On 26 March, at a concert of the famous Moscow Virtuosi Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Spivakov, the audience sat not only in the parterre and on the balcony, but also on chairs placed on the sides of the stage. On the balcony the music lovers were placed right on the floor and on the steps. They did not hang, as is customary in such cases, only on the chandelier, and that is probably because there are no chandeliers in the Arnold Katz State Concert Hall – they are replaced by ceiling-mounted luminaires. The concert as part of the IV Trans-Siberian Art Festival in Novosibirsk has assembled a classic bridge.

In addition to performing Shostakovich, Kancheli and Piazzolla’s Virtuosi, the programme also included a super prize for listeners: maestro Spivakov and festival artistic director Vadim Repin played Bach’s Double Concerto in D Minor as soloists on violins.

Journalists were lucky to hear a rehearsal of this work from the front rows of the stage, and before the concert began the famous musicians answered several questions from representatives of the Novosibirsk media right outside the maestro’s dressing room.

Vladimir Spivakov explained his own participation in the festival, as well as the arrival of super-demand «Virtuosos», by his longstanding friendship with Vadim Repin:

– Almost a whole life has passed with Vadim. I remember him as a little boy.

To which Repin added:

– And I am you as a young man…

– He was thirteen years old, together with Zhenya Kisin they played with «Virtuosos» at some party concert in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses…, – continued the maestro, – And, of course, I remember the performance of Zhenya (now a famous pianist – Ed.) and Vadim before the Tchaikovsky competition: all in one voice said that now it is possible not to open the competition at all. Which is fair so far… So we have a wonderful relationship, we have met a lot – we treat each other with great respect and love. I can say that one of the most important qualities that I have had in Vadim from the very beginning is the nobility of the game. Now it’s a great rarity: everyone aspires to effects, God knows what, distorts music, and it turns into such a big «I».

When asked how they, two outstanding violinists, felt at the rehearsals in the duet – in this capacity they are performing for the first time, Spivakov answered:

– Such a mutual understanding, as if we had been playing on stage together for the last 30 years! Although I accompanied Vadim many times, even at the opening of this hall. It was a very good concert, memorable for me anyway.

A few years ago, Vladimir Spivakov was one of the critics of the acoustics of the newly opened Arnold Katz Hall.

After his work to improve acoustic performance, the maestro forgot about recent shortcomings.

– The maestro, then, four years ago, I remember talking about some of the hall’s acoustic shortcomings. During this time, the Philharmonic Hall management has taken a number of steps to improve the acoustic performance. Do you think something has changed?

– «Honestly, I don’t remember what happened anymore», the musician replied. – It was such an exciting moment – the first concert in the new hall, which was finally built, and which Novosibirsk, a city of intellectuals and wonderful people in general, was worthy of a long time ago…

– «Everything can be improved», added Vadim Repin, «there is no limit to perfection».

Maestro Spivakov and his ‘Virtuosos’, who are participating in the Trans-Siberian Art Festival for the first time, have just given two concerts as part of the festival programme in Krasnoyarsk, so the musician could not help but speak about the importance of the forum:

– It is wonderful that there is such a festival at all. The world has changed a lot now, it is very complicated, it is full of aggression, imperfections and an antimony.  And music soothes people, comforts them, harmonises them, negative feelings gradually disappear and they somehow rise above what is happening.