TRANSLATION:

 

YURI LYUBIMOV: THE WANDERER IS ABOUT ME...

by Ekaterina KRETOVA

CONCERT OF PHILIP SOLOMONICK MEMORY OF THE GREAT DIRECTOR

 

The concert hall of the Pushkin Museum on Prechistinka, well known as the literary museum, became the venue for an unusual concert dedicated to the anniversary of the passing of Yuri Petrovich Lyubimov. The young pianist Philip Solomonick gave a solo concert in which great music, so beloved by the great director, was performed.

 

The beautiful old mansion, which contains paintings, books, interior items that immerse the visitor in the atmosphere of the Pushkin era, Pushkin's poems... Of course, it is no coincidence that this place was chosen by Katalin Lyubimova and the Y.P. Lyubimov's Charitable Foundation for the Development of Theatrical Art for a memorial concert dedicated to the one year anniversary after the passing of the great Russian director.

 

Yuri Petrovich did not just love Pushkin, he interpreted him — talentedly, acutely and in a modern fashion. Lyubimov's shows by Pushkin: "Comrade, Believe", "Feast during the Plague", "Eugene Onegin", "The Queen of Spades", "Boris Godunov" — entered the Russian theater's hall of fame - both for dramatic and musical reasons. His famous production of The Queen of Spades in Paris in collaboration with Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Alfred Schnittke in the late 70s was the event that stirred up the musical world of our country, giving rise to a wave of protests and enthusiasm, indignation and admiration. Needless to say, Lyubimov is an epoch, a history, almost a century old. He was born in the year of the October Revolution. And he himself was a complete revolution: an innovator, an experimenter, a man absolutely free even in the most unfree time and in the most unfree place.

 

However, the tone of the memorial evening turned out to be completely different. Storms, whirlwinds, crowded crowds, loud cheers — all this remained behind the walls of the Pushkin Museum, in which beautiful music reigned, and the mystical effect of the presence of Yuri Petrovich himself magically appeared...

 

On the stage stood a large armchair with a sand—colored jacket and a silk scarf thrown over it, a book carelessly thrown... These are Lyubimov's things. "He is also here listening to the music with us," says Katalin Lyubimova. And on the wall there is a projection — the face of Yuri Petrovich, as if looking into the hall recognizing familiar faces: real friends of the Lyubimov family came to the evening, for whom Yuri Petrovich is not only a famous director, but, above all, a native and close person.

 

Philip Solomonick, a young Israeli pianist, became a real discovery for the assembled audience. A subtle musician with his own special pianistic manner, he literally from the first bars established an invisible connection between the sounding music and the listeners. Of course, the atmosphere of the concert itself contributed to this in many ways —  an intimate salon, almost as if at home. [The performance was] without false pathos, without extravagance and without "show" — the indispensable attributes of modern concert practice.

 

Philip started with Mozart's F-dur Sonata, KV332 — the famous, one of the most popular Mozart sonatas, and ... a miracle happened. It is amazing that the young musician managed what has become an absolute rarity on the professional concert stage: to recreate the spirit and style of pianists of the past, musicians of the "pre-digital" period, when pianists understood completely differently from today, the pianistic touch, when they did not fight among themselves in competitive battles where the "strongest" pianism wins, but not most talented. It became clear that Philip belongs to a special type of musicians — shaman musicians, introverts who are able to establish direct contact with the musical text and it is through this subtle, almost astral connection, he entered into a dialogue with the audience.

 

The magic continued in Beethoven's "Aurora" (Waldstein). Solomonick did not seek to surprise listeners with a fast pace, did not frighten with loud dynamics: mostly the mezzo-forte was a dynamic maximum. But this "quietness" was not perceived as a manifestation of weakness or timidity — the dynamic range from pianissimo to mezzo—forte was so natural and expressive that listeners could immerse themselves in the true richness of Beethoven's nuances.

 

Beethoven's Sonata Op. 101 sounded very unusual and, perhaps, somewhat controversial. By the way, Yuri Petrovich's favorite work. Solomonick heard in this sonata an opportunity for sonorous effects, that in fact, was hidden in the text. Fragments of the text that sounded on the same pedal seemed to be impressionistic sketches, seemingly not quite organic for Viennese classicism. At the same time, the pianist managed to convince that such a reading is possible, and that for all its unconventionality, it follows from the author's text, and does not contradict it. The culmination of the program was the performance of Schubert's Fantasy "The Wanderer" — a truly grandiose, complex, romantic composition that requires special energy from the performer, immersion in the incredibly rich world of Schubert's images, a sense of form and impeccable technique. All this was fully achieved by the pianist, who made the audience empathize with every beat and every harmony of Schubert's masterpiece.

 

After the concert, I met with Philip Solomonick in the green room.

 

E.K. Philip, do you remember that first meeting with Lyubimov?

P.S. I remember coming to their house. I remember the faces of Yuri Petrovich and Katalin, I remember their voices. It was in Jerusalem. And it's a childhood memory that has remained for a lifetime.

 

E.K. The choice of the program — there is some logic in it...

 

P.S. This music is very close to me. But at the same time, the program is chosen specifically for Yuri Petrovich. He was very fond of Mozart, Beethoven — especially the one hundred and first opus and finally, the "Wanderer". At first I wanted to include Liszt's Sonata in the program, but Katalin asked me to play the "Wanderer". She told me: when he was already ill, lying down, he often listened to the "Wanderer" and said: this is my life passing in front of my eyes.

 

E.K. What do you think is the connection between the great Russian director, who has lived for almost a century, and you, a young Israeli pianist?

 

P.S. Lyubimov had a giant personality. I will never be able to compare myself with him. He loved music very much. I adore the theater. In this crazy world, art is our only salvation.

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