den4
Feb 5, 2005, 05:23
After reading this article, I was kind of curious what kind of habits people had when they left Japan for their own country again...
KURASHIKI CLASSIC, From Moscow with love, violinist at home in Japan
By HIROKO OIKAWA, Contributing Writer
Russian violinist Anastasia Chebotareva has adapted so well to life in Japan that she now has to readjust whenever she goes home to Moscow.
``It usually takes me a few days. For instance, Japanese words keep popping into my mind, even at home,'' she said through an interpreter during an interview in Tokyo.
Upon arriving here in 2000 to teach in a Moscow Conservatory-affiliated program at Kurashiki Sakuyo University in Okayama Prefecture, Chebotareva was bewildered by the Japanese custom of bowing.
``I wondered why people needed to bow so much. But now that I'm used to it, I feel a bit taken aback when visiting countries without that custom,'' she says with a smile.
Co-winner of the top prize awarded at the 1994 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Chebotareva often performs overseas, but she's always happy to return to the historic city of Kurashiki.
``I like the people and quiet environment of Kurashiki, with its clean air,'' she says.
But Chebotareva misses her parents and the Russian Orthodox Church, which she says has but a small presence in this country.
``My parents have given me so much of their time and energy since my childhood. Without their help, I wouldn't have started playing the violin,'' she explains.
Chebotareva was born in Odessa in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine. Her family moved to Moscow when she was 4, as the climate in her hometown had adversely affected her health. The relocation opened the door for her musical career.
She began violin lessons at 6, prompted by her father. Later, she enrolled at the Moscow Central Music School, where she met Irina Bochkova.
One of Russia's leading violin teachers, Bochkova was to become her mentor for 18 years, as she progressed through the Moscow Conservatory and its graduate school.
``She devoted so much time for me,'' Chebotareva says. ``Eighteen years felt like forever.''
The violinist says the time she spent with Bochkova was so full of memorable moments that she could write a book about them.
``She was a sweet teacher,'' Chebotareva recalls. ``But when I was not prepared, she would sigh and say, `Oh, I don't know what to do.' Then I would feel terrible and work very hard until the next lesson.''
She remembers her teacher's admonitions with fondness now and uses the same tactic with her own students.
``Basically, I don't like scolding students,'' she says. ``But when necessary, that trick works.''
Trained in the Yankelevich method, which nurtured many of Russia's best violinists, Chebotareva made a name for herself in competitions, starting with the 1989 Paganini International Competition in Genoa, Italy. But her greatest triumph came at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1994, when she shared second prize. No first prize was awarded.
``It left a strong impression, not only because I spent a lot of time preparing, but because I was sick in bed for two weeks before the event,'' she says. ``I thought about withdrawing, but my teacher and parents told me not to quit after practicing so hard. So I entered the first stage still feeling sick.''
Through force of will, Chebotareva made it through the second and then the final stage, when she performed concertos by both Brahms and Tchaikovsky twice in the same day, first in a rehearsal setting and then before an audience.
``I advise young musicians not to worry about success or failure. Working hard to reach a goal is the valuable part,'' she says.
Chebotareva covers an extensive repertoire in the seven discs she's recorded so far for Ongakunotomo-sha and King Records. She plays music ranging from Russian and French classical to a collaboration with young composer Taro Iwashiro for the acclaimed ``Arco'' album. Her latest disc is ``Tema D'amore-Cinema Collection.''
Chebotareva says the sound she produces on her violin is a reflection of her own nature. The tones are both gentle and graceful.
``Musicians express their inner selves through the music they make. They can't deceive their audience as actors do with masks,'' she observes.
Chebotareva's fans got a treat last year when she appeared in a Fuji Television Network show about the life of a Korean violin maker starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi of the pop group SMAP. She portrayed a violinist who played a Stradivarius at a concert that the violin maker attended in the hope of discovering the secret behind the legendary instrument's sound.
``After the show was televised, I heard that many people had thought the pretty violinist was an actress faking a violin performance,'' she says with a laugh. ``I enjoyed watching the show. I was proud to be part of it.''
The instrument she used was the priceless 1729 Stradivarius Zubowsky that she has on loan from the Russian government.
``Stradivari's talent was a gift from God. No one will be able to copy his work,'' Chebotareva declares.
And few have the talent to play one of his violins as expertly as she does.
Anastasia Chebotareva performs with pianist Andrei Zheltonog on Feb. 11 (1:30 p.m.) at Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara. 2,500 yen and 3,500 yen in advance. Call Piano Teachers' National Association of Japan at 011-615-0710.
Chebotareva presents a lecture concert with musicologist Fumiko Hitotsuyanagi on Feb. 25 (7 p.m.) at the Asahi Culture Center in Tokyo. 3,990 yen for members and 4,510 yen for non-members. Call the center at 03-3344-1998.
Her concert with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, led by Tatsuya Shimono, on Feb. 27 at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space is sold out.(IHT/Asahi: February 4,2005)
KURASHIKI CLASSIC, From Moscow with love, violinist at home in Japan
By HIROKO OIKAWA, Contributing Writer
Russian violinist Anastasia Chebotareva has adapted so well to life in Japan that she now has to readjust whenever she goes home to Moscow.
``It usually takes me a few days. For instance, Japanese words keep popping into my mind, even at home,'' she said through an interpreter during an interview in Tokyo.
Upon arriving here in 2000 to teach in a Moscow Conservatory-affiliated program at Kurashiki Sakuyo University in Okayama Prefecture, Chebotareva was bewildered by the Japanese custom of bowing.
``I wondered why people needed to bow so much. But now that I'm used to it, I feel a bit taken aback when visiting countries without that custom,'' she says with a smile.
Co-winner of the top prize awarded at the 1994 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Chebotareva often performs overseas, but she's always happy to return to the historic city of Kurashiki.
``I like the people and quiet environment of Kurashiki, with its clean air,'' she says.
But Chebotareva misses her parents and the Russian Orthodox Church, which she says has but a small presence in this country.
``My parents have given me so much of their time and energy since my childhood. Without their help, I wouldn't have started playing the violin,'' she explains.
Chebotareva was born in Odessa in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine. Her family moved to Moscow when she was 4, as the climate in her hometown had adversely affected her health. The relocation opened the door for her musical career.
She began violin lessons at 6, prompted by her father. Later, she enrolled at the Moscow Central Music School, where she met Irina Bochkova.
One of Russia's leading violin teachers, Bochkova was to become her mentor for 18 years, as she progressed through the Moscow Conservatory and its graduate school.
``She devoted so much time for me,'' Chebotareva says. ``Eighteen years felt like forever.''
The violinist says the time she spent with Bochkova was so full of memorable moments that she could write a book about them.
``She was a sweet teacher,'' Chebotareva recalls. ``But when I was not prepared, she would sigh and say, `Oh, I don't know what to do.' Then I would feel terrible and work very hard until the next lesson.''
She remembers her teacher's admonitions with fondness now and uses the same tactic with her own students.
``Basically, I don't like scolding students,'' she says. ``But when necessary, that trick works.''
Trained in the Yankelevich method, which nurtured many of Russia's best violinists, Chebotareva made a name for herself in competitions, starting with the 1989 Paganini International Competition in Genoa, Italy. But her greatest triumph came at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1994, when she shared second prize. No first prize was awarded.
``It left a strong impression, not only because I spent a lot of time preparing, but because I was sick in bed for two weeks before the event,'' she says. ``I thought about withdrawing, but my teacher and parents told me not to quit after practicing so hard. So I entered the first stage still feeling sick.''
Through force of will, Chebotareva made it through the second and then the final stage, when she performed concertos by both Brahms and Tchaikovsky twice in the same day, first in a rehearsal setting and then before an audience.
``I advise young musicians not to worry about success or failure. Working hard to reach a goal is the valuable part,'' she says.
Chebotareva covers an extensive repertoire in the seven discs she's recorded so far for Ongakunotomo-sha and King Records. She plays music ranging from Russian and French classical to a collaboration with young composer Taro Iwashiro for the acclaimed ``Arco'' album. Her latest disc is ``Tema D'amore-Cinema Collection.''
Chebotareva says the sound she produces on her violin is a reflection of her own nature. The tones are both gentle and graceful.
``Musicians express their inner selves through the music they make. They can't deceive their audience as actors do with masks,'' she observes.
Chebotareva's fans got a treat last year when she appeared in a Fuji Television Network show about the life of a Korean violin maker starring Tsuyoshi Kusanagi of the pop group SMAP. She portrayed a violinist who played a Stradivarius at a concert that the violin maker attended in the hope of discovering the secret behind the legendary instrument's sound.
``After the show was televised, I heard that many people had thought the pretty violinist was an actress faking a violin performance,'' she says with a laugh. ``I enjoyed watching the show. I was proud to be part of it.''
The instrument she used was the priceless 1729 Stradivarius Zubowsky that she has on loan from the Russian government.
``Stradivari's talent was a gift from God. No one will be able to copy his work,'' Chebotareva declares.
And few have the talent to play one of his violins as expertly as she does.
Anastasia Chebotareva performs with pianist Andrei Zheltonog on Feb. 11 (1:30 p.m.) at Sapporo Concert Hall Kitara. 2,500 yen and 3,500 yen in advance. Call Piano Teachers' National Association of Japan at 011-615-0710.
Chebotareva presents a lecture concert with musicologist Fumiko Hitotsuyanagi on Feb. 25 (7 p.m.) at the Asahi Culture Center in Tokyo. 3,990 yen for members and 4,510 yen for non-members. Call the center at 03-3344-1998.
Her concert with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, led by Tatsuya Shimono, on Feb. 27 at Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space is sold out.(IHT/Asahi: February 4,2005)