festival brightens winter nights

by Galina Stolyarova

Staff Writer

Published: December 27, 2002 (Issue # 831)

Alexander Belenky / The St. Petersburg Times Temirkanov's festival is the city's first official 300th-anniversary event.

Running a music festival isn't very difficult, according to conductor Yury Temirkanov, the artistic director of the Arts Square Festival.

"A festival is no big deal, really," he smiles. "In Europe, nearly every village now has its own festival."

"What does present a challenge is building a symbolic concept of the event in such an historic location [as St. Petersburg]," he adds.

This year's Arts Square Festival, which opens on Friday with a concert including world-renowned pianist Evgeny Kissin playing Brahms' Second Piano Concerto, is only the fourth running of Temirkanov's brainchild, which he set up to revive the St. Petersburg tradition of a sparkling winter-concert season.

Nevertheless, the musicians taking part would do the world's most prestigious musical events proud. In addition to Kissin, the list includes American soprano Barbara Hendricks, violinist Vadim Repin, cellist Truls Mork, contralto Ewa Podles and baritone Vladimir Chernov.

According to Shostakovich Philharmonic Director Yury Shvartskopf, the venue suffered from cancellations by several Western artists of their planned performances in the aftermath of the tragic events in Moscow in October, when over 120 people died after Russian troops stormed Moscow's Theater Center na Dubrovke, in which Chechen rebels had taken hundreds of hostages during a performance of the Russian musical "Nord-Ost." However, he said, not a single musician invited to perform during the Arts Square Festival had reconsidered their decision to come to St. Petersburg.

"Maybe it's because they're all my friends," Temirkanov says. "In any case, I'm very happy to have made it happen."

"Having a festival like ours, with a beautiful ball in the historic Yusupov Palace, wonderful concerts and a genuine winter-holiday atmosphere, is very important for St. Petersburg," he says.

Perhaps in recognition of Temirkanov's efforts, the city administration has declared the festival to be the first official event of St. Petersburg's 300th-anniversary celebration. The recognition also brought the festival some financial reward, in the form of $60,000 from the St. Petersburg 300 Fund.

Arts Square centers on two venues, the Shostakovich Philharmonic and the State Russian Museum, both of which are located on the event's namesake, Ploshhad Iskusstv, with its famous statue of Russia's favorite poet, Alexander Pushkin, in the center.

As part of the festival, a special exhibition opens in the Benois Wing on Monday (although there will be a special viewing for festival guests on Sunday). The exhibition, "Dvoye" ("Twosome"), examines human relationships between two people. Among the works on display, which date from the 15th to the 20th centuries, will be Nikolai Ge's "Peter the Great Interrogating Tsarevich Alexei," Konstantin Somov's "The Harlequin and the Lady," and even some icons by Nikolai Rerikh.

"I'm happy that the museum's input has evolved from nominal to substantial," says the museum's director, Vladimir Gusev.

"The idea for the exhibition came as I was talking with Yury Temirkanov," he says. "It's a sad circumstance that the museum and the Philharmonic are yet to be joined by our neighbors on Arts Square. Let's hope that, next time, we can make it a 'Threesome.'"

According to its organizers, the festival has the potential to grow some more. The Musical Comedy Theater, situated right next to the Shostakovich Philharmonic, is not taking part for a very simple - and just as outrageous - reason: The venue isn't heated.

In addition, the Mussorgsky Theater, on the Kanal Griboyedova side of the square, was willing to take part, but wanted money in return - an attitude that infurated Temirkanov.

"I approached them and asked if they would let the Boris Eifman Ballet Company perform 'Russian Hamlet' on their stage, as part of the festival," he recalls. "They said it would cost me $5,000 - as if I was doing it for myself, and not for the city!"

As with every previous Arts Square Festival, Temirkanov is introducing a talented newcomer to the city's concert goers this year. The name to watch this time is Kazakh conductor Alan Buribayev, who conducts the Shostakovich Philharmonic's Academic Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday, New Year's Eve, in a program of works by Berlioz, Bizet, Faure and Johann Strauss.

A graduate of the Kazakhstan Conservatory and a prizewinner at a number of competitions, Buribayev now studies at the Vienna University of Music and Drama. Temirkanov noticed the gifted young conductor at Copenhagen's Nikolai Malko International Conducting Competition, where Buribayev was awarded a special prize "For Talent."

A previous Temirkanov protege, Chinese-born pianist Lang Lang, returns for this year's Arts Square Festival, this time to perform Grieg's Piano Concerto at the festival's closing concert on Jan. 7, with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under Temirkanov's baton.

"Lang Lang has a fantastic career. He gives over 100 performances a year around the world," Temirkanov says. "I keep close tabs on what he is doing, but I'm happy to see that he doesn't need my help any more."

Although the festival starts shortly after Western Christmas and winds up on Orthodox Christmas, its director says he isn't religious at all.

"Do I believe in God? Regretfully, no," Temirkanov said in an interview for his 60th birthday in 1998. "You must write 'regretfully,' because I would very much like to."

"I think that believers live more securely," he said. "They 'stand well' on this earth. But I live as an atheist."

Although the Arts Square Festival largely has yet to resonate with Western audiences, Shvartskopf said the number of guests coming from abroad has been growing every year. A rarity in Russia, the festival is able to reveal its program a year in advance, making it much easier to promote both at home and abroad.

Temirkanov notes another new feature of the festival that brings it one step closer to its high-profile counterparts elsewhere.

"In the past, everyone performed at the Philharmonic for free," he recalls. "I basically had to ask my friends for a favor. I'm relieved those times are over."

As for next year's festival, Temirkanov would like to make it a juxtaposition of Russia and the United States. He has already divulged one of the acts that he hopes to bring over - an African-American choir singing a program of spirituals.

For a complete schedule, see Listings.

Links: www.artsquarewinterfest.ru