Yuri Bashmet: “I am in the forefront of those who try everything new in music”
A good work should be based on professionalism and academic background, said Yury Bashmet, Honored Artist, Vice President of the Council of Russian Union of Rightholders, in an interview with TASS on the Winter Arts Festival in Moscow. According to Maestro, composers should not avoid these two important components, trying to be ultramodern, drawing attention to themselves by speculation and external effects.
“Unfortunately, we are already suffering from the destruction of the basic standards. And if you don’t stick to them, then there will be an ocean, a storm of something, maybe sometimes beautiful, strange, but the question is “why?” will be off scale,” said Bashmet.
At the same time, he emphasized that musical experiments, of course, are also necessary.
“There can be any fresh view on some universal human values: birth and death, love and hate, betrayal and loyalty. Experiments are also needed to learn something useful for you. I am in the forefront of those who try everything new that comes up: in Sochi I performed a play composed by Yandex neural network, in Yaroslavl we had spectral music. So, I know what I’m talking about,” said the maestro.
As part of the conversation, he also mentioned the desire to make the festival in Moscow annual, but whether it succeeds depends on how the public will accept the event and whether the authorities will provide the necessary support.
“Of course, I would like it to continue further on. But first of all, it is necessary that the festival takes place and that public, the press, and the city hall react to it,” Yuri Bashmet commented.
The Winter Arts Festival was held in Moscow from January 24 to February 10. Yuri Bashmet is the director of the Winter Arts Festival in Sochi for 13 years, but so far there has not been an event like that in the capital.
The program in Moscow consisted of 12 concerts, at which the “Moscow Soloists” chamber ensemble, the “New Russia” State Symphony Orchestra, and the State Choir of Russia named after A.A. Yurlov and others performed; the opera “Eugene Onegin” directed by Yuri Bashmet, the opera “Leila and Majun” in concert performance by the Franco-Moroccan-Israeli composer Arman Amar, the musical and dramatic production of “Fantastic Carmen”, etc.
