“Four Ensembles, two languages – one passion”: 170, young German and Russian musicians as messengers of spring in the political duration of the winter. The program: a Tour de Force through 100 years of music history.
In organisational terms, it is a mammoth project that has driven all those Involved over the years, to the limits of its capacities: On Wednesday, the 24. April 2019 is on the stage of the St. Petersburg concert hall “chapel,” a 170-strong German-Russian Ensemble, composed of musicians of the young ensemble of Berlin, and the singers of three choirs: the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory of St. Petersburg, the University of music Freiburg and the Europe choir Berlin.
Encounter on a human and musical level
Programmatically, though, has been a quality product, a kind of Tour de Force through a century of German and Russian music, from Robert Schumann’s “Requiem for Mignon” (1849), Peter Tchaikovsky’s early work, “Romeo and Juliet” (1869), and at almost the same time, in 1869, the “Schicksalslied” of Johannes Brahms, to Igor Stravinsky’s avant-garde-sublime “Symphony of Psalms” from the 1930’s.
Aspiring professionals: the choir of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatoire (chorus master Valery Uspensky)
In contrast to many other music projects with Russian participation, which are initiated as the German-Russian music Academy or just taking place in Germany “Russian seasons”, the highest level in Russia, is this project a diamond: It was born thanks to the Initiative and the organizational diligence of young musicians from both countries.
At the beginning of the old contacts were there one of the conductor Frank Markowitsch, the artistic Director of the European choir and the Freiburg high school choir to St. Petersburg. The urban Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, the oldest music Academy in Russia, is traditionally open to international contacts, both East and West, the excellent Conservatory orchestra in 2008, Partner of the Campus project of Deutsche Welle and the beethovenfest.
“Passion and Conviction”
For nearly three years, the young people from Russia and Germany have worked on the project. “The number of Mails, phone calls, Meetings and working group meetings is not to quantify,” one of the initiators, Moritz Giesinger from the “young Ensemble”. What was the Motivation for the young Berlin? “There were a number of factors: the desire to make music together, because we make music with passion and Conviction. On the other hand we wanted to create through this exchange, a rapprochement with Russia and the great Russian culture.”
Musical Contact: Conductor Michael Riedel
“Of course, a curiosity to the Russian Repertoire, and the interpretation was as way,” agrees Michael Riedel. The conductor directs the Young Ensemble of Berlin, a Formation that brings together young professionals and ambitious Amateurs. “First of all, it was a concern, German-to maintain Russian contacts.”
A cool political wind was noticeable, for example in the acquisition of sponsors and supporters. Also Elke Büdenbender, the wife of the Federal President, hesitated at first, Michael Riedel, when she was asked to be the godmother of the project, “said then but the more staunch their support to” and also wrote a word of greeting. The project Patin speaks of the Cohesion in times of turbulence: “This exchange relates, in this case, perhaps only these musicians, but where do we start, if not Small, right?”