This Khmelnytsky-born violinist belongs to the constellation of outstanding Ukrainian artistes of young generation, who have made brilliant world careers. Andrej Bielow, who has been residing in Germany for quite a while, has attended two symbolical events which took place in Kyiv. He took part in the International Festival of Chamber Music SoNoRo hosted by the Philharmonic Society and performed a solo in the Sixth Violin Concert of Myroslav Skoryk at the premiere of the triptych ballet Crossroads, a choreographic production of Kyiv Modern Ballet staged by Radu Poklitaru, in the National Opera House.
It should be admitted that chamber music performances of high level and choreography projects are only a small part of Bielow’s professional activity. Highly demanded as a soloist in many countries, he is the first violinist of the famous Szymanowski Quartet. An admirer of jazz, he also teaches and coordinates the work of the foundations supporting young musicians and even tries his hand in composition. In October Bielow intends to hold the SoNoRo Festival in Kyiv in the capacity of an artistic director. The famous documentary film director Bruno Monsaingeon (the retrospective screening of his movies will be part of the festival program), Szymanowski Quartet, Raro ensemble, and violinist Valeriy Sokolov have confirmed their participation. Andrej told The Day about the cooperation with SoNoRo Festival and its founders, Ensemble Raro, as well as master classes, creative cooperation with Myroslav Skoryk, and his professional and life priorities.
“With the Ensemble Raro, which founded the SoNoRo festival six years ago, we got acquainted last May at the festival Chiemgauer Musikfruehling, which is held in a small German town Traunstein,” Andrej BIELOW started the conversation, “A friend of mine, violinist Erik Schumann (a German resident of Japanese and Romanian origin), with whom we have taken part in numerous competitions, could not come to the festival and asked me to replace him. The oldest participants of the band, viola player Razvan Popovici (Romania-Germany) and pianist Diana Ketler (Latvia-Great Britain), invite different partners for big lineups. For example, soon we are planning a joint project with Quartet Szymanowski. Last year I was invited to the SoNoRo Festival as a guest soloist. The festival invites performers of high level, such as cellist Adrian Brendel who does not have a band, but he gives numerous chamber concerts all over the world jointly with different artistes. I have a similar situation: I perform solo programs with orchestras, in duos, and different chamber lineups.”
According to what principle is the SoNoRo Festival organized?
“At first the festival took place in Bucharest, now there are projects in different countries, for example Arezzo, Italy. Razvan Popovici is the artistic director of these branch events, but I will be the artistic director of the SoNoRo Festival in Kyiv.
“There are many musicians among my friends who will eagerly come to Ukraine for quite modest honoraria. We should use this opportunity. The base of the festival will be made by mobile chamber orchestras, consisting of invited soloists.”
Please tell us about the master classes you held at the Kyiv presentation of the SoNoRo Festival.
“Master classes are one of the festival’s highlights, it is part of its idea. We are young musicians, who have already realized themselves though, performing all over the world, and we select for participation in the master classes the musicians we consider interesting and whom we want to help. This is somewhat more than ordinary lessons. For five days we have performed together with the beginning musicians – they are growing before our eyes. We have chosen four young talents from Ukraine and four more from Romania.
“It should be said that very few master classes of this kind are held over the world. There is Marlboro Festival in the US once founded by Rudolf Serkin and Isaac Stern. They came on vacations with the best students and simply played together. There is also quite a famous school in Aspen, whose teachers include Itzhak Perlman, Dorothy DeLay et al. It is mostly attended by the students of the Julliard School, who are supposed to take part in master classes for six weeks according to the regulations. Unfortunately, students are so much overloaded these days during the studying year that they simply want to have rest on vacations. I have never heard of anyone giving master classes in Ukraine. Here the most frequent situation is when a student comes, the teacher says, ‘Everything’s bad,’ and at best advises how to train. Yes, Ukraine has a whole constellation of extraordinary pedagogues. But it seems to me our system is producing good instrumentalists rather than deep musicians.”
You have undertaken the role of a guru for young musicians who have an opportunity to rise to your level of performing. Do you often perform with more skillful players?
“Sure. Many musicians over 50 have a richer performing experience. When at the festival ‘Szymanowski Quartet and Friends’ in Lviv we performed Shostakovich’s quintet with Vladimir Krainev, it was just incredible. Even mostly famous 30-year-old pianist could not have played on the same level as Krainev, because of the artiste’s caliber. For true musicians technique gradually stops playing the most important role. Last year at the festival of Valeriy Sokolov in Kharkiv the Szymanowski Quartet had an opportunity to perform Schubert’s Quintet with cellist Gary Hoffman. That was something incredible, some chemistry. Now it is interesting for me to watch the students. Many of them play everything correctly and beautifully, but when some of us start speaking about figurativeness, inspiring the performance, something changes, and a miracle is born.”
Over the past few years many of your projects have been connected with Myroslav Skoryk’s music. Please, tell us about your recent work, the triptych ballet Crossroads.
“I will say right away that this is not the first choreography project in my career. Two years ago as a member of the Szymanowski Quartet I took part in a similar project, organized by the well known company ‘Ballet Biarritz,’ where the artistes danced to Schubert’s quartet Death and the Maiden performed live. This year I have been invited to accompany the play to the music of Violin Concert by American minimalist Philip Glass, Maurice Ravel’s Bolero and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead. The three parts were staged by three different choreographers.
“I offered Skoryk to create something of this kind in Kyiv, because his Sixth Violin Concert, composed for me, has a dancing character. When Skoryk told me about The Crossroads I was very much rejoiced. Today in Europe even the most famous ballet companies frequently dance to a recording, and Radu Poklitaru’s Kyiv Modern Ballet is no exception. A live and free music accompaniment usually terrifies the dancers. You know the famous Melody by Skoryk has been inspiring me since childhood. I have performed it at competitions, won scholarships, and when in 2006 I started to perform with the Szymanowski Quartet, Melody returned to my repertoire.”
Are you planning to continue the festival “Szymanowski Quartet and Friends” in Lviv?
“Of course. Last year, during Poland’s EU presidency the ensemble received essential funding from the Polish Institute for Promoting Polish Culture Abroad. We were helped with the organization of a tour via Asian countries, and in Tokyo they made a movie about us. Later we had a concert in London, where we performed the Piano Quintet by Juliusz Zarebski and Quartet by Wladyslaw Zelenski and recorded this program on CD (firm Hyperion), which will be released in September and presented at the Lviv festival.”
You have gone to the West long ago and for quite a while have not appeared in Ukraine at all. With what is your return connected, change of attitude to your homeland, some inner need, easier organization of the performances, your personal high status in music world?
“You have named practically all the reasons. In the years of studying when you have to work much and hard, take part in competitions, you have no time to think where it is better and proper to live. Everything unfolds on its own. At the age of 11 I had luck to perform to the accompaniment of the amateur orchestra of the Hannover Orchestra Association. Many of my colleagues say that they came to know me from television, because as a child I regularly took part in state-run concerts, I was considered a wunderkind, I had a period of fast development, which was followed by another one, when the experience is reworked and reconsidered.
“You know at some point I felt that while staying in the countries of Europe, Asia, and America I longed for Ukraine. The turning point was probably the Sixth Violin Concert Skoryk dedicated to me. The premieres in Kyiv and Lviv, the fact that an outstanding Ukrainian composer dedicated a large music piece to me, played a big role. But back in 2005 I dreamt of organizing a festival in Kyiv which would gather the best European musicians.”
If so, why have you used the brand of the SoNoRo festival, not started the project from scratch, founding your own brand?
“I have been thinking about that. Of course, you can start from scratch, but for me the most important thing was for the festival not to become a one-time event. And it should be held in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, where it is not so easy to organize anything. The Ensemble Raro is experienced in similar work in Romania, where the economic situation is far from perfect, and its participants agreed to share their experience with me.
“By and large, the name of a festival is not crucial. Quality is the main thing.”
Are you satisfied with your solo career?
“Most of musicians dream namely about a solo career. After the competition ARD I had nearly 40 concerts with the best orchestras of the world for a season, specifically the German Symphony Orchestra of Berlin, Bavarian Radio Orchestra. The Long Tibo Competition opened the Asian market for me. After my first trip to Asia my sense of Europe and European culture changed on the whole. I must say that presently the markets of Asia and the US are the most successful for the Szymanowski Quartet.”
Taking into account the number of performances, don’t you have a feeling of a conveyer work?
“No, because I am working in several directions simultaneously, I have never been focused only on one activity, I take interest in modern music and jazz. I have even tried to compose, but currently I lack time for that. At the moment I am learning the Violin Concert of Friedrich Gulda, who was a classical performer and jazzman too. Hopefully, I will manage to record a CD with his works.”
What do you appreciate the most in life and people?
“Humaneness has become an increasingly valuable thing for me in people. When I come to Ukraine, I more and more notice qualities in people, which are hard to describe with the help of words, especially for a foreigner. For example, my pedagogue from Kyiv’s 10-year music school Mykhailo Kuznietsov knew me only for two weeks before offering me to live in his place. I was supposed to live in his place during the vacations, while preparing for a competition, but I have stayed for five years. This is hardly possible in the West. I often wonder what my life would have been had I stayed in Ukraine. For things it is now lacking may very soon appear. I knew many people who are happy to live in Ukraine. Others, on the contrary, want to live in the West, earn more. But all these are relative things. In small Swiss towns everyone is a millionaire, but they are hardly much happier than people who have wonderful vegetable gardens and huge orchards in our countryside and have an opportunity to relish nature every morning. Nobody has ever told me that for happiness one needs to have something. Since childhood I have been taught that happiness is to be involved in your favorite business and do your best.”
