Nizhny Novgorod Soloists

The ensemble’s history goes back to the student chamber orchestra of the Gorky Conservatory, formed in 1981 and directed by Professor Semyon Lvovich Yaroshevich . In 1990, he emigrated to Israel, and the orchestra was soon headed by Sofia Naumovna Propishchan, Associate Professor (now Honored Artist of Russia, Professor) and successor to S. L. Yaroshevich as head of the Department of Stringed Instruments. The orchestra existed under the auspices of the conservatory until 1992. Further modernization of the orchestra into an independent concert organization was dictated not so much by the “trend of the times” and the opportunities that had opened up, but by the willingness, first of all, of the musicians themselves, many of whom had already graduated from the conservatory, for professional activities. By the mid-90s, Vadim Pechurin, Ilya Fisher, Mark Gurevich, Daniil Grishin, Margarita Evsikova, Vladimir Plaksin, Elena Smolyanskaya, Lilia Lukyanenko – today’s accompanists and soloists of leading orchestras, teachers of music universities – played in the orchestra. Under the direction of Sofia, the student chamber orchestra has grown into a professional ensemble of soloists,quickly gained a high reputation.

In 1994, the Sophia Chamber Orchestra received the status of a municipal organization. This long-awaited resource allowed the musicians to focus entirely on orchestral work, and the band’s next decade was its career springboard. Regular concerts, interesting projects and collaboration with the best musicians have grown an army of fans of the young orchestra. The high professional level of the orchestra was noted at the 1st All-Russian Radio Festival of Orchestras (GRK Orpheus). It was this orchestra that greeted eminent guests of Nizhny Novgorod with its performances, participated in the presentation of new projects, opened almost all the actions of the famous Nizhny Novgorod fair. In 1999, as the Ensemble of Soloists “Sofia”, the orchestra released its first album. By the beginning of the new millennium, the concert map of the collective included not only the cities of the Nizhny Novgorod region, but also Moscow, St. Petersburg,Essen (Germany).

The turning point in the life of the collective was the 2003-2004 season, which the orchestra spent without an artistic director – Sofia Propischan left her post, and the reorganization became inevitable. The orchestra lost a strong leader, but at the same time got a chance for self-determination. Equal relations and collegiality have become the unspoken code of sixteen bright and self-valuable personalities intent on preserving and increasing the glory of the Nizhny Novgorod chamber orchestra. Official powers were delegated to Vladimir Plaksin, a member of the “historical” composition of the collective, heir to its best traditions. De jure and de facto musicians remained soloists, and the new name of the orchestra – “Soloists of Nizhny Novgorod” was quite consistent with its rank. The orchestra was always renewed, but for the first time in 10 years the place of accompanist was taken by another musician, a new member of the group,young violinist Dmitry Stoyanov. At the same time, in his person, the orchestra found an amazing soloist who regularly performs this role. The orchestra invites the legendary musician to the final concert of the season as a conductor Igor Mikhailovich Zhukov, and in the same summer the tandem successfully performs at the International Festival of Arts. A. D. Sakharova.

Working with Igor Zhukov determined the course of the modern history of the orchestra. During the first two seasons, the musicians played twelve programs, in 2005 a joint disc was released, in September 2006 the orchestra became a laureate of the Nizhny Novgorod prize in the nomination “musical art” for concert programs of the 2005-2006 season, and in 2007 Igor Zhukov and The Soloists performed at the Moscow Autumn International Contemporary Music Festival, and in 2012 in Yaroslavl at the VIII Roizman International Organ Festival. The breaks in joint work, until the last concert in January 2014, were associated only with the health problem of Igor Mikhailovich, but ideologically the orchestra entirely belonged to him. The independence, responsibility and musical persuasiveness of the “Soloists” were brought up by the indisputable authority of the personality of this musician,his exceptional professional and human qualities.

In the fall of 2004, on a wave of enthusiasm, the Soloists of Nizhny Novgorod invite a German violinist, conductor, specialist in the historical interpretation of baroque and classicism music, associate professor Christoph Mayer, and plunge headlong into the joint project “Historical Performing Practice”. This experiment, on the one hand, deepened the orchestra’s acquaintance with the context of baroque music, on the other, it opened a new source of creative inspiration for a decade of fruitful and exciting work. Within the framework of the project, the orchestra demonstrated achievements unprecedented for the musical province: staged 3 opera singspiels, one of which was a world premiere on a libretto by K. Mayer, presented several Russian and Nizhny Novgorod premieres of instrumental music of the 17th-18th centuries, established the first international musical festival “BAROQUE & CLASSIC Nizhny Novgorod” with the participation of leading Russian performers-authenticists, organized free educational courses for students,wishing to accompany the world historical performing practice, has recorded 3 CDs.

In 2006, the orchestra took part in the international project “Picturesque Mozart” (conducted by Hermann Dechant (Austria)), which combined music, painting and literature. In 2008, the orchestra initiated the project Music of Russian Manors, dedicated to the musical culture of the Russian nobility of the 18th-19th centuries and specific architectural objects in the heritage of the Nizhny Novgorod region and its glorious patrons of the arts.

The creative endeavors of the orchestra are not limited to the field of “pure music”. In 2009, the orchestra played on stage together with actors in the premiere performance (staged by the Nizhny Novgorod Youth Theater) “King Lear”. Within the framework of the Shakespeare & Shakespeare project, organized by the capital’s Theater of Nations, the performance was presented in Moscow. Critics noted that “an important component of the performance – live music on stage – is the brilliant work of the composer Olga Shaydullina and the chamber orchestra Soloists of Nizhny Novgorod (ITAR-TASS). The idea of ​​Vladimir Plaksin to combine music with space brought the Soloists to the Big Star Hall of the Nizhny Novgorod Planetarium, where live music had never been played before. As a result of co-creation with the creative team responsible for the full-domed video sequence, several programs have appeared that continue to multiply sold-out concerts.One of them (“The Planet of the Violin”) became a laureate of the Second International Fulldome Festival “Reflections of the Universe”.

The orchestra is keenly interested in contemporary music, annually performing Russian and international premieres, including compositions written specifically for the Soloists of Nizhny Novgorod. In the electronic-acoustic project “SIRENS”, the orchestra quartet took part in the S. Kuryokhin International Festival “SKIF12” (2008, St. Petersburg). Regularly cooperating with the Union of Composers, with the PF of the National Center for Contemporary Art, with the Nizhny Novgorod Center for German and European Culture, “Soloists” participate in topical projects, broadcasting the last word in chamber music.

Making up for the deficit of concert halls, the orchestra has more than once opened new doors for listeners. Until 2009, the main stage of the orchestra remained the Great Hall of the Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory, but later the Soloists had to look for an alternative. To this day, the orchestra enjoys the hospitality of the Old Assembly Hall of the Nizhny Novgorod State University (the building of the historical building of the Vladimirsky (in honor of the Grand Duke) real school), playing in addition to subscription concerts of the cycle “The Rector of Nizhny Novgorod State University presents …”, its own ticket concerts. In 2010, the orchestra announced concerts in the restored residence of the Historical and Architectural Museum-Reserve – the Rukavishnikovs Estate, and the innovation soon became a generally accepted tradition, and the Blue Hall of the Estate became one of the most popular chamber halls in Nizhny Novgorod.

The latest important trends of The Soloists are focused on long-term collaboration with Daniil Grishin , who since 2015 has been performing with the orchestra not only as a soloist, but also as the main guest conductor. Each joint concert is a cultural sensation and a new evolutionary step. Together, the musicians conquered not only the Nizhny Novgorod audience. In 2017, the orchestra and Daniil Grishin toured in Sarov and Kazan.

In the field of historical performing practice, the orchestra has a lot and successfully collaborates with another famous Nizhny Novgorod citizen, universal musician and sought-after conductor Maxim Emelyanychev . The symphonic trend of “Soloists” is mostly associated with him. Joint posters provocatively declare the cult works of Viennese classicism and its closest “entourage”. In September 2017, the French record company Aparté Music recorded the musicians’ first joint disc.

“Soloists of Nizhny Novgorod” cooperate not only with world-famous musicians , but also with students of music schools in the Nizhny Novgorod region. In 2004, the Youth Assemblies project was organized for students of music schools in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Every year in the gala concert of the project, its young participants-winners perform with the orchestra in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. Many of those who first tried to play with an orchestra on this project became laureates of international competitions.

Since its founding in 1990, the Soloists of Nizhny Novgorod chamber orchestra has been an active voice of the musical community of the Nizhny Novgorod region. For listeners of all ages and different musical backgrounds, all-season musicians present the best chamber music concerts. On average, the orchestra gives more than 60 concerts per season, performing with top international-class soloists.

The efforts of the Soloists to make classical music accessible delineate new territories on the map of Nizhny Novgorod and its environs. The mobility of the orchestra and the lively interest of the audience encourage counter movement and liberate academic concerts. Conference halls, open air, cafes and even the metro can create the necessary backdrops for creative self-realization. The orchestra plays free and charitable concerts, including for the staff and patients of NIITO, traditionally accompanies scientific and political forums of the highest level, supports the festival movement, and participates in city events. “Soloists” strive to inspire a new generation of listeners, to captivate young people with serious music performing special programs within the walls of Nizhny Novgorod universities.

The performing level of the orchestra allows the world chamber music collection to be manipulated with grace. Experts note the orchestra’s ability to quickly master a wide range of music without belittling its merits. The orchestra plays a lot of contemporary music and every year Russian and international premieres.

Very often in their history, musicians existed despite financial difficulties and the merits of an exemplary team were obtained regardless of the budget. But the most ambitious initiatives of the orchestra have always found support from new and permanent partners. The orchestra is grateful to its patrons for their generosity, and the applause of the grateful listeners is in solidarity with it.

The musicians are open to new solutions and cooperation in all aspects of creativity, so the history of the orchestra is not finished.

The String Ensemble members are:

Violins: Anastasiya Bogdanova, Vladimir Plaksin, Dmitriy Stoyanov,
Violas: Vsevolod Lysenko, Natalia Milova,
Cellos: Oksana Tchekhova, Natalia Telminova,
Double-bass: Artem Volkov