Probenprotokoll zu Moskau, Tscherjomuschki - musikalische Komödie in drei Akten von Dmitri Schostakowitsch in der Südwestdeutschen Philharmonie Konstanz
Edelweiss on the snow: How I attended the rehearsal of ‘Moscow, Cheryomushki’
The morning of February 27 began with the long-awaited first snow in Constance. This winter day was doubly come off: at 9.30 on Fischmarkt, 2, the first rehearsal of the suits from ‘Moskva. Cheryomushki’, the only operetta of Dmitry Shostakovich, took place. The orchestra rehearsed on the last floor of the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie in a spacious bright room. Not only the students of the seminar "Sozialistisches Wohnungsglück: Moskva. Čerëmuški als Operette und Film" (University of Konstanz) came to spy on the musicians, but also a group of schoolchildren. The musicians began with the movement ‘Eine Fahrt durch Moskau - Nr.7’. Schoolchildren swayed to the rhythm, students listened attentively, musicians played, the conductor Markus Huber worked. The idyll lasted several minutes. Suddenly, the conductor gave a sign to stop playing. Obviously he hears inaccuracies, blots, dirt, mood, rhythm. All this needs to be fixed. Why the attendance to the rehearsal could be so attractive for everyone? My first observation lies on the surface: In the rehearsal you watch at the face of the conductor, and not at his back, as it is used to be in the concert. My second idea concerns the role of conductor: During the rehearsal I realized, that conductor is the head and the ears of the whole orchestra, the integral part of the music. Regarding the verbal level I would say: the conductor’s expressions are literally priceless - funny, sharp, accurate allegories. After playing an other movement of the suite, Markus Huber interrupted the orchestra with the words: ‘Bavarian folk music? I imagined, how kings drink beer ... I would like to hear rather a slightly Arabic sound. Thanks'. Another comparison of Shostakovich's music was made with the "schwäbisch-alemannischen Fastnacht". The final movement was ‘Ballett’. I recognized the motif of the popular song ‘Podmoscovye Vechera’/"Moscow nights" (1955) by composer Vasily Solovyov-Sedoi. Our chairs were right under the amphitheater, where the brass instruments were situated. After the rehearsal, trombones played harmoniously and clearly in my right ear. The left ear envied, and for my eyes were small alpin flowers as an echo of conductor's desire: ‘This moment should sound like an edelweiss’.
Text: Alevtina Minkova