- The button accordion has a reputation as a lowered style instrument. In a music school, for example, the button accordion is taught for five years, and the strings and piano are taught for seven or eight. Why is such an attitude towards the button accordion - as if from above? What's wrong with this tool?
- There is a certain stereotype: if they talk about the button accordion, then we are talking about folk music. Meanwhile, the button accordion is an instrument of absolutely unlimited possibilities. In fact, this is what I am trying to prove. In addition to folk music, I play music of other directions: from classical to modern music, from Bach to rock, from baroque to rock - probably, in a poetic form, I will say. The button accordion is a young instrument, a little over 100 years old. As my dear professor Friedrich Lips says, the button accordion is the future. You need to play everything, and time will tell. But in fact, music schools also have a full-fledged system of education on the button accordion, that is, you can study for five or seven years. There are even dozens of years for gifted children, for example, in St. Petersburg, where they also teach the button accordion along with other classical instruments.
- How much did you study?
- I studied for five years, but according to the seven-year system. I graduated early from the music school. Bach and then entered another music school - them. Yuri Shaporin. It was a preparatory course for admission to the former October School, now it is the Moscow State Institute of Music. Schnittke.
- It turns out that you chose the career of a professional musician very early for yourself?
- Yes, because my older brother also played the button accordion. He is seven years older than me, and my parents decided that I should follow in his footsteps.
- Is he also a concert accordion player?
- No, he doesn't really like to perform on stage, as, probably, many people do. He is a wonderful teacher. I am very grateful to him: he sat with me in my childhood, gave me additional tasks, school methods, tuned me up, motivated me: "Here you will study, travel around the world, perform with the most legendary personalities!" In childhood, this is a very important factor when someone close to you motivates you. And since my brother is still a musician, and my parents were ordinary workers (they are now retired), it was he, a person with a professional education, who gave me a musical base and this inner mood. And from childhood I already had a goal and walked towards it - I won all the necessary competitions. My brother constantly told me: "So, you have to pass all competitions."
We watched Chinese action movies about kung fu masters, how they achieve their goals, how they, thanks to willpower, achieve results - no matter what happens, they go on! So he said to me: "Whatever happens at the competition, you must, even if you made a mistake somewhere or somewhere you hit the next note, continue to continue and, like a warrior, go forward." I tuned in and walked.
- And when did you take the decisive step - from a student to a concert musician? What was the feeling when you were already on stage, already a master?
- It happened, probably, gradually. So that on click - this was not. I started giving concerts early enough. Already in the 1st grade I played the program for the 3rd grade, in the 2nd grade - the school curriculum, accumulated the repertoire. And almost from the 2nd grade I gave concerts, performed at serious venues, including in the Great Hall of the Conservatory and in the Tchaikovsky Hall - not yet with recitals, of course, but with numbers; also appeared in the TV program "Morning Star", in a popular children's show. With the New Names Foundation, we had a lot of trips to different countries: we performed in front of kings, presidents - a colossal experience for a child. You see a new world, a new culture, and most importantly, our language, the language of music is an international language, we do not need words! You can perform absolutely everywhere, that is, you are provided with work all over the world. No words are needed, just a bow on the stage, where this is both greeting and gratitude. You play no matter where - in Hong Kong, America, Japan, Europe - and everyone will understand you; the main thing is if only you play sincerely. People feel sincerity - and believe you. And there is a magic of sound, a miracle, the unification of peoples, cultures, friendship arises. If you like the performer, his work, you get such a positive exchange of energy, something special, which cannot be conveyed in words, which cannot be translated by a translator. You play, and they say: "Oh, divine!"
I have a video on YouTube - a recording from the Berlin Philharmonic, from my festival, I play "Libertango" by Astor Piazzolla. This post already has over 6 million views. From all over the world they comment: from Argentina, from Latin America, from Europe, from Japan, from China. Now they write hieroglyphs, then they write in Arabic. Amazing: no translation needed! Everyone writes and admires: how can such sounds be produced on the accordion! Because I play sincerely, using non-standard different techniques.
- And when did the first money start and was it significant money in your family budget?
- I come from a simple family. My parents are ordinary workers and, of course, not rich people. I am very grateful to them that they believed in me and bought me an expensive button accordion, which at that time cost like a Volga car! Familiar people, relatives said: “What are you! Why do you need such a button accordion? " Did not understand! Relatives all said: "Better buy a car!" - and they answered: "No, we'd better invest in our children, we don't need a car." They worked five jobs in order to buy this expensive instrument, borrowed from relatives, friends, so that later somehow in a few years to pay off.
Somewhere from the 2nd grade, I began to participate in competitions, and then my first earnings went: they began to give me prizes - tape recorders, televisions of some kind; then scholarships were given. Probably, this has already shown to my parents that I really move, that I have chosen the musical path, and they made every effort to help. I began to earn more and more, I started going to European competitions, there are already prizes in euros. The first prizes were already a lot of money for us at that time, for example 7000 euros for the first prize, for a button accordion competition it was even very good. There were, of course, difficult contests.
Yes, and then, as I said, I ended up in the New Names fund and received a personal scholarship there, and on trips we were paid per diem. Then I became a fellow of the Rostropovich Foundation (the Mstislav Rostropovich Foundation for Cultural and Humanitarian Programs, created in 1997 to provide all-round assistance to young talented performers - Vedomosti), and we have already started traveling with Maestro Rostropovich around the world, a different circle of friends has appeared ... Although the "New Names" allowed me to speak to presidents and kings, but it was with Maestro Rostropovich that I met many serious people, probably because I was already older. They helped me with the purchase of a musical instrument - a concert instrument is very expensive. I remember $ 20,000 was given! It is unrealistic for a student to save up on his own. Through competitions, of course, I earned money, saved what I could - but there are other needs as well.
- Do you already have your own fund?
- Yes, the World of High Art Foundation. Now I am also trying to develop such a thing, although I have a very tight schedule, many concerts, plus I write music for films, and it takes a lot of time to write. But in the future, I would still like to help people: it seems to me that our mission in life is to leave a positive mark. Each makes its own path in the released time period. You need to do something useful, which would make you happy yourself.
I can tell, by the way, a story when we flew to Venice for a charity concert with the Rostropovich Foundation. I agreed to perform for free. But back, when we flew from Venice to Moscow, I was asked to play in business class. On the plane!
- As if on a train, excuse me!
- I was surprised, I said: "But what, is it possible?" The stewardess answered me: "Yes, of course, go to business class." Well, I'm a boy, I think, since they ask ... I put on a button accordion. The stewardess holds a microphone for me, and I start playing for the whole plane. I'm finishing. Then another stewardess comes up with a tray, says: "The woman from business class gives you $ 2000." I take the microphone: "Thank you very much, just now the composition of Astor Piazzolla" Libertango "has sounded for you, and now -" Czardash "Monti". I'm playing. He comes up again: "You were given another $ 10,000." And it turned out at an altitude of 10,000 m in 10 minutes at the then rate of 10,000 euros. I mean, if you do something sincerely and from the heart, it comes back to you, as it were, in 10 times the size.
There was another case. He played in a Moscow underpass on 1905 Goda Street, it was an experiment of "MK": who will earn more - American violinist Joshua Bell or Russian accordionist Aydar Gaynullin? Well, it turned out that Joshua Bell earned $ 32 in 40 minutes, and I earned $ 56 in 40 minutes.
- Gaynullin won!
- Yes, and now this popular video is on YouTube - more than 3 million views already. On my channel, this is the second most popular ad after Libertango at the Berlin Philharmonic. Neither the Kremlin, nor the Tchaikovsky Hall, nor any other concert halls, but the transition! Maybe there would be even more views on the plane, but at that time all this was not actively developed.
- Probably, you have some kind of agent who arranges your concerts?
- Sure. Everything is already more or less scheduled for 2019, even for several years, one might say, ahead. Especially in Europe, concerts are planned ahead of time and this is what the agents who represent me do.
- Sell you!
- Yes, you can say they sell - a musical product, a musical product. They ask if I can do such and such a number, and I write it down on the calendar, on the schedule. And I already have a work plan.
- And who appoints you a fee?
- There are fixed rates, they depend on the hall, but there are many other factors. One thing is a large hall and a solo concert, another is something smaller, and the third is a corporate order. But if this is a concert at Carnegie Hall, then you can make concessions, especially if you have never performed there. For every musician, Carnegie Hall is like a musical heaven! Like the Berlin Philharmonic, in principle. At the Berlin Philharmonic, I was not ready to play for a large fee, but if only to start performing, to appear. You can ask for this at corporate parties, because it is not so prestigious. By the way, I played with Putin many times. Putin was also a button accordion player. I have a BB on my button accordion, this is Ballone Burini, an Italian button accordion company, and many journalists ask: what kind of BB is this? I jokingly say: this is Vladimir Vladimirovich, he played the button accordion as a child.
- Did Vladimir Putin play this accordion of yours?
- I didn't play on mine, I only played with him. I also remember when [President of Uzbekistan Islam] Karimov was with Medvedev, they invited us to the dacha and asked to play a rock potpourri for Medvedev, and for Karimov I played something like Tatar, because in principle it is similar to Uzbek, he is very liked. I also played Tatar music in front of Kim Jong Il in North Korea, in Pyongyang. I played pentatonic scale, it is very similar to Korean music. I see he smiled. It's okay. After that, other Koreans approached me and asked if they could touch me, since I was playing in front of their leader.
- Are corporate events such a story that you set the price yourself?
- Yes, first I set my price, then we start bargaining. But first I will find out: in front of whom, where. If an oligarch does, a billionaire, then the price is appropriate, I won't tell you the price of a philharmonic concert.
- Can you name the order?
- We are talking about 10,000 euros, in this interval, plus or minus. The situation at concerts is more complicated, especially in Russia: there is a certain budget and you have to make concessions. To get into the situation, since not so much money is allocated for culture. Philharmonic societies say that, unfortunately, we are limited in the budget, we can give as much as possible, you decide whether you agree or not.
- This is partly charity on your part?
- You can say yes, because you understand: this is not your main income, not your earnings, you can earn in another place, but you just want to perform for people in the same Murmansk Philharmonic or in Vladimirskaya, just give music. And there the fee is not so important to you. When I am in Russia and if I have time - why not perform? Not everything is measured in money! It is much more valuable when you give people this positive energy, musical art that really touches souls and hearts, making people happier.
And so not only in Russia, in the same Germany. It would seem a button accordion! When I did a concert at the Berlin Philharmonic for the first time, the hall was just packed.
- Are they mainly Russian Germans or German?
- Probably half and half. I also played my own music, in which I like to use unusual combinations, that is, a button accordion with a symphony orchestra, with a chorus, with a bansuri (Indian flute), with a guitar, with a cajon, a Peruvian percussion instrument. I played this concert - the Germans came up to me, crying with happiness, and said: my God, what was that? We are used to listening to Bach, Mozart, Brahms, and here is such music! And a crossover, combined and incongruous, they heard something unusual for themselves, they were touched to the depths of their souls, they asked when the next concert, we had never heard this at the Berlin Philharmonic.
- Does your fee depend on how tickets are sold?
- As you agree. If you agree initially on a fixed fee, it doesn't depend. Then all the same, you can say how much tickets are sold. No, of course, it's all the same, it's more pleasant to play in a full hall than in a half-empty one. Or you can agree that if there is a full room or more than 50-70%, the fee may increase to a certain amount, a certain percentage. In Europe, I usually negotiate a flat fee. To work on other conditions, you need to at least fully trust the organizers. According to this scheme, I could, perhaps, work with the company "New Russian Classics", my longtime Russian partner, with whom we have just done an amazing project - "Mass of Tango" in the Concert Hall. Tchaikovsky.
In general, I remember when I was still a child, they told me: you know, we crawled on invitations, unfortunately, we are in the red and we can not pay you anything. At the same time, the concert and the return of the hall are all superb! So, in my opinion, it is better to take a fixed fee, even if it will be less, but more reliable.
- Not a very correct question, maybe ... There are violinists and singers with worldwide fame - your fame is also worldwide, but your instrument is an accordion. Is there a difference in fees?
- Of course there is. If we compare the best performers on the violin and on the button accordion, violinists are rated higher.
- How do you explain this difference? The musical impression of your playing is at least as strong as that of the outstanding violinist.
- It seems to me that the cliché that the button accordion is a folk instrument does not allow the button accordion to turn into an elite instrument. It will take a lot of effort to change this. I remember that I performed in front of Rostropovich for the first time at an audition in his fund. I played a composition by Alfred Schnittke, a suite from the "Revision Tale", he came up to me, hugged me and said: "Well, tell me, how is it possible - to play on one accordion for the whole symphony orchestra?" It would seem: Rostropovich! But even he was amazed at the capabilities of this tool. I was embarrassed when maestro Rostropovich declared me the king of the button accordion at concerts. What then can we say about a wide audience that does not quite understand serious music?
It is not easy to play a solo concert on one violin or cello. Caprices by Paganini, Bach's solo suites, etc. But all the same it will be perceived incompletely, the listener will get tired rather quickly, listening to one violin without accompaniment. In combination with other instruments, with an orchestra - of course yes. The button accordion has many-sided possibilities, you can play a solo concert - polyphony, the same preludes and fugues - or with an orchestra. When you play organ music on the button accordion, the viewer often thinks that the organ is sounding, not the button accordion, especially in good acoustics or on a disc recording.
Once in Ingolstadt I played at the Audi open air in front of thousands of employees of the company, played with the symphony orchestra the music of Rammstein, Nirvana, Prodigy, Michael Jackson, Sting. The Germans simply opened their mouths and listened: how is it possible to play such things on the button accordion?
- Do you mainly live in Germany?
- Yes, my family is in Berlin, I have two children.
- Do you have accordion children?
- My daughter started playing the button accordion, won two competitions in Germany, but then switched to the piano. My son is a year and a half, he is still drawn to the button accordion, and I don't know what will happen ...
- Do you wish him a career as an accordion player?
- If he chooses, I can't argue with him. Everyone has their own individual choice.
- Do you think the accordion player has a hard way? Can a person wish to pass it?
- It seems to me that in general the path of a musician is very difficult in itself. It doesn't matter what instrument you play - the violin or the button accordion, you need to work and practice every day. For example, if you do not practice for several days on the violin, your intonation may get lost, but every millimeter of the string is important! Each instrument is very complex in its own way, including the button accordion. The only thing is that it is, of course, very heavy, it is very difficult for girls to carry it. Otherwise, I somehow don't see much difference between the tools.
- So all the same, the career of a musician seems good for a person?
- This is probably individual. But, of course, in any case, it is very important to get a musical education. It doesn't matter if a person becomes a musician or not. Will not hurt for creative growth. He will relate in a different way