The interview for «Robb Report» magazine
15.10.2018
Moscow, Russia

Another private show «Robb Report Salon: Music Nights» took place on October 11 at the Mon Cher clubhouse on Bolshaya Yakimanka. The theme of the evening was: classical and neoclassical music. The pianist and composer Fyodor Biryuchev, one of the brightest representatives of modern musical culture, presented his own neoclassical program. Exclusively for Robb Report, Fyodor talks about the influence of visual art on a musician, about the advantages of immersive format and sincerity on the stage.
Fyodor, your second album is referred to as nostalgia for the sea. Now you live in Moscow. If you were planning an album that would reflect the mood of Moscow, what would it be like?

— Yes, I was born and raised in a town by the sea. I really miss it here. Moscow is always different. Music, like any other form of art, always reflects the surrounding reality, they - music and life - are inseparably intertwined. Life in Moscow is very rapid and the music would be as dynamic, bright and memorable.

— What influenced the formation of your musical style?

I was greatly influenced by such composers as S. Rachmaninov, F. Chopin, F. Glass, St. Reich, and L. Einaudi. Besides, my worldview is strongly influenced by visual art. It is largely due to the fact that my grandfather is a sculptor and artist, and he's been opening this world for me throughout all my life. As a child, I spent a lot of time in my grandfather's studio and my love for Antiquity and Renaissance was engendered under his influence.

Who would you call your most important teacher?

— I think that life itself is our main teacher.

— You were a sound producer of the world's first classical Opera in the immersive format - "The Queen of Spades". Can you call this project a professional challenge? What was the hardest part of this job?

— Yes, this project was a certain challenge for me, an opportunity to try myself in a new role. While working on the project I first came into contact with electronics (my music education is classical). The introduction and many transitions between the scenes were written in a somewhat new style for me. This project was an exciting experiment for the whole team. The immersive format to a greater extent allows disclosing the inner world of the characters of " The Queen of Spades" familiar to the viewer, "to revive" them.

What was your most extraordinary performance?

Recently, I have presented a new program in a sub-tropical greenhouse of the Botanical garden of Moscow State University. This is an amazing place where music is perceived in a very particular way. In general, I really enjoy performing in unusual places: the greenhouse in the center of Moscow, Cape Choban-Kule in the Crimea, the stage on the water in the VDNH Green theater — these are just some of them.

— In what city do you dream to perform, but have not performed yet?

There are several cities that fascinate and inspire me. They are London, Paris, and Vienna. I've visited them as a tourist and now I'd like to visit them with concerts. In these cities everything breathes history, everything is literally filled with music. It seems to me that to play there is to get a new significant experience.

— Which three words would you use to describe your performance manner?

— It is difficult for me to talk about my performance manner. That would be very subjective. I will only say that when I come on stage, the following things are important to me: sincerity, emotion, and skill.

Full article: https://robb.report/mneniya/29622-muzyka-i-zhizn-s...