Ii International Rostropovich Festival

From the 23rd to the 29th of September the 2nd festival of master-classes entitled "Glory to the Maestro", devoted to Mstislav Rostropovich, is taking place at the Centre of Opera Singing of Galina Vishnevskaya in Moscow. - The organizers of the festival are the Russian Culture Ministry and the Rostropovich Foundation for cultural and humanitarian programmes. - During the week Maxim Vengerov, Eugene Kon, Natalya Gutman, Dmitry Bashkirov and others will share the secrets of their skills with young Russian performers. - The festival will be a charitable event open to the Moscow public, professional critics and students of Moscow universities. - Olga Rostropovich - The idea came from the ideas of my father who was a wonderful teacher who educated a constrellation of amazing cellists who are stars of the world stage now. - He paid great attention to pedagogy. - After he passed away, I became the president of the Foundation and started thinking about what I could do to continue dad's work. - That's how the idea of of the master classes was born. - Last year the idea was successfully realized. - Yury Bashmet, Geringas, Van Cliburn were giving the classes. - Over 3 thousand students attended the festival for free. The halls were packed full. - We hope it will be the same this year. This year I have invited Maxim Vengerov, who agreed to come and give a class only because his friendly relations with my father. - Also this year classes will be given by Dmitry Bashkirov, a legendary pianist, professor and People's Artist, who had his PhD supervised by Goldenweiser, who studied together with my father at the conservatory. - When asked by Goldenweiser, Bashkirov came here from Spain, where he lives. - Wenzel Fuchs, a first clarinet of the Berlin philharmonic orchestra, who has played in the orchestra for 20 years, is giving classes. - Sherrill Milnes, the American baritone and legend of world opera. - And Eugene Kon who is an orchestra-man, he knows all the operas by heart and can play them. - By all I mean Wagner, Strauss and everything that exists in opera. - He sings all voices, both male and female in all original languages of the works. - If need be he is able to transpose any tone which is better for the singer. Maxim Vengerov When Olga asked me to give a class, I agreed on the spot. - We have been friends for many years. I was a friend of Mstislav Rostropovich as well. - For me his name was like a beacon with which I aligned myself. - When I heard him for the first time, I was 12; I will never forget the sound. - Every time I met him or we played together, or recorded together, (we recorded 7 CDs together), it was an unforgettable time both in my music and in my life. - He gave me pieces of unrepeatable advice which I remember for the rest of my life. - When he entered a room or a hall everybody felt his energy. - And we got infected by his energy. It was like plugging into natural energy, to be together with nature. It was unforgettable. - It influenced me a lot as a musician, as a person. I feel like a small part of this energy, which I would like to share with young people, to tell them about his teachers - Shostakovich, Prokofiev and others he worked and cooperated with. - I am very happy to have this opportunity to give a class here in the Center of Opera Singing of Galina Vishnevskaya. I think the idea of master classes is absolutely unique. I am not sure that there is anything like this in the world. - -The musicians here are of the highest standard. I am lucky to be among them and with you. - I am looking forward to giving a class. What is the difference between these two festivals? - Well the idea is the same. It is a festival of master classes given by great musicians and professors. - This time there will probably be different instruments. My aim is to give the students an opportunity to communicate with professors whom they would not meet in normal life. - Partly because they live in other countries. Maxim Vengerov lives in Monaco, Bashkirov - in Spain, Gutman and Fuchs in Germany, Milnes in the USA. - The difference is that other musicians are invited. The main difference is that this year I gathered all Rostropovich grant holders from all parts of Russia. - Also there are two scholarship fellows from Baku. They will participate in the concert after the conference and in all classes. - I think it is good for their general education to attend classes in different instruments. Tell us about Baku. What is the public like? Now there will be a 4th festival in Baku. The public is great, people are amazing. - I myself like Baku a lot, probably I got this love for the city from my father, who was born there and lived the first three years of his happy life there. - Four years ago we started this festival from nothing, and now it is a part of the world stage. - This year the Israeli philharmonic is coming to Baku, which is unprecedented, they never come to this part of the world. - Also the Italian puppet theatre is coming here, last year the English Chamber Orchestra played here. - I am very happy that it is going so well.