The finale of the "One Man's Classical" Medjan Viola Recital on August 24 is a compilation of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet by Borissovsky, which is an extremely important piece for viola performance and has been performed as a repertoire in international competitions many times. The adaptor, Borisovsky, has an important position as the founder in the history of the development of the viola.
What kind of person is he? What indelible contributions have been made to the development of viola performance?
In the history of viola development in the twentieth century, Britain, France and Russia are the three major systems. Although today's musical developments are crisscrossed like the Internet world, the differences between genres are becoming smaller and smaller, and the personality and ability of the performers themselves are becoming more and more important, the historical significance of the three systems is still very important. Today I would like to talk about the founder of the Russian school of viola, Borisovsky.
Borisovsky
Vadim Borisovsky was one of the founders of the Russian viola school and the first viola member of the Beethoven Quartet. The Beethoven Quartet is recognized as the most authoritative performance group for Russian quartets, 13 of Shostakovich's 15 string quartets were premiered by them, 6 of which were dedicated to them or members of the group, and the piano quintet was jointly premiered by composers and Beethoven; they were also the most outstanding performance groups of Western quartets such as the Beethoven String Quartet in Russia. The three generations of violists in the Beethoven Quartet are all pillars of the Soviet viola school.
Group photo of members of the Beethoven Quartet with composer Shostakovich (second from left).
When the Soviet school of viola gained international recognition and prestige, these achievements were largely inseparable from Borissovsky.
01
The only viola student
It is hard to imagine that 60 years ago, there were no viola classes in either Moscow or other Russian conservatories, and Borisovsky was the only viola student at that time. When he was young, there was a general contempt for the viola. At that time, the conservatory did not have a full-time viola teacher, so some students who were required to take the viola specialization could only familiarize themselves with the instrument in the class of the violin teacher.
At first, Borisovsky, like most viola players, learned the violin. His first teacher at the Conservatory was Mikhail Press, and later studied with Professor Pollack. In 1920, he finally became a student of Vladimir Bakaleinikov, studying viola in his class until graduation from the Conservatory and receiving the Gold Medal.
Vladimir Romanovich Bakalenykov
By the time he graduated from the Conservatory, Borisovsky already possessed the outstanding qualities of a concertist: the viola he played sounded full, thick and sturdy, the tones of the various pitches were distinct and diverse, and the sentences were flexible... All this gives his playing a romantic passion, vivid image, and infectious. Of course, his qualities as a performer have attracted the attention of some well-known performers. Since then, Borisovsky has often performed sonatas at galas with Alexander Goldenwetzel, Lev O'Polin and Elena Buickman-Serbina.
There was an interesting story: the poster of the first viola concert said that the viola for Borisovsky's performance was made by Timofe Podgorny, which meant that the Soviet Union had violin makers who could produce excellent instruments for concert performance; secondly, the creative and friendly cooperation between the performer Borisovsky and the instrument maker Podgorny laid the foundation for the gradual elimination of the "substandard viola" and also opened up broad prospects for providing violas for concerts to violas. This undoubtedly created the conditions for the development of the art of viola performance.
02
Earned an international reputation for the USSR
Soon, Borisovsky's playing activities also gained a reputation abroad. In 1927 he accompanied the quartet to Germany and gave a recital concert, where he became acquainted with Hindmit, who, in recognition of the merits of soviet violists, presented his photograph to Borisovsky, which read: "To the President of the International Violist Union, Borissovsky." ”
Hindemit with his beloved viola
Gregory Pyakigorski attended Borisovsky's viola concert in Berlin. He said Borisovsky's performance "greatly exceeded that of 'King of viola' Paul Hindemit, especially in his sonata solos." ”
Borisovsky continues to give recitals in the country: in addition to sonata evenings, he has repeatedly performed concerts with the orchestra with conductors Fritz Skidri, George Shebaschiyan, Nikolai Grovanov, Alexander Gauke, etc. Borisovsky premiered several viola works in the Soviet Union: such as the sonatas of Paul Hindemit, Arnold Bacchus, Sergei Vasileenko, Vladimir Kryukov, and the suites of Ernest Bullock and Joaquin Turina. Many Soviet composers dedicated their works to Borisovsky. His performance activities have effectively promoted the popularity and promotion of the viola as a solo instrument.
03
Years in the Beethoven Quartet
The activities of the Beethoven Quartet were a glorious page in the soviet art of performance, in which Borisovsky worked for more than 40 years. The viola part is not only indispensable in the string quartet, but also very distinctive. A comment on the Quartet Concert said:
Congratulations should be given to the quartet for having a viola like Borisovsky, whose hand can produce such a wonderful 'chest resonance' that any bass singer can be jealous of. Listening to him can make you forget the vague and muddy sound of the viola of the general orchestra.
The Beethoven Quartet is playing
In Borisovsky's collection, the manuscript of Quartet No. 13, with eight quartet scores and Shostakovich's autograph inscription, is preserved. On more than one occasion, Shostakovich spoke highly of Borisovsky's viola playing art and dedicated him his Quartet No. 13, vividly praising the outstanding virtuoso's art and his excellent character, saying that they "can serve as the best models for our young performers." ”
04
Broaden your horizons for viola performance
Borisovsky's special contribution in composition was that he transplanted and adapted a large number of Russian and foreign classical and modernist composers for the viola.
At the 1979 Primrods International Viola Competition in the United States, it was stipulated that those who made the best result in the third round must play Prokofiev's suite "Romeo and Juliet", adapted by Borissovsky. The Italian viola professor Archiggiacono, on the adaptation of Vivaldi's concerto into a viola, wrote to Borissovsky: "To the repertoire I have staged, a work of Venetian genius has been added, and the adaptation is successful and has an original talent. The American violist Wes wrote: "I used your adaptation in class to show how expressive the viola is. ”
Prokofiev's Suite Romeo and Juliet
In the early 1930s, Borisovsky collaborated with the German musicologist Willy Grimm Altmann to compile a bibliography of violas from the 17th to the 20th century, a unique feature in the history of viola art. It is the earliest viola reference material, a comprehensive compilation of known viola literature at this stage, and has opened up a broad vision for the viola's playing activities. In addition, Borisovsky personally collected a large number of viola scores, about three thousand works (now, they are stored in the score department of the Lenin Library), which can be said to be unique in the world.
05
Great and precious records
Borisovsky left precious recordings at Melodiya Records, documenting his great art of viola playing.
The above is a vinyl album published by the Soviet Union in the famous vinyl series "The Great Play" published in 1980. The first work was the most classic Glinka Viola Sonata in the field of Russian viola, and this unfinished work has an irreplaceable position in the field of Russian viola. The performance of the rest of the series of works makes people feel the essence of Borisovsky's viola art: the most attractive pronunciation and timbre, the unique personality of the viola.
In 2005, Vista Vera of Russia took out a master tape from Melodiya and used Meldoiya's equipment and recording studio to produce and launch Borisovsky's CD album. It turns out that the vinyl of that year was only part of Borissovsky's recordings, and the CD more comprehensively includes Borissovsky's recordings of that year, showing his playing art, not only the irreplaceable Glinka Sonata, but also the "Romeo and Juliet" suite that is equally important to Borissovsky, as well as various works reflecting different aspects of his art.
In 2006, the Moscow Conservatory published recordings of Karl Dietsdorff's Symphonic Concerto and Berlioz's Harold in Italy in its CD series "The Great Musicians of the Moscow Conservatory", which was not only the first time that a previously unpublished recording of Borisovsky was made public, but more importantly, the recording proved that Borisovsky was a more comprehensive viola player, as early as the 1950s, He has extended the study of the viola forward to the early classical period and the most classic works of Romanticism. If you connect his previous recordings, published sheet music and academic success, many people have spent their lives together with the artistic achievements of their lives, he has completed it alone.
Borissovsky's role in the history of viola art is manifold, and broadly speaking, he is a great cultural phenomenon, and the fruits of his artistic creation will feed future generations of violaists for a long time.