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By Olga Fyodorova
Moscow, January, the year 2000… The Borodin Quartet’s oldest serving cellist,
Valentin Berlinsky, 75, is holding a news conference devoted to the 55th
anniversary of the world-famous outfit.
“What does the quartet really mean to you, Maestro Berlinsky?”
“It’s my home, my family and my love…”
“They say you have an old document in your archives allegedly written
in blood, is that right?”
“Exactly. Here it is... The paper is all yellow now, the ink is barely
visible, but our signatures are still there. Young and romantics all, we
signed this charter with our own blood. Pledging to always be true to the
quartet and each other... We believed this was going to be our law,
that we would forever stick together and play together, but…”
“Who was the first to quit?”
“Rudolf Barshai, our viola player, and then his wife, Nina Barshai,
she played the violin. Conducting was something Rudolf has always
wanted and he set up Russia’s first chamber orchestra they both played
in… The next 20 years we had a pretty steady lineup we again thought would
last forever, but people just kept coming and going… Five years ago we
celebrated our 50th anniversary, our quartet was named as one of the oldest
around and we even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. We
had a big festival in Moscow with luminaries like Yuri Bashmet and Mstislav
Rostropovich joining us on stage. Rostropovich was our first cellist,
by the way. A few weeks later he realized, however, that ensemble playing
was really not his cup of tea and that’s when he brought me in. We were
really good friends, he and I… I’ve been playing here ever since. They
said I could make a fine soloist, but it looks like I was born to play
in a quartet, that’s something I know full well now…”
Shortly after their 50th anniversary celebrations, the quartet lost
two of its members and nearly broke apart. Realizing the danger, Valentin
Berlinsky rescued the situation, just like he had done before, inviting
a pair of young musicians.
The newcomers were prepared to work day and night to emulate the
quartet’s signature sound. To make the BQ happening again, they canceled
all recording sessions and tours. The debut was pretty lackluster, but
each time they played, it was getting better and better…
Once, back in 1945, they wanted to name their quartet after Pyotr
Tchaikovsky only to find out that there were several other quartets vying
for the name of Russia’s best-loved classic. In the end, the young musicians
lost the bidding…
For several years they were just called the Moscow Philharmonic quartet
and then, coming to appreciate Alexander Borodin’s music, they asked to
take the name of this outstanding 19th century Russian composer…
The choice was anything but random since Borodin’s Nocturne had by
then become the quartet’s signature number and has since been a high point
of whatever they play…
Before long, the Borodin Quartet was riding high as one of Russia’s
best chamber outfits and a much-desired showcase for pianist Svyatoslav
Richter, violinist David Oistrakh, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, clarinetist
Ivan Mozgovenko and other leading performers.
During their anniversary concerts, members of the Borodin quartet
put up their old posters in the Conservatory hallway in Moscow. One of
them featured the portraits of the quartet members and the luminaries who,
at various times, had joined them on stage…
After their first concert on January 19, 1945, Valentin Berlinsky
started a logbook diligently writing in the date and program of each concert
they played. More than twenty such logbooks have since been filled
out…
“Why do you need all this paperwork?” his friends chuckled, but they
later realized how important it is to know when and where you played this
or that piece, just to avoid repetitions. The logbooks were also indispensable
during news conferences where Valentin was always ready to tell the news
people the exact number of concerts already played and the countries they
had played in.
By the way, Czechoslovakia was the first of the more than 50 countries
already toured by the Borodin Quartet. “We live on trains, planes and in
hotels,” the musicians joked.
A quartet is more than just a music genre and a four-men group. Experts
say it’s a special way people think and live. Quartet members, just like
cosmonauts, should undergo compatibility tests because after so many years
of living and performing together, people simply stop getting along, snapping
back at each other without reason and writing notes to one another during
rehearsals instead of just saying it…
Happily, things never got that far in the Borodin Quartet, which
doesn’t mean that there have never been any spats or personal hang-ups
though. And still, Valentin Berlinsky says that, relations-wise, the current
lineup is the best they ever had…
The Borodin Quartet boasts a program that is both huge and diverse
with many pieces written especially for them by the finest modern Russian
composers. Dmitry Shostakovich tops the list of the quartet’s best-loved
composers. They play all the 15 quartets and a quintet written by the 20th
century Russian classic.
The BQ started their 55th anniversary year with a series of concerts
featuring each and every chamber piece ever written by Beethoven and Shostakovich.
The two-year cycle is played in Russia and many other countries…
Valentin Berlinsky is working hard to keep alive the best traditions
of the quartet he has played with all his life. Teaching at the Gnessins
Music Academy in Moscow, he has reared a whole constellation of new quartets
triumphing at major chamber music competitions and winning kudos wherever
they go…
In 1987 Valentin Berlinsky helped organize the Dmitry Shostakovich
international competition of string quartets. The sixth such competition
was held earlier this year with Valentin Berlinsky presiding over a star-studded
jury that featured, among others, his good friends and fellow quartet members,
violinists Ruben Agaronyan and Viktor Abramentov, and viola player Igor
Naidin. Who else can you ever find to better judge the young players working
in this very challenging field of music?
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