Maxim Dunaevsky: it is Clear that the festival takes place in difficult conditions. Due to new regulations of the Seating arrangement of the musicians we are unable to attract and Symphony orchestra decided to perform the melodies father’s small ensembles on the gusli, balalaika, classical and jazz style. The festival is attended by Dmitry Kharatyan, jazz musicians Andrei and Mikhail Ivanov, singer Alina Yarovaya, a soloist of the orchestra “the gusli players of Russia” Olga Alekseeva, balalaika virtuoso Denis Zabavsky. This festival, you can watch and listen in the phones and various gadgets.
Musicians are no longer afraid of online formats?
Maxim Dunaevsky: We have mastered the peculiarities of working with sound to the concerts sounded on the level.Of course, live performances can not be replaced: in art the main thing – communication with the public actors, the exchange of energies. But people are accustomed to online broadcasts, are willing to watch them – why not use it?
Your father was a talented melodist. Dmitri Shostakovich called it the Overture to the film “Children of captain Grant” an outstanding phenomenon of symphonic music. What’s the link between the two composers?
Maxim Dunaevsky: they are Both followers of the traditions of Russian symphonic music. Besides, they were friends. Our summer houses were next door in the House of composers in Ruza. We talked a lot, often went to each other’s homes. And Shostakovich, Isaak Dunayevsky was very fond of each other. Dmitry Dmitriyevich considered the father of the composer of the world level. Unfortunately, the world did not know him as well as Shostakovich, perhaps this is the fault of the “iron curtain”.
Isaak Dunayevsky worked a lot in the movie. You have brilliantly continued the work – no joke, to write melodies to seven dozens of movies! Popular today in film composers?
Maxim Dunaevsky: is Very popular, but the level of professionalism is minimized. Today neither I nor Alexei Rybnikov, nor Alexander Zhurbin, nor many others of our mighty, you might say, the last “handful” is not really needed. Popular of the so-called soundtrack, and this music can write any. And it is unfortunately a global trend. Only in Hollywood movie music still plays an important role, and less expensive film industries, European and our own, the role of the melody is kept to a minimum. This greatly impoverishes movie.
still, you are invited to compose music for film?
Maxim Dunaevsky: Sometimes name, but the scenarios are so uninteresting and dull that I often refuse. I’m not interested.
Then maybe the music will save the theatres, musicals?
Maxim Dunaevsky: musical theatre all actively developing and, fortunately, a very popular good music and true authors. I’m currently working on two musicals. For the Moscow operetta – Comedy “the Service of her Imperial Majesty” and for the Theatre of the Russian army – a dramatic musical “St. Anna”.
What your father taught you?
Maxim Dunaevsky: unfortunately, he was not my mentor – just not yet. But he liked that I was a child, has displayed a penchant for composing. It is strongly demonstrated to friends and joked a lot about it. My real mentors were Andrei Eshpai, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Tikhon Khrennikov, Alfred Schnittke. Think it is a huge luck that I could directly communicate with them, to learn, to absorb the best. I think after this, even mediocre people could not begin to write music. And today I listen to music is very gifted and talented people, young and not so, and was horrified to find that they lack real education and socializing with great people. They are some small, and work small.
What, in your opinion, not enough of their music?
Maxim Dunaevsky: Music of brightness, sunshine. There are, of course, music with a very tragic tone, like that of Dmitry Shostakovich, but in principle, all of the best music of the world is always beautiful, bright and Sunny. Even if she’s sad, dramatic, even tragic – it is always a lot of light.
As the Moscow regional Philharmonic society survived these months of forced isolation? When do you plan to open and play a live concert?
Maxim Dunaevsky: First there was a little confusion, and then we continued to work online. In August we plan to open and give the first concerts in the open air. In September even pull off a big festival. Usually we held it at the end of June, but this year the traditional festival “Summer. Music. The Museum” was moved to September. I hope the conditions will allow it in all its glory.
