How an Armenian immigrant became one of the leading clarinetists of the United States
'03.09.2018'
Source: Armenia.im
Today Boris Allakhverdyan is one of the leading clarinetists in the United States, concertmaster of the clarinet group at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, former concertmaster of the clarinet group at the Metropolitan Opera, winner of various prizes and awards. Creator of the successful Prima Trio.
In June, together with the State Youth Orchestra, he performed as a soloist on the stage of the Great Philharmonic Hall in Yerevan. The concert took place within the framework of the Musicians for Peace project, writes Armenia.im. Unfortunately, there was no time for an interview with a musician. Therefore, after his departure, we had to use electronic communication.
- Only your adult life is represented on the Internet. How did it start?
- I was born in Baku. After the events of the 90s, we moved to Oryol as refugees. There my father Valery Borisovich got a job in a military orchestra and a music school named after Kalinnikov, where I began to learn to play the clarinet. He was my teacher, and I owe him everything that I have achieved today. By the way, many of his students later studied at the Moscow and St. Petersburg Conservatories, became laureates of international competitions. From Orel we then moved to Moscow, where I continued my studies at the music school, and then at the conservatory in the class of Professor Rafael Oganesovich Bagdasaryan. And then, one might say by chance, I ended up in America. Once the American clarinetist Laurie de Luca came to Baghdasaryan's class, listened to the students, including me, gave me her business card and said that she really liked my game, she would provide me with a recommendation for a good teacher in the USA. Later I received a letter from Professor Richard Hawkins, where he expressed his interest and sent an official invitation to study. So I went to the USA, to the city of Oberlin, Ohio to improve my knowledge and improve technical capabilities. That was great.
- Did you want to make music yourself or were you forced by your parents?
- No, myself. I wanted to play the clarinet because I loved listening to my father playing. I especially liked the solos from the operatic repertoire, which he often played at home. The fact is that he previously worked in the orchestra of the Baku Opera House. “Tosca”, “La Traviata”, “La Boheme” ... I really liked playing the clarinet and, just imagine, I started to get good at it almost immediately. At some point, around the 3rd grade of music school, I began to devote more time to football than music. But my father acted wisely. He told me that I can play football as much as I want, but only after two hours of playing the instrument. A year later, I could no longer imagine my life without a clarinet. In general, the music in our house sounded constantly, since my mother Lyubov Nikolaevna and my sister Yana are wonderful pianists, and we often played at home all together.
- How does a classical musician live in the West?
- Everywhere has its pros and cons. I have already got used to life in America, its conveniences, so I feel at home here. The same can be said about Moscow. I always come there with great pleasure to see my parents and friends. I enjoy living in Los Angeles and working in a wonderful Philharmonic Orchestra with wonderful musicians under the direction of the fantastic conductor Gustavo Dudamel. Los Angeles has great weather all year round, beaches, mountains, in general, everything you need for work and leisure.
- I read in the press that you performed in Moscow.
- Yes, I played in the Kremlin with a chamber orchestra in the Armory. Unfortunately, it is not often possible to visit the territory of the CIS. You know, flights are very difficult. And, of course, I was extremely happy to visit Armenia and Artsakh this summer. It was an unforgettable experience and I really hope to come again.
- What brand of clarinet do you prefer to play?
- I play clarinets from the French company Buffet Crampon. I like these instruments for their timbre and playability in technical terms. And I use mudpieces and reeds from the wonderful Vandoren company. I am very pleased with them.
- Do you often change instruments depending on the music you play? It's very common among, for example, guitarists.
- No, I always play the same instrument, regardless of whether it is chamber music or symphonic music, whether I play solo or in an orchestra.
- What repertoire do you prefer? Do you have favorite composers?
- Generally speaking, I like to play basically everything - from Mozart to Messiaen. Favorite composers - Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Komitas.
- It is rare to see a concert musician who is also engaged in teaching. How did you get the idea to become a teacher?
- To be honest, I didn't really like teaching before. This has come over the years. And now it is difficult for me to imagine myself without teaching. Studying with students, you always find something new for yourself, new approaches that you have not thought about before. When it comes to helping a student to overcome difficulties, it is truly fantastic pleasure. So this symbiosis of concert and teaching activities is truly the most important factor for any musician, in my opinion.
- Judging by the information on your website, you change orchestras quite often. Do you like doing this or is it a requirement of life?
- I like playing with great musicians from different countries. I try to play as many solo and chamber music concerts as possible if the orchestra's schedule allows. I have great pleasure playing chamber music. For about twelve years now I have been playing many concerts with my trio - Prima Trio. We met at the Oberlin Conservatory, started playing together, then in 2007 we won the largest competition in the United States - the Fishoff National Chamber Music Competition. And after that our active concert activity began. The trio's repertoire includes works by Mozart, Schumann, Millau and, of course, do not forget the Armenian composers Khachaturian and Harutyunyan.
- It has long been believed that the best brass players, including clarinetists, are Germans or French. What is the situation now?
- Yes, this opinion took place. But now the world has changed so much with all new technologies that, I think, this is no longer as relevant as it was in the past. There are talents in any country. The main thing is to learn from good teachers and listen to good musicians, since now this can be done very easily using the Internet.
- You play in a trio and in large orchestras. Which format do you like best?
- I love all the listed compositions. But to be honest, my favorite thing is to play chamber music, especially with strings. Clarinet quintets by Mozart, Brahms, Messiaen's quartet.
- In the eyes of the layman, a clarinet is an instrument for a wedding, funeral, restaurant ... Have you ever played in this format?
- No, I didn't. Indeed, the clarinet is an instrument that can be played anywhere and everything - from a symphony concert to wedding music and jazz. This is a unique instrument, which is more similar in timbre to the human voice, maybe this explains its versatility. And returning to the question, I believe that everyone should do what he truly loves and what he does best. Playing at weddings or in a jazz orchestra is not something I can do well, although I really want to learn something in the future. Today I am doing what I love and I hope I am doing well. Therefore, I will remain an adherent of classical music, playing it in different forms and compositions. Each music is good in its own way. So love her, she will hopefully save the world!
