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Everyone turns to you Eduard Nikolaevich, but in the circle of your loved ones are you Lyosha?
Yes it is (smiles). When my believing grandmother found out that they called me the then fashionable name Edward, she was very indignant: “What? Edik?! Never! There will be Alex, and that’s it. Alexei is a man of God.” These were the christenings closest to my birthday according to the Orthodox calendar. Since then, among friends and family, I am only Lesha.
Grandma was not mistaken – your music is distinguished by cosmic mystery and an absolutely unearthly atmosphere. How do you manage to create a musical universe?
Music is only a small part of the whole gigantic sounding world. This is a single living organism, one great river in which I disappear. People at home know that when I compose, I disappear from life. I write for 15-17 hours in a row, then I sleep, then I compose again. The melodies themselves come easily, this is the memory of the soul, the composer’s task is only to be able to grab the melodies and bring them to a perfect result.
Are there any favorites among your works?
To be honest, I never listen to my music. I wrote and forgot, I move on. But my “Requiem”, music from “Solaris” by Andrei Tarkovsky and “Slaves of Love” by Nikita Mikhalkov are especially dear to me. “Slave of Love” is generally the most tender picture. I don’t remember at all how I wrote this music – my wife and seven-year-old son got into a terrible car accident at that time. Concussions, fractures… I almost lost my mind. During the day I ran to hospitals, and at night I wrote. Perhaps that is why the music turned out to be so emotional … Broken, or something. Although, of course, without the dictates of Nikita (Mikhalkova – ed.) there would be nothing. He is a very tough director, demanding a clear execution of the task.
You say that working with Mikhalkov is difficult, while your music accompanies almost all of his films. How did you manage to find a common language?
In fact, Nikita is just very easy to work with. It seems to me that he has psychic abilities – he literally pumps his energy into you. And this penetration of the eyes – I have not seen anyone else work with actors like that. But with whom it is really difficult to work is with his brother (laughs). Konchalovsky is a wonderful pianist, we studied together at the conservatory until the third year. And he sets tasks very professionally, for example: “Remember, in Prokofiev’s Third Concerto there is one place, my favorite, and we should have about the same”. That is, he literally climbs into the score. Monstrous. I swear every time. And every time I agree again (laughs).
The public knows you mainly as a film composer, although you also have symphonic poems, and rock cantatas, and suites, and even operas. Isn’t it embarrassing?
No, you never. Film music is generally the sound of our days. It is in film music that discoveries are made – in orchestration, in sound. The greatest composers are working on it now. For example, I really like what Hans Zimmer does. He has a new discovery of the orchestra, he can be put on a par with the famous symphonists of our time. His music is a pulsating sound mass, as big as life itself.
And when compared with Morricone – what do you feel?
Morricone is a true genius. It has outstanding themes. I remember the first time I heard his music – during the closed screening of “Once Upon a Time in America” at Mosfilm. I was dumbfounded. I immediately realized that this is a unique composer. Inhuman, transcendental beauty. But I never compare myself with him, let alone imitate. It’s generally useless. As a child, my father taught me never to participate in competitions and not to compete, because being second means always losing.
You are 85 – a serious age. How are you planning to celebrate?
I don’t plan on celebrating my birthday. Something got sick. But on December 3, we will do a concert in the Kremlin Palace. Very good musicians will gather – very different, but all, of course, talented. Larisa Dolina, Shaman, Albina Shagimuratova, Alexey Tatarintsev, Veronika Dzhioeva, Ivan Bessonov and many others. It will be such a fusion of different genres, different voices, different styles. The concert will be built on contrasts – “fast-slow”, “quiet-loud”. Should be very interesting. I’m terribly worried. And I don’t want to let anyone down.
Source: Hellomagazine
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
