Persimfans and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert program in the Concert Hall. P.I
In Moscow in the hall named after. Tchaikovsky hosted another project dedicated to the 100th anniversary October revolution, and the title of his concerts was the review of the leader of the world proletariat Vladimir Ilyich Lenin about Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata he listened to - “inhuman music”.
"Persimfance" (First symphony ensemble), an orchestra without a conductor, was organized in Moscow in 1922 and became one of the most remarkable phenomena cultural life Soviet Russia. The team gave up to seventy concerts per season. Without ever performing outside of Moscow, Persimfans gained worldwide fame as one of the best symphony groups of that time. In his likeness, orchestras without a conductor were organized not only in the USSR, but also abroad - in the USA and Germany. After some time, decades of forced break in the activities of Persimfans came.
Its revival began in 2008 on the initiative of Peter Aidu, pianist and composer, teacher at the Faculty of Historical and Contemporary Performance of the Moscow Conservatory. His interests are wide - from baroque to modern music. Persimfans also interested him. In one of his interviews, Aidu spoke about the glorious history of the orchestra without a conductor and that it was deliberately excluded from the history of Soviet music, like many cultural and scientific phenomena in the Stalin era. “I was then in search new form playing music and found that we needed to continue it,” recalls Aidu. “Persimfance should exist like the Bolshoi Theater, a conservatory. This is our Moscow one, it was located on the territory of the Moscow Conservatory, and its base was the Great Hall.”
Demonstration of Persimfans' achievements recent years became his joint project with the Düsseldorf Tonhalle. The joint symphony ensemble of two sister cities - Moscow and Dusseldorf - gave three concerts. On October 7 and 8, Moscow musicians teamed up with artists of the Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra, and on December 14, the third concert was held in the Hall. P. Tchaikovsky. In Moscow, Düsseldorf residents joined our musicians. The only concert in the capital was organized by the Apriori Arts agency in partnership with the Helikon Artists agency and the management of the Tonhalle Dusseldorf with the active support of the Goethe-Institut in Moscow, the German Foreign Ministry and the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Rarely included in the concert program performed works, written in the 20s of the twentieth century. in post-revolutionary Germany and the USSR, as well as classical music: works by Beethoven and Mozart. We started with Mozart. The Persimfans chamber ensemble performed the Overture to the opera The Magic Flute. At this time, scenes from life flashed on the stage screen Soviet people, which did not fit in any way with Mozart’s music. Why were they needed? But you could not look at them, but only listen wonderful music Austrian genius. The orchestra played wonderfully. Then they performed Quartet No. 1 by Alexander Mosolov and a very interesting symphonic rhapsody “October” by Joseph Schillinger, skillfully filled with motifs of revolutionary songs.
The second part also began with the classics. Beethoven's Egmont Overture was performed. It was “Egmont” that became the main center of the concert. The bright dramatic tension and perfect sound design immediately captivated the audience, who burst into thunderous applause. The Overture was followed by Edmund Meisel's music for Sergei Eisenstein's film Battleship Potemkin. This is where the film footage was more than appropriate. The film organically merged with the music, and it looked and listened great. Then there were two melodic recitations by Julius Meitus, “The Blows of the Communard” and “On the Death of Ilyich.” The evening ended with his own symphonic suite “On the Dneprostroy” - a cheerful, enthusiastic picture of the everyday work of Soviet workers.
The concert program “Inhuman Music” of the reviving Persimfans seemed ambiguous. It seems that so far only musicians are interested in its existence, and not listeners at all. It was too long ago. Today, both in Russia and the world, the conductor's orchestra reigns. The public goes to see the conductors. On past concert The Hall was far from full. Tchaikovsky, and after the break its ranks thinned out significantly, although a number of numbers, as I already wrote, were received enthusiastically. In the program for the evening there are several lines that “under the auspices of Persimfans, cultural research is carried out, exhibitions are organized and theatrical performances. Persimfans today is a universal arts complex.” Great, but this is only on the sidelines of musicians. As for the broad masses who enjoyed Persimfans’ concerts in the twenties of the last century, today they are far from his art, and they hardly need it. But for music students this is interesting and obviously necessary. There we wish them success in this direction. Maybe we'll get something interesting too.
Barni, thanks a lot for the rip! :zvety_krasn:
I can only add information from the official booklet:
Persimfans was created by the outstanding violinist, professor at the Moscow Conservatory Lev Tseytlin in 1922. In the early years Soviet power Persimfans became a symbol of the triumph of collectivism and musical education of the working masses, realizing in practice the utopia of equal creative initiative without the dictates of the conductor-monarch. Sometimes reaching up to 150 people, the orchestra was formed from musicians from the leading ensembles of the time, from leading teachers and conservatory professors. IN different time The soloists of the Persimfans concerts were S. Prokofiev and A. Rubinstein, E. Petri and J. Szigeti, I. Kozlovsky, V. Horowitz, A. Goedicke and many others. The orchestra's repertoire included both European and Russian classics, starting with Bach and ending with Scriabin, as well as works by modern composers: Ravel, Bartók, Stravinsky, Mosolov, etc. Persimfans concerts were famous for the fact that they took place not only in concert halls, but also in factories and in workers’ clubs, attracting the proletariat to academic music, who saw musicians sitting on stage in a circle, who, without a conductor, but independently and harmoniously performed the most complex symphonic works, thereby embodying the ideals of the new society. When truly socialist ideas of self-organization of the collective began to contradict the authoritarian doctrines of totalitarianism, the ensemble’s activities were forced to cease in 1933.
In the winter and spring seasons of 2009/2010, Persimfans successfully held a number of concerts at which the Overture to “ Magic Flute” by Mozart in a special edition of 1930 “for cinema, clubs, radio, schools and the stage”, S. Prokofiev’s almost forgotten ballet Trapeze, Alexander Mosolov’s Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as Beethoven’s Third “Eroic” Symphony - a work performed by Persimfans on his first concert in 1922. Thus, Persimfans’ repertoire includes well-known concert works, little-explored Soviet music 1920s (one of concert openings should become practically unfulfilled symphonic suite Y. Meitus “On Dneprostroy”), but also the music of modern composers.
In terms of reconstruction musical environment 20s a noise orchestra has been created with homemade authentic instruments And musical repertoire, corresponding to the original noise groups of the 20s. Besides, symphony concerts Persimfans often also include a choir, a ballet and circus troupe, a film montage and a literary montage, each of which is an independent act included in the overall ensemble of the action.
Thus, Persimfans is a creative and research laboratory that brings together people from various areas art, and embodying the principle of equal, versatile and lively creative dialogue.
Links:
http://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/article/179135/
http://www.musiccritics.ru/?id=3&readfull=5281
Persimfans (First Symphony Ensemble, an orchestra without a conductor) was founded in 1922, at a time when the most amazing things appeared in the air, one after another. musical ideas. Violinist and professor at the Moscow Conservatory Lev Tseitlin gathered like-minded musicians from different ensembles, and the resulting orchestra, whose members shared the ideas of collectivism and equality, performed the most various works, from Bach to his contemporaries. Persimfans existed for eleven years - in the 1930s, little remained of the innovative spirit of the previous decade. However, in 2009, pianist Peter Aidu recreated Persimfans as one component of a reconstruction of the musical environment of the 1920s. His friends, enthusiasts from different orchestras, were sometimes willing to rehearse at night - the only time when they all found themselves free from their main jobs and other projects. The orchestra gave concerts irregularly, the composition was unstable, but the repertoire was gradually replenished. One of the first works performed by Persimfans was the most complex piano concerto by Alexander Mosolov. Other works include Beethoven's Third Symphony, Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks, Prokofiev's little-known ballet Trapeze, George Antheil's Mechanical Ballet for four pianos, percussion ensemble, doorbells and propellers, and the overture to Mozart's The Magic Flute in a special editorial offices for cinema, clubs, radio, schools and the stage. Performed new Persimfans and compositions modern composer— Pavel Karmanova, performed with the group " Polite refusal", went on tour to Norway with musicians from other cities. This season at the Rachmaninov Hall, the subscription in honor of the 90th anniversary of Persimfans opens with a dedication concert to conductor and double bassist Sergei Koussevitzky, the founder of the Russian Music Publishing House, where the scores of many works by Russian composers were first published , a propagandist who emigrated in 1921 new music. The musicians from the first symphony orchestra in Moscow, founded by him in 1911, formed the backbone of Persimfans. Works from Koussevitzky's repertoire will be performed - Max Bruch, Wagner in transcriptions by Pablo Casals and Karl Tausig, Tchaikovsky, Medtner, Rachmaninov and Koussevitzky himself, as well as Scriabin's "Black Mass" and "Satanic Poem", and Prokofiev's Quintet, written on the material mentioned above ballet "Trapezoid". The concert will feature Pyotr Aidu, violinist Marina Katarzhnova, violist Alexander Akimov, double bassist Grigory Krotenko, oboist Olga Tomilova and clarinetist Evgeny Barkhatov. Aidu and Krotenko play on historical instruments- a grand piano from 1900 and a double bass from 1624 (which belonged to Koussevitzky himself), respectively.
Grigory Durnovo
For the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution, the Moscow Persimfans Orchestra and the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra prepared a concert program following the principles of the historical Persimfans, a group of musicians without a conductor founded in 1922. The concert of ensembles of the twin cities of Moscow and Dusseldorf will take place on December 14, 2017 in Concert hall them. P.I. Tchaikovsky Moscow Philharmonic.
After two concerts, which the two ensembles played with great success in October at the Tonhall in Dusseldorf, a return visit is planned: more than 60 musicians from Moscow and 20 from Dusseldorf will present at the Moscow Concert Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky program created in accordance with the principles of historical Persimfans. It included works played by the former Persimfans, which had a significant influence on the Russian avant-garde during the revolution. Thus, through the joint performance of works that grew out of the pan-European musical tradition, V anniversary year The October Revolution will recreate a long-forgotten aspect of the European avant-garde. At the same time, a fresh creative approach that rejects hierarchy in music will be felt and tested against today's context.
In 2008, Moscow musician Peter Aidu, the grandson of one of the musicians who stood at the origins of the historical Persimfans, gave the ensemble a rebirth - absolutely in the spirit of its predecessor. Musicians current composition understand their activities as the revival of the utopias of the European avant-garde, destroyed by the dictatorships of the 20th century. In an incredibly intense rehearsal process Without the participation of the conductor, interpretations of works are born that would not be feasible within the framework of the daily activities of an ordinary symphony orchestra. The accompanying enormous responsibility of each individual musician and the need for constant communication between musicians lead to unique results that build a musical bridge to the art of theater and performance.
The ensemble defines itself primarily as an art group that, along with concerts, carries out interactive sound installations and projects in the field of theater and multimedia. Persimfans' projects - the interactive sound installation "Reconstruction of Noise" (2012) and the theatrical and multimedia stage project "Reconstruction of Utopia" - had big success among the public and critics in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Perm, Berlin and other cities. These projects have received many awards, in particular the Sergei Kuryokhin Prize in 2014.
Experimental sound art can be heard and seen at the concert on December 14th. Musicians from Germany and Russia - according to the Persimfans principle, playing without a conductor - developed for this joint project interesting concert program.
One of the most interesting and innovative projects of the heyday Soviet culture there was Persimfans - the First Symphony Ensemble. It was founded in Moscow in 1922 and, in tune with the ideals of the Russian Revolution, performed music without the authority figure of the conductor, who was interpreted as a symbol absolute power. During the performance, the musicians of the orchestra, whose repertoire included both classical and modern works, sat in a circle to maintain visual contact with each other - a prerequisite for coherent playing without a conductor. At its peak, the ensemble gave more than 70 concerts a season, and although all of them took place in Moscow, Persimfans gained worldwide fame and was considered the best orchestra of its time. Orchestras without a conductor following his model began to emerge not only in the USSR, but also abroad, including in Germany. In 1932, the idealistic project fell victim to Stalin's cultural repression.
And today, the revived orchestra without a conductor was and remains one of the most interesting musical groups ours. And his programs are bright and “revolutionary”.
Photo by Ira POLARNAYA
Persimfans is the first symphony ensemble of the Moscow City Council, a symphony orchestra without a conductor. Honored Team of the Republic (1927).
Organized in 1922 on the initiative of professor of the Moscow Conservatory L. M. Tseitlin. Persimfans - the first in history musical art symphony orchestra without a conductor. Persimfans includes the best artistic forces of the orchestra Bolshoi Theater, progressive part of professors and students orchestral department Moscow Conservatory. Persimfans' work was led by the Artistic Council, which was elected from among its members.
The orchestra's activities were based on updating the methods of symphonic performance, based on creative activity members of the ensemble. The use of chamber-ensemble methods of rehearsal work (first in groups, and then with the whole orchestra) was also innovative. In the free creative discussions of Persimfans participants, common aesthetic principles were developed and issues were raised musical interpretation, development of instrument playing technique and ensemble performance. This had a great influence on the development of leading Moscow schools of playing bowed and wind instruments and contributed to raising the level of orchestral playing.
Weekly subscription concerts of Persimfans (since 1925) with a variety of programs (including great place allocated to new products modern music), in which the soloists were the largest foreign and Soviet artists(J. Szigeti, K. Zecchi, V. S. Horowitz, S. S. Prokofiev, A. B. Goldenweiser, K. N. Igumnov, G. G. Neuhaus, M. V. Yudina, V. V. Sofronitsky , M. B. Polyakin, A. V. Nezhdanova, N. A. Obukhova, V. V. Barsova, etc.), steel essential component musical and cultural life of Moscow. Persimfans performed in major concert halls, also gave concerts in workers' clubs and cultural centers, factories and factories, and went on tour to other cities of the Soviet Union.
Following the example of Persimfans, orchestras without a conductor were organized in Leningrad, Kyiv, Kharkov, Voronezh, Tbilisi; similar orchestras arose in some foreign countries(Germany, USA).
Persimfans played a prominent role in introducing wide circles listeners to the treasures of the world musical culture. Nevertheless, the idea of an orchestra without a conductor did not pay off. In 1932 Persimfans ceased to exist. Other orchestras without a conductor, created according to his model, also turned out to be short-lived.
In 1926-29, the Persimfans magazine was published in Moscow.
Literature: Zukker A., Five years of Persimfans, M., 1927.
I. M. Yampolsky