On Christmas Eve, 24 December (in the Catholic Protestant version), cheerful inventor Vladimir Spivakov held a luxurious “Christmas Ball-2005” in the Svetlanov Hall of the House of Music. The format of this programme was copied from the Viennese Opera’s balls and concerts (as evidenced by the Viennese VIP banquet that took place after the evening, which required dinner jackets for its guests and evening toilets for ladies). Those who managed to get into the hall that evening were very lucky, one might say. All the tickets were redeemed a long time ago, despite the very biting price.

Spivakov had been going to concerts of this kind for many years, combining popular classics with dance rhythms and “good mood music” – fina waltzes and jazz hits in his New Year programmes. This time he seems to have achieved his Christmas and New Year ideal. The polystylistic panorama of the evening began with Handel’s “Messiah” and ended with the famous tango by Astor Piazzolla and the American melodies “White Christmas” and “Happy New Year” performed by Larissa Dolina. On an evening like this, each of the listeners could, in the words of presenter Svyatoslav Balza, “shake off the dust of everyday life and wash it in the spring of pure sounds”.

Of course, the strictest critics might have the question: do the burning rhythms of the Argentine tango combine with the majestic melodies of Handel and Bach chorales; the music played in the bars of Buenos Aires and the music of the temples of the human spirit? The answer: why not? Yes, Handel is great. But the Piazzolla is also great in its own way. And it is appropriate for them to be on the same value side.

Fragments from the music of baroque masters were performed in the first part of the evening by singers from the Academy of Choral Arts, Viktor Popov, accompanied by Moscow Virtuosi. The programme was opened by the Bach chorale “Jesus, My Joy”, arranged by Eugene Ormandi. After the transparent Bachov chorale, the Gothic lava of “architecture that has become sounds”. The Mighty Handel: “Hallelujah” from the Messiah Oratorio. A biblical, formidable chorus. After the soft, muted light of the previous number, it was a glow that blinded the eye. A virtuoso trumpet solo, thunder and colossuses of Gendele choral massifs. Celebration and ecstasy!

The choir left and a grand piano appeared in the centre of the podium. This was the highlight of the current programme: Mozart Es-dur’s Piano Concerto (K.271, 1777) performed by Virtuosos and soloist Leonid Chizhik, a famous jazz virtuoso living in Germany. Six years ago Chizhik was already in Moscow: he performed in the Great Hall of the Conservatory with the programme “Mozart. Jazz. The Chizhik. Yamaha”. And this time he continued Mozart’s “ojazzazz”.

Before the pianist – notes, he plays, looking at the lines of the keyboard. Mozart – by notes, improvisation – by inspiration. The music sounded (I would even like to say – roaring). The flow of light, light, “morning” sounds, graceful passages. Then the drawings became octave – in G major, minor. Sounds the first, unthinkable in the 18th century, altered nonakkord – what is called in jazz barbershop harmony (“hairdresser’s harmony”), with “perechenye”, with blues mud. Having “caught” it, the pianist begins his improvisational episode. He plays in the stride style, common in the 20s – his left hand evenly counts down the basses – the chords of the accompaniment, and his right hand decorates this harmonic “palisade” with whimsically syncopated melodic patterns. The improvisation is small – two or three minutes, after which, caught in a suitable rhythm and melodic turn, the pianist slowly returns to Mozart. Part two is slow, three-dimensional. Polyphonic patterns, melisma, forwards, gamma-like takeoffs. Soft, sad cantilena. And suddenly – like a leap in the side – a shift and a new round of improvisation. Only this time there is no flight, the music is unhurried, thoughtful. And another “borderline” chord that allows you to easily enter the old sound and return to the elegant rococo. The finale is at an incredibly fast pace. It is no longer an easily murmuring stream, but a rapid, stormy stream. And for the third time, there was an almost imperceptible change of light and colour: just now the century was the 18th century – wigs, camisole, swords, when suddenly we are already in the 20th century – planes, radios, tape recorders.

Then there was another department – with young soloists, fellows of the Spivakov International Charity Fund: saxophonist Asey Fateyeva and accordionist Nikita Vlasov. Asya performed Domenico Chimaroza’s Concerto for Oboe and Strings in the saxophone soprano version with penetrating, pure and full sound. Nikita sparkled in four tangoes by Argentinean Astor Piazzolla, including the famous “Oblivion”.

And in conclusion Larisa Dolina, a pop and jazz star, showed her skills. For ordinary visitors, this evening was over. And VIP-persons continued it – with champagne to the music of Strauss’ waltzes and Argentinean tangoes. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Arkady Petrov

“Culture” (12 January 2006)