20th International Moscow Festival "Bayan and Bayanists" - Russia

With participation of the federal agency of culture, Russian Gnessin Academy of Music and the Friedrich Lips Fund the traditional XX International Festival “Bayan and bayanists” took place in the concert hall of the Russian Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow from December 10 to 14, 2008.

            Certainly this year’s festival was under the sign of Friedrich Lips celebrating his 60th birthday and 40 years of concert activity. This can be said without any exaggeration since all five concerts were played either by himself or at least by students and graduates of his bayan class. He performed his concert together with the “Russian Philharmonic“under the direction of S. Kondrashew as well as with his „Piazzolla studio“ founded in 1993. The first part included the Moscow premiere of G.Kancheli's „Kapote “(Once upon a time) as well as the world premiere of E. Podgaits' „VIVA VOCE “, both concerts for bayan and chamber orchestra. In nostalgic flash backs Kancheli's calm and quiet work reminds a barrel-organ, a tarantella as well as a Caucasian harmonika. Podgaits' „VIVA VOCE “ (alive voice), based on topics of low genre's like e.g. road songs, presented a wonderful contrast. Podgaits' tango „Cocktail Rio Rita “is an extremely effective piece, whose themes show intonations similar to Grieg's „Solveig “. But one also can find analogies to the music of Bach, Beethoven and Tschaikowsky.

Students and graduates of Friedrich Lips’ bayan class performed a very special evening. Lips described the emergence of individual original works played by his students I.Puriz, M.Burlakow, S.Schmelkow, A.Artemjew, M.Wlassowa, I.Salachow, S.Osokin and A.Gainullin afterwards. The composers K.Wolkow, P.Ledenjow, T.Sergejewa, M.Bronner, A.Cholminow, E.Podgaits and A.Schurbin honoured the initiator and ingenious performer of their works by their presence. In the process of the concert Lips played the premiere of Bronner's „Eclipse “ for bayan and electronic effects. The impulse came from a Mitsubishi-car as well as a chewing gum of Lips' student of the same name (called „Ec-Friedrich-Lips” by his students since then “!). For Lips it was clear that the ideal composer for a work of this title would be Mikhail Bronner, who immediately was pleased by this title, which already  contains a major part of the work with electronic effects: after a solar eclipse and an earthquake bird voices and children’s smile signal that the sun rises again and thus the life must go further.

            In the opening concert laureats of international competitions 2008 were acclaimed by the public: S.Shmelkow (bayan) with flutist O.Somanovskaya, V. Boyarsky, L. Kusova, A. Rumyanzev,     E. Abduraimov, P. Syabko, R. Batalov as well as the duo „UNA SINISTRA “ (J. Amerikova and A. Selivanov, 1^st prize winners at the “Coupe Mondiale“ in Glasgow). Because of the 60^th birthday of the composer V. Beljajev, a concert dedicated to this composer followed in the 2nd part.

The Spanish accordionists I.Alberdi and I.Aizpiolea as well as A. Kugayevsky (domra) and A. Romanov (bayan) from Nowosibirsk performed one evening dedicated to two duos.

The final concert was marked by entertainment. Stas Venglevski and John Simkus scintillated with Venglevski's self-compositions and transcriptions of Russian folk melodies, which were refreshed with musical quotations in honour of Friedrich Lips. After the highly gifted artist E. Achanow (1^st prize winner at the “Coupe Mondiale “ in Glasgow) entertaining the public with Vlassov's „Basso Ostinato “as well as a medley of Russian-Finnish themes, Simone Zancchini (Italy) and Frank Marocco (USA) showed in refreshing Be-Pop-sound their special abilities in jazzy dialogues.

According to the tradition (since 1993) the “SILVER DISKs” were conferred to composer Kirill Volkov as well as to accordionists/bayanists Frank Marocco and Viktor S. Brysgalin for their merits in the bayan art. Brysgalin was Lips’ first teacher, that’s why the award giving ceremony became a big emotional moment. Exhibitions and presentations of musical instruments of chief world producers took place in the foyer of the concert hall Russian Gnessin Academy of Music throughout the festival.