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A totally committed artist
By Irina Strajenkova
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Introduction
He was not merely one of the greatest conductors of his time: in order to
fully appreciate the dimension of his artistic talent, one would have had
to attend several of his concerts, conducting "his" orchestra, the Russian
(formerly USSR) State Symphony Orchestra, as well as other orchestras such
as the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de France, to hear
live his performance of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies, which restored their poignant
urgency, as well as Mahler, for whom he felt a great affinity. This also
means hearing a performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Golden Cockerel”
or “The Maid of Pskov” at the Bolshoi, which instantly reveals
the magic of Russian opera ! Rediscovering through hitherto unknown recordings,
the stunning power of Svetlanov as a pianist in his interpretation of Medtner’s
Sonatas or Rachmaninov’s “Musical Moments”. Feeling the sincerity of Svetlanov
as a composer, the incorrigible “bearer” of a Russian tradition that could
all too easily have ended with Miaskovsky’s Symphonies. Finally it means
having the privilege of hearing this musician engage in conversation at
an extremely slow tempo, revealing a desperate, naive individual behind
the artist.
Above all, Svetlanov possessed the demiurgic grace and fervour of the rare
giants of the conducting world. He used to say to his musicians “You must
play as if your life depended on it”. Indeed he needed only to raise his
baton for sound to become a rich, deep body, whatever the orchestra, reflecting
his distinctive hallmark that captivated audiences (his highly personal
way of seating his orchestra emphasised his unusual approach). He was often
a visionary and was able to stir the listener to anxiety, together with
eagerness to reach the denouement and final deliverance: how many times
did we feel the audience responding with bated breath to each development
or each repetition of a theme, in enthusiastic expectation of the conclusion?
Whether he interpreted Tchaikovsky, Mahler or Scriabin, Svetlanov resembled
a magician, or magus, as the approach of the coda. He had complete mastery
of the right tempo with the boundless cohesion of the desks, and above all
unrivalled dynamic breadth, ranging from the most diaphanous pianissimo
to the most deafening fortissimo. And then at the very climax of sound,
at the final, monumental chord, Svetlanov would still reach out to the musicians
with his arms, stretching downwards and upwards, to ask for still more sound
“as if your life depended on it”. And he would achieve this. The audience,
petrified by this unprecedented catharsis, by this musical ecstasy, could
now explode. Svetlanov, exhausted and joyful, appeared to seek to embrace
the audience as though this was his last concert. 
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