Cello Monster or The string Goliath

Sergey Moskalev: Borislav, we are acquainted for a long time, almost from the time, when the famous pianist Byron Janis, you made your debut with, said: «Look at this young man (it’s about you). He plays as if he had been born with a cello». A lot of complementary articles about Borislav Strulev were written in different publications. You’re «one of the best cellists of the planet», «the musician with exceptional temperament», «the High SPEED cellist». Continuing perhaps not quite correct analogy with the high speed, it’s possible to say that Strulev is similar to powerful Formila-1 bolid(car). You’re rushing through the life with terrible speed, with high turns, with dizzy volutes: you have and solo-programs and festivals and tv-shows. You mix the genres up — classic music with jazz, blues and adding the flavor of crossover.

Borislav Strulev: (Gibbering and laughing «Shock must be present»)

Borislav Strulev: Shock is always differ the real art on public performance. Shock — it’s something that has always distinguished the true art in a public statement from the everyday domestic music-making. For the listener sound shock can be expressed as a kind of incompleteness or vice versa as hypertrophied incredible sound.

S.M.: Some musicians are trying to make their art as accessible as possible, Vanessa Mae’s creativity for example. Others relate to such experiments condescendingly. Don’t you feel the risk of sliding into pop-music and incur the blame of classical music’s fans?

B.S.: I feel the danger, but i am cellist. A ‘’violoncello’’ is particular instrument. I play in church with the organ’s accompanying today, and tomorrow i will play in the stadium with flying acrobats. Its 21^st Century. People must have the opportunity to choose. There are a lot of sections on my web-site. www.borislavstrulev.com In real life, if a kid likes sweet, he won’t eat herring with horseradish. He will eat Milky Way. But as time goes, tastes change. And a person thinks «Oh, now the herring with horseradish or with garlic goes well with vodka! No Sweets!» Excuse me for such an analogy, but I’m sure person must always have a choice. My job is to make cello sounding, sympathizing. In comparison with violin, cello is quite difficult instrument. it’s heaver. And it has only four strings that should resonate. A violoncello as the human’s voice may be in the song and in the chanson, and in the aria and the cantata. I’m not afraid of experiments. We need to do things, that are given by destiny and time. It’s wonderful, that the musician has fans or foes. It means, that he touches someone with his music.

S.M.: You were music director in New York for the special event — celebration called ‘’Day of Russia’’ It was very popular program?

B.S.: I was glad to be a music director of the program «Day of Russia» in New York city. In the year of the celebration of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the US and Russia bicentenary we also took part in the development of friendship between countries. There were Bill Clinton, and Henry Kissinger, and Russia’s representative Vitaly Churkin on the concert. I hope, this tradition will come back and we will go galas. Nowadays, when relationship between countries almost icy, such events and concerts could make life warmer. There are a lot of talented musicians in Russia and USA. So, now they can’t sing or play either in Russia or in America?

S.M.: At the moment you’re art-director of the music festival in Belgorod. ‘’BelgorodMusicFest’’ – BORISLAV STRULEV & FRIENDS! Whom do you want to invite? What kind of festival it is?

B.S.: The festival calls «Borislav Strulev and the friends». It is international festival. It runs for the fourth year with the support of the regional governor and Cultural Foundation in Belgorod. Our festival is peculiar. It includes classical music, ballet, opera, jazz programs and theatre. For four years there were a lot of colorful guests. For example, there was Alexander Markov, he’s alive «Paganini» from US with classic music and rock-concerts. Leonid Ptashka, a great virtuoso pianist from Israel visited our festival. Also there was Michel Legrand. He’s a legend I performed with him in New York. This friendship united us, and he flew to the festival to Belgorod. And, finally, there was one and only – Opera Diva — Elena Obraztsova with her last concerts. This concert led by my friend and terrific person — Svyatoslav Belza, who, unfortunately departed from us as well.

S.M.: And as for the program of this year?

B.S.: The superstar will perform that year — the world’s best violinist Viktor Tretiakov. Also there will be brilliant bass of the Bolshoi Theatre Vlaimir Motorin. I invited also Evgeny Margulis a Soviet and Russian rock and blues musician. Great conductor and friend coming form New York – Arkady Leytush.

S.M.: Borislav, you left Russia in 1993 and come back in 2005. But now you come very often. You can compare Moscow and N.Y. I mean, you can compare the world of music, the public.

B.S.: What can i say? I will always have relate feelings to Moscow. But there are a lot of things, that connect me with N.Y. It’s very difficult — to compare two different cities. I can’t say, which is the best. Everyone has his own emotional mind. I see everything through the prism of my instrument. I’m working and living at the place, where I have the opportunity to perform. At the moment, I mean in March, there is my festival in Belgorod. There will be a concert at Carnegie Hall in June, that will be dedicate to the 70th anniversary of the Victory. So, I’m like musical bridge, sometimes I have to across the ocean two or three times a month. I even have two cellos. One in Moscow and another one — in New York. Cellos suffer flights worse than people. Ancient expensive instrument can be very sick after ten hours in the sky…

S.M.: How is it?

B.S.: That’s so, open the case, and from there «Borislav, how dare you! I’m three hundred years old!

I was made in Italy, I should be in Venice! And what are you doing?! Dragging me out of airport Sheremetyevo to JFK, through customs, on the shoulders! How could you?»

S.M.: Does she?

B.S.: Yes. Although, when I take the cello with me, i should buy a ticket for it! And double breakfast on the plane! And then it gets kosher, and I take Indian myself. (laughs)

S.M.: And Rostopovich once said «Cello is an instrument, that serves music».

B.S.: He did. Also he said, that we artists are soldiers of our destiny with a burning heart…

S.M.: You went from comparison of the public in Moscow and in New York. But one famous cellist in the interview noticed that American public is still Wild West. What do you think about it?

B.S.: Everyone has his own creative successes and failures with certain continents. I think, that in the country, where Tchaikovsky opened Carnegie Hall, where Mahler made the premiere of his symphonies in Detroit, where premieres of Horowitz with Oistrakh and Rostropovich were hosted… Should i continue? The tradition continues from Anton Rubinstein. There are people in US, who feel styles, levels and representations. Sometimes star come from Europe, and at the next morning public can read article, where the critic breaks star to smithereens.

S.M.: Oh really?

B.S.: Yes, to my mind, professional music criticism exists only in America. In other countries criticism is more condescending. I would take the word in quotation marks, because it’s more like a phone-talk with a neighbor «I went to the concert yesterday, its was not good,».

— Why?

— I Don’t know I didn’t like it! It was to long

S.M.: And as for the public?

B.S.: In decent halls, I’m talking about super halls, like Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center and the Chicago Orchestra Hall, where i performed many times, the public doesn’t applauds between parts. The same I can say about the Tchaikovsky Hall, and Hall of Moscow Conservatory. But musician’s way to success is quite dangerous and thorny. It is difficult to predict the reaction to the performance.

S.M.: Could you explain?

B.S.: I had a case. I played in Japan in fabulous hall, and there was so quiet! Frightening! I think, what it is. An ultimatum against me started? At least, someone out of there could cough! Whom I’m playing for? For robots?

S.M.: For the Japanese…

B.S.: Sure. But it was a sign of special respect. I didn’t know, that they’re so attentive. It was a shock for me.

S.M.: But there is also another way?

B.S.: It is. Sometimes i can be invited to some luxurious castle, where people eating and in general they have no interest to art at all. This can happen both in Moscow and in New York and Milan or London.

S.M.: And what you should do?

B.S.: You must be able to defend yourself, to believe in yourself. You must be ready to everything, and, of course, go on with your job.

S.M.: As for your preferences in work, you do a lot of experiments with words » Throws up the Avant-garde».

B.S.: I see. I created some projects. For example, the solo performance with Tamara Gverdtsiteli called «God created woman», where the cello participates in the duet with her tremulous incredible touching voice. She reads poetry. I hope, we will show it in America. I also came up with a program «Cello Tango». This is my band. We recorded disc: classical music, jazz hits, but in the style of tango. I also have a duet with bayan player — a kind of dedication to Rostropovich, who traveled to Siberia without piano, playing with accordionist – bayan player. And we did a duet program with bayan player from Germany Aydar Gaynullin. We can work with the orchestra, and solo… there’s a lot more… ‘’ShowDuet007’’

S.M.: On the January 15, 2015 the famous opera singer Elena Obraztsova passed away. I know you have warm and friendly relations. And most recently, there was a concert of her memory, in which you participated …

B.S.: Elena Obraztsova has always been an idol for me. How can she sing low notes with such a beautiful voice? Such emotion! Such power! I’ve always listened to her before the concerts. I played a few times in the evening, and then i invited her to my festival in Belgorod. It was an unforgettable concert: she read her poems, sang, we came up with the repertoire — there was a duet, where we even «meow» — I was on the cello «kitty» she was «a voice». Elena Vasylievna didn’t afraid of experiments and jokes.

But at the concert, where have you been, the great classical cello and bass Ildar Abdrazakov sounded. Amazing bass from Mariinsky Theatre and Met Opera. This was our debut together with him in the memory of the great Elena Obraztsova. I often remember her and as an incredible master and as a person who lived up with arts to the last days.

Wish, we all would be like her !