SPECIAL INTERVIEW The Man who found The Nose’ An Interview with Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky By Alan Mercer Born in Moscow on 4 May 1931, (1974-1977 and 1992-1995), and Rozhdestvensky grew up with his the Vienna Symphony (1980-1982). spritely 85 years of age at conductor father Nikolai Anosov Also in the 1970s, Rozhdestvensky the time of our encounter at (1900-1962) and his singer mother worked as music director and con­ the Paris-based Shostakovich Natalia Rozhdestvenskaya (1900- ductor of the Moscow Chamber ACentre, Gennady Rozhdestvensky’s1997). After graduating from the Music Theatre, where together with demeanour has barely changed from Central Music School at the Mos­ director Boris Pokrovsky he revived that of the 1960s, when Western con- cow Conservatory as a pianist in Shostakovich’s 1920s opera The Nose. cert-goers were first treated to his the class of L.N. Oborin, he began Rozhdestvensky has focused individualistic podium style, not to studying what was to become his much of his career on music of mention his highly affable manner career vocation under the guidance the twentieth century, including with audiences and orchestras alike. of his father. In 1951, he trained at premieres of works by Shchedrin, As one of the few remaining artists the Bolshoi Theatre, and went on to Slonimsky, Eshpai, Tishchenko, to have worked closely with the 20th work at the famous venue at vari­ Kancheli, Schnittke, Gubaidulina, century’s music elite—Shostakovich ous periods between 1951 and 2001, and Denisov. included—the conductor’s career is when he became the establishment’s Prior to our conversation, the imbibed with both the traditions General Artistic Director. Maestro agreed to become the DSCH of Russia’s musical voice and that By the mid-1970s, Rozhdestven­ Journal’s Honorary President, to of the country’s turbulent history. sky had become one of the most mark our 30th anniversary and to Rozhdestvensky’s fondness for the respected conductors in Europe. He seal the links between the conductor spiky anecdote and the barely-veiled was invited as chief conductor of the and the Shostakovich performing critique makes interviewing the BBC Symphony Orchestra (1978- tradition—a fundamental part of maestro an honour—and a challenge. 1981), the Stockholm Philharmonic the Journal’s raison d’être. DSCH j o u r n a l • July 2017 * № 47 • 7 The Man who found The Nose’ • Alan Mercer DSCH Journal: Could you tell us how to play themselves? Just what others. Another problem with hav­ about your earliest musical memo­ is he doing?” ing my father as a teacher came at ries—your first concert, and when I think I can say I’ve finally figured examination time: my fellow students you first wanted to become a per­ it out! I’ve been busy waving my hand simply shrugged saying that they had forming musician? around now for more than 60 years. come for nothing, as they were not Gennady Rozhdestvensky: I must And you know, I still get asked, “Why going to be chosen. “Well of course have been eight or nine years old (this are you are doing that? Why are you they will take him—he’s the son of a was towards the end of the 1930s). there?!” Then you have the people professor!” This problem has been It was Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro who claim to be able to conduct, and following me around like a tail; it’s conducted by Georges Sebastian, so I tell them, “Go ahead! Take the been dragging behind me all my life- who’d been living in Moscow for a baton! Go ahead and conduct!” But stalking me! Others didn’t have to few years then, and who’d been per­ for some reason the result is not the cope with this. It is why I have been forming many of the Mozart operas same. After 60 years of conducting, so modest. But at the end of the day, there. My mother was a singer, and I know that this is not an easy job. I worked in the same conditions as she took me along to rehearsals. And I once saw Shostakovich conduct the other conducting students. so here were my first impressions of an orchestra, and he was so afraid. the orchestra and of all of the visual He was conducting the Festival Over­ DSCH: There must also have been aspects of a performance. This was ture, and after this one experience advantages? also the first time that I saw a con­ he decided that it was the end of his ductor at work. conducting career. He said conduct­ GR: Of course—I was able to observe ing was a very difficult task, although the work of my teacher (my father) DSCH: What impression did it make? at the same time so many people very closely, including in the concert Did you think to yourself, “I want wanted to conduct. hall. Some of the best teachers might to do this”? know everything in theory, but they DSCH: You studied with your father? cannot play anything themselves. GR: My first impression was to ask And it is a tragedy to want to be a myself “What is this!?” I found it GR: Yes—and I must say that it’s very conductor but not to know how to difficult to understand, so I asked difficult to learn from your father, play an instrument. Fortunately my my mother, “What is this guy doing mainly because his expectations are father did not have this problem; there? Don’t the musicians know set so much higher for you than for he played very well. He was also a 8 • July 2017 • № 47 • DSCH JOURNAL Alan Mercer • The Man who found Th e Nose’ good teacher. He had both quali­ GR: I’m afraid that when I did find need to be able to hypnotise them a ties—this is rare, and carries with it what I thought was the right solution, little, too. In the end, the players in many advantages. But then if you take the result was completely anti-mu­ the orchestra must think that every­ Arturo Toscanini, he never taught sical. And that was a tragedy! The thing has come from them—that all anyone anything, but he was a great worst situations arose when Bol­ of the musical initiatives were theirs. conductor—a marvellous conductor, shoi productions were transmitted But of course that’s not true... and with a great temperament! live on the radio. My friends would ask, “What are you doing? Why you DSCH: You said in an interview that DSCH: You studied with Lev Oborin? conduct like that? The tempos are so it was necessary to be a dictator—but fast!” My reply was to point out that if only through conviction? GR: I took lessons with him for three I didn’t conduct in this way—the way years. But then I won a competition at they wanted me to conduct—then I GR: Exactly—a dictator, yes, but a the Bolshoi as an assistant and didn’t would be kicked out. But in the end I good dictator, if this is possible... have much time to play piano any­ developed a strategy. And so during more. And as a consequence of the rehearsals when the dancers started DSCH: In the West, we are aware time I was spending at the theatre, I to complain—“This is too slow. It is of the major differences in tradi­ noticed that I was losing my skills too slow!”—I would respond, “Yes, tion between the Moscow and St. as a performer, and performing as you’re absolutely right. I will increase Petersburg schools. How would you a soloist also became rarer. Here I the tempo.” But in fact, I would keep describe these differences? should mention one special pianist conducting in exactly the same way— with whom I played a Stravinsky ‘How is it now?” “That’s better. That’s GR: This depends very much on concerto—the one written for two much better—great!” the professors. In any case, I would pianos without orchestra. This was I conducted two ballets where ask why should the traditions be the in an open concert in Moscow. I then nobody interfered—no one told me same? It’s a very good thing that they married this pianist, and here she is!! how to conduct: The Nutcracker and are different, and it also illustrates the [Viktoria Postnikova, sitting along­ Le Sacre du Printemps. Why? Because individuality of the professors. One side us, smiles broadly]. So my calling in these performances, the director might teach this way, and another as a pianist was short-lived, and I conceived and ran the production that way, with different styles. soon understood that stick-waving according to my own design. would be my career. DSCH: This also means that the DSCH: Tell me about when you per­ orchestras play in different ways, DSCH: Let’s just go back to your first formed Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s with different styles... ? time in the Bolshoi—you conducted Dream for the first time in Russia. Did Tchaikovsky. How did you approach you work with the composer on this GR: The orchestra plays as it is asked this performance? production? to play. And all orchestras look for­ ward to one thing: the end of the GR: Yes—I conducted Sleeping GR: No—unfortunately he was in concert. I don’t recall any situation Beauty, and it was a great experi­ London at the time, not in Moscow.