applauded by the British audience during the 2014 autumn tour. “There are conductors who consider Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony too famous and play it on auto-pilot, but Polyansky and his orchestra were just great. The music of Tchaikovsky, of course, entered the flesh and blood of this collective; Polyansky played this immortal masterpiece in the way that I am sure Tchaikovsky himself would like to hear,” noted British critic and composer Robert Matthew-Walker.

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