‘I wrote it like a hermit in a cave’.

-Tell me about less famous works. How has ‘Slavic Legend’ come?

-Slavic Legend is a composition standing by itself at all, completely going out of frames of my traditional music which wasn’t almost performed, to the point.

Slavic Legend is a great cycle from four parts, almost a symphony. In this music I tried to represent old and bell-chiming Russia, patriarchal character, something ancient-ancient Russian. I wrote it in other conditions at all, like a hermit in a cave.

Frankly saying, I didn’t manage to propagate particularly this composition. No one practically has had its music text till now.

I showed Slavic Legend in the Union of Composers where Yuri Nikolayevich Shishakov, Nikolai Yakovlevich Chaikin and Vera Nikolayevna Gorodovskaya – all are well-known composers – were present. And there were a lot of young composers. After my performance opinions have differed with polarity. Ones told that this is already a passed stage, that this is a stereotyped, traditional, ‘rubbed-out’ music. And the other half, mainly composers from older generation, expressed an opinion that this is true music.

‘And without ‘paw’ it’s useless’

-And how has your entrance to the Union of Composers taken place?

-Everything has come quite easy to me. In a certain moment I needed Moscow registration very much. Practically we were driven from Moscow almost at 72 hours. I was ‘tripped’ by Valentin Sergeyevich Levashov – art director of the Pyatnitsky Russian Folk Choir, whom I have very strongly respected till now (only because of his talent and his songs). He promised me a lot, but the matter has just ended with promises.

Eventually I felt that my stay in Moscow is coming to an end, and addressed the Union of Composers. I came at once to Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov – the First Secretary of Union’s Board. It wasn’t so difficult to come to him. ‘Sit down, – he tells, – What are the problems, what’s the need? Tell me’. I tell: ‘I want to join the Union of Composers’. Of course, with this I retold my problems with registration, with housing. He felt resentful: ‘How is this? Well, bring your instrument next time. We’ll listen to you to see what you would show us’. Besides, he said this not skeptically, but very respectfully.

And next time I was registered to reception with Tikhon Nikolayevich Khrennikov with bayan. After the listening Khrennikov told that I should enter the Union without any doubt, and he is ready to write a recommendation for joining.

In generally, the matter has moved.

Once I come to a session of the admission board, I had not to come to workplace due to this, and suddenly I face closely my direct boss – the art director of Moscow Military District’s Song and Dance Ensemble. He asks: ‘What are you doing here? ’ I tell: ‘I’ve come to enter. And what about you? ’ – I ask. He tells: ‘To join the Union of Composers too. And you, what, have merely come to join? Oh, no. Here you should have ‘a paw’. I’ve been entering year after year. I’m used here a bit, I’m known here. And without ‘paw’ it’s useless – that trick won’t work here. ’

So he ‘relaxed’ me in such mode, scolded that I didn’t come to work without permission. And I continued my wandering around boards of the Union of Composers.

And about after one year, in 1986, membership card was handed to me.

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