About aura Saint Petersburg, creation of musicals and entrants St. Petersburg state conservatory named after N. A. Rimskogo-Korsakova were told by the composer and the teacher Tanonov Anton .
One of heroes of a final concert of a festival of the Union of composers became the Petersburg author and the teacher Tanonov Anton , whose First symphony in the Concert hall of a name of P. I. Tchaikovsky prodirizhiroval Sladkovsky Alexander. In interview to "Musical life" Tanonov Anton told about the career, about musicals and a role of modern technologies.
— As you came to composition? Whether remember the first impressions of the childhood?
— Choice of profession — a merit of my father. He all life dreamed to practise music, but thus became the artist. So I could realize his dreams. I composed the first play at the age of five years, then me sent to music school where my entrance tests estimated very modestly. Since the childhood I was attracted by Bach, Haydn, and a bit later Prokofiev. I kept love to these composers with myself forever!
— As turned out, what the destiny threw you from native Nizhny Novgorod in Saint Petersburg? And why decided to connect life with this city?
— When to me was eleven years, parents made the decision that I will be able to reach big results and to take place as the composer if I study at Special music school at the Leningrad conservatory. Saint Petersburg long did not accept me. But once after the conservatory termination to me there was one interesting case. I was called by my colleague and told that the British guitarist and the composer Khensli Ken, one of leaders of Uriah Heep group, comes to Saint Petersburg with concerts, and in five days performance in the Big concert hall "October" will already take place. It is a concert for a rock group with a symphonic orchestra, but there is no score. And here in four days I by some miracle managed to cut out completely the score of all musical material. After such sprint work I felt that in Saint Petersburg — the aura, a certain attraction of the center of force, and I need to remain in this city where there are the similar unexpected projects, capable to change my life in the future.
— Inheriting unique traditions of the Petersburg (Leningrad) composer school how tried to realize them in the creativity?
— it is unconditional, the Petersburg composer school is inconceivable without Dmitry Dmitriyevich Shostakovich's name. But for me one more of its embodiment is nowadays well Slonimsky Sergei Mikhaylovich — my favourite teacher who has taught me to listen and to hear the music, brought up spiritual ancestors. Thanks to it I understood that the real composer cannot have any one color. It has to be many-sided: it is necessary to try to perfect all the time the skill, to work in the most different styles, genres and the directions. Slonimsky Sergei Mikhaylovich as any other of modern composers, is comprehensive. Its unique intuition, in whatever of genres or styles it worked, never it brought. We closely cooperate with it together already long time in conservatory. One of recent conservatoire gains Slonimsky Sergei Mikhaylovich became creation of a course of a melodics. It collected all melodic examples, intonations and turns which really excite him in volume work. Their studying could be useful in creative work, both to young composers, and mature masters. It seems to me, this work is comparable to some extent to "Orchestration bases" Rimsky-Korsakov.
— Slonimsky Sergei Mikhaylovich directed you on an own way?
to— Certainly sent, but at all did not push. Its credo as teachers consisted in to creating the copy of in the pupil, and to feel an internal pendulum of each of students and to try to direct it in the necessary direction. Therefore all pupils Slonimsky Sergei Mikhaylovich very different in stylistics, genres in which they work.
— you — the composer multigenre, managed to try the most different styles. Recently concentrated on the musical. With what such unexpected modulation is connected?
— the Musical in my life — special history. Even long before reconstruction of the historical building of the Petersburg conservatory in it there was a magnificent recording studio where I had honor to work within 8 years as the sound producer. Once I sat at the panel and reduced record of the Violin concert of Mendelssohn as unexpectedly I was told that the rector Gantvarg Mikhail asks me to come to it for discussion of questions of composer chair. In an office at it I met Afanasyeva Irina, the general producer of companies Makers Lab which appeared further my creative coauthor. And the musical "Master and Margarita" (based on a novel of the same name Bulgakov Mikhail) became the first of projects where I passed a casting as the composer.
That distinguishes musicals which we create with Afanasyeva Irina? First of all treatment of the genre. For anybody not a secret that musicals unite in themselves enormous variety of genres — the musical opera, the musical revue, the musical in style of are-N-bi. The main destination of the musical — to entertain. The Russian public got used already to that the musical — it something like that superficial. But each of musicals which we created, whether it be "The master and Margarita", "Onegin's Demon", "An Oscar and the Pink Lady", now we work over "Lolita" — all these works with very difficult and difficult dramatic art.
I just the shortcoming existing in the modern opera when the dramatic art of a statement suffers therefore the viewer is deprived of the most interesting that there are at theater, namely supervision over changes in behavior of characters, the main characters — in the musical almost is absent. Yes, beauty of voices, the effective orchestration, new methods of sound extraction — all this is fine, but the theater after all always regarded as of paramount importance as it seems to me, a plot which the viewer has to watch always. In the opera it is leveled, and the musical allows to open this history as much as possible. Well and besides anybody after all did not forbid to use in musicals modern composer technicians, the modern orchestration and it is respectively courageous to mix them with pop music genres.
Now our companies have the room for theater. We made full reconstruction of the Leningrad Palace of youth, with success we close the first theatrical season. Now it is a new hall on 1200 places, executed according to Broadway standards with the most modern sound, with possibility of use of technologies 3D without points — projections, the huge screen on all back of a scene. These are the most modern and advanced technologies who allow to count performance timing about one second, and the most important to create works on serious plots with use of means of the newest theatrical technologies, thereby to draw attention of young audience. I am immensely in love with the musical. Probably, as soon as interesting stories and musical subjects will end, I will be able to write the book with notes about the personal experience of creation of musicals. But while this direction very much carries away me. Every minute, devoted to musical creation, I consider happy and precious and I feel that behind this genre the big future!
— Tanonov Anton , in the creativity you do not pass entertaining and variety genres in the course with the academic music. Why consider such synthesis organic?
— Emergence of a microphone attracted a huge number of performers who do not possess strong opera voices to creative life, but own characteristic intonation, originality of sounding. Today, if to take made of all musical instruments — a human voice, in the modern world at all their variety everyone is valuable owing to the uniqueness as it occurred during all eras. Earlier, when there was no sound intensifying equipment, we were always attracted with voice sounding if it was strong, differently it could not be heard.
Well, and now force of a voice was leveled, and enormous value actor's data of the singer began to have, his timbre, ability to own speech intonation, its life experience which the actor can report directly from the heart to listeners. Therefore entertaining variety genres do not exist. There is such platform which is as though on the periphery.
For me initially was interesting a combination of the best that is created in the academic and commercial music. The term "commercial music" is for some reason closer to me. If to look at the today's world of the academic music, the eclecticism and a crossover became some kind of creative cliche. Very large number of composers mixes different styles and the directions to achieve new quality. Its structure and work in the field of sound design in relation to rhythm section was always interesting to me in commercial music, that is is how thin the modern sound producer treats creation here this most rhythmic pulsation which becomes frequent a basis of the majority of my academic works.
— As, in particular, your First symphony not so long ago executed in Moscow by the State symphonic orchestra Republic of Tatarstan under control of Sladkovsky Alexander …
by— Yes, it it is brilliant prodirizhiroval Sladkovsky Alexander. This is one of those surprising conductors thanks to whom music of modern composers lives and develops. For the first time my symphonic music sounded at the festival "Youth Academies Russian Federation" organized by Chaykovsky Alexander in 2003. The maestro Sladkovsky Alexander prodirizhiroval the program from music of young composers, also gave a number of unforgettable concerts in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan and Yekaterinburg. Still the orchestra is my most favourite tool which there is a wish to touch again and again. If to speak about the First symphony, its motor is two rhythmic bases: one of area of a commercial dance music, and other of elements of the minimalism taking the sources in east musical cultures, including Indian rage. And here these combination yield very productive result. Now I work over the score of the Second symphony concert "Suvorov".
— With whom from domestic musicians most often cooperate?
— I think, I am simply lucky as I work with leading musicians Russian Federation. Would like to note especially the long cooperation with Shakhmametyev Alime, the chief conductor of the Novosibirsk chamber orchestra. It is wonderful collective which executed premieres of my many compositions for a string band. Shakhmametyev Alime — very deep, bright and original interpreter of modern music. Thanks to Shakhmametyev Alime premieres of my such orchestral works, as took place: "Yulla", "Rakhmaniana", the Concert for termenvoksa with an orchestra.
— What role in modern music world are played by technological process?
— Technologies in modern music — it no more than the tool. The composer is obliged to own one or two of them. I consider obligatory to seize to composers all range of computer and musical technologies. It gives big creative freedom. Thus, if not to master them, they will always prevail over you. You will create the works, using those cliches which were put by developers. As soon as will reach a certain level of proficiency in computer musical technologies, will cease already and to think of it, and will concentrate only on creativity.
— in a number of the compositions you resort to electronics use. These experiments are conscious?
— Electronic music means in itself creation of the new sound worlds. Partly it is similar to philosophy. After all the real philosophy — creation of the new world which logically lives under the laws. By the same principle the new sound world with the certain system of an order is created. It after all is madly interesting! The only thing when it too tightens, I understand that on searches of the data of the worlds, like flight in space, all life can leave. Therefore it is necessary in time to force to stop itself and nevertheless to try to adhere to an initial creative idea under which it is worth creating this world, using all most modern technologies as one of perfect tools for realization of creative inspiration.
— Tanonov Anton , let's return to one more sphere of your work — teaching activity. Now you head composition and improvisation chair in St. Petersburg state conservatory named after N. A. Rimskogo-Korsakova. What tendencies you observe?
— in recent years I note much lower level of preparation of the arriving. Less frequently the children prepared on theoretical disciplines at that level at which, I remember come across, there were entrants 10 — 15 years ago. But the motivation at the arrived students and their work directly in a class of composition and on all other disciplines grew many times! That is it means that system problems of educations are overcome, first of all, because again becomes the composer demanded a profession. Competition rather stable — 2 — 3 persons into place. So it developed that two generations work at chair together, shoulder to shoulder. On the one hand, it is colleagues of my age — your obedient servant, Nesterova Svetlana, Mazhara Nicholas, and with another — the classic of modern academic music Slonimsky Sergei Mikhaylovich, and also his colleagues: Korchmar Grigory and Banshchikov Gennady.
We on chair came to a conclusion that there has to be a certain pluralism from the point of view of stylistics of work of students in a class. I still remember times of the study when there was such post-mainstream — Post-Shostakovich's time. 80 — 90% of students worked in this direction to some deviations. Now it is possible to say with confidence that works of students stylistically were very strongly divided. It is clear that each teacher in the class of composition chooses own principles of work with the student. Nevertheless for the last three-four years again there was a persistent aspiration of students to find any new intonations, turns in the voice-frequency melodic sphere. On the other hand, on each course two-three persons who work in area sonoriki, minimalism, electro-acoustic music traditionally often meet. They form the new tembrovy alphabet of sounding of music. A similar variety very much is welcomed by us!
Composers — piece goods. As shows the experiment, each course gives one, at most two composers who remain in a profession and productively work further. It is clear that this figure is relative, but here the statistics speaks for itself. The main problem of today's students is concluded that they are very interested in advance of own works and very seldom take an active part in the organization of executions, listening of music and visit of concerts of the colleagues. And that we train the composers working by the principle of the independent submarine, that is everyone for ourselves, I consider as an enormous problem. Many discoveries are made today in the scientific world by research teams. It is clear that each composer has to be unique and original, but from contact new ideas with each other are born. And the more arises the similar creative unions where each of composers feeds each other with new thoughts and ideas, the better. And here it is very important that experts composers tried to communicate more with each other.
— whether it is difficult today to the young composer to Russian Federation to find itself, to find an own way?
— Yes, it is very difficult. It is possible to tell that the profession of the composer — is an after-life profession. After all after the conservatory termination graduates pass some stages. Two or three years anyway leave on simply to understand — it in general your calling, or you, maybe, went about not the own business. There is a formation of the creative person — the composer goes to big free swimming. He has to feel, whether its music is necessary to someone. And then there is a desire to create further contrary to everything.
Modern composers, as a rule, seldom work withonly on one specialty. It is good when the composer himself is a performer. Then it has an opportunity to unite these two kinds of activity. I can give advice to the young colleagues — it is necessary to remain absolutely sincere with the listeners, to believe in myself and not to spend time for nothing on loud headings of the momentary style directions. Write that resounds in you, that you test, then precisely never will lose! And never do that is not pleasant to you. The music composition — this most great happiness for the real composer!
Aleksandrov Victor
the Source — "Musical life"
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