Sergei Dogadin violinist biography. Dogadin Sergey. — In which countries are you better accepted?

Violin

Biography

Sergei Dogadin graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 2012, where he studied under the guidance of V. Ovcharek and his father, A. Dogadin. He took part in master classes by Z. Bron, B. Kushnir, M. Vengerov. In 2014, he graduated from the Concert Graduate School of the Hochschule für Musik Cologne (Germany), where he completed an internship in the class of M. Martin. In 2013–2015, he completed a postgraduate internship at the University of the Arts Graz (Austria) with B. Kushnir. Currently he continues his internship in his class at the Vienna Conservatory.

In 2019, he was awarded the 1st prize and the Gold medal at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition. His significant victories include such prestigious competitions as the IX International J. Joachim Violin Competition in Hannover (1st prize, Germany, 2015), the International Competition in Singapore (1st prize, 2018) and many others. Scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the New Names Foundation, the Mozart Society in Dortmund (Germany), laureate of the Yu. Temirkanov and A. Petrov awards, the youth award of the Governor of St. Petersburg and the award of the President of Russia. Many of the musician’s performances were broadcast by the world’s largest radio and television companies. He played in the best halls of the world with world famous orchestras, collaborated with such outstanding conductors as Yu. Temirkanov, V. Gergiev, V. Ashkenazi, V. Spivakov, V. Sinaisky, N. Alekseev, V. Tretyakov, A. Sladkovsky, V. .Petrenko, M.Honeck, S.Mintz and many others.

Chamber music occupies a significant place in the artist’s work. Among his stage partners are E. Leonskaya, D. Geringas, B. Kushnir, D. Matsuev, D. Trifonov, P. Amuayal, A. Knyazev, N. Akhnazaryan, M. Rysanov, B. Andrianov, D. Illarionov, V. Kholodenko, A. Ogrinchuk, G. Shokhat and others.

He took part in such famous festivals as “Stars of the White Nights”, “Art Square”, “Schleswig-Holstein Festival”, “Crescendo”, “Trans-Siberian Art Festival”, “Vladimir Spivakov Invites”, Mstislav Rostropovich Festival, “Music Collection” , “Musical Olympus”, Autumn Festival in Baden-Baden, Oleg Kagan Festival, etc.

He plays the violin of the Italian master Domenico Montagnana (Venice, 1721), lent to him by “The Rin Collection” (Singapore).

Since 2017 - visiting professor at Liangzhu International Arts Academy (China).

I prepare to record the interview and check my recording devices: voice recorder and video camera. On the recorder I find a piece of the violin concerto by J. Brahms performed by D. Garrett, recorded back in March in the Concert Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky, and I make a note that I definitely need to ask Sergei about his impressions of this concert. As a result, I decide to duplicate the interview on all available recording devices and am very worried...

He is unusually reserved and modest, and very polite - we talk on “you”, but gradually I make attempts and move into a zone that is comfortable for me - “you”. We talk about choosing a profession, about music, about teachers, about personal things, which Sergei shares sparingly and a little shyly, about plans and a little bit of everything.

"Start"

— Are you from a family of musicians?

— Yes, both parents are musicians: dad is a violist, accompanist of the viola group of the Honored Ensemble of Russia under the direction of maestro Yuri Temirkanov, and mother is a violinist, plays in the first violin group of the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under the direction of maestro Alexander Dmitriev. I started studying music at the age of 5 with an amazing teacher Lev Aleksandrovich Ivashchenko. Then he continued his studies with Professor Vladimir Yurievich Ovcharek, who, unfortunately, is no longer with us. Then, while studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, he studied with his father and Pavel Popov. After finishing my studies in St. Petersburg, I went to study in Cologne, at the Higher School of Music, where I studied for two years as a solo graduate student in the class of Michaela Martin - this is a famous Romanian violinist, she is now very famous, she performs in many places, and she is also on the jury many world competitions. Then I continued my solo postgraduate studies in Graz in Austria with one of the best teachers of our time - Professor Boris Isaakovich Kushnir. After finishing his studies in Graz - this winter - he continued his studies with Boris Isaakovich, but in Vienna.

— Was the violin your choice or did your parents insist?

— I think that it’s still mine, since my parents initially sent me to the piano and for about a year I tried to play the piano, while studying the violin at the same time. And, apparently, the violin turned out to be closer to me in some ways, because a conscious decision came that I needed to continue studying on the violin.

— How many hours a day did you study as a child?

— Quite a lot, I think about five to six hours a day.

- Isn't this too much for a child?

— Of course, this is a lot, but the point is that all the basic technical basics need to be laid down the sooner, the better. I think that the technical base is laid in the first five to ten years and you need to have time to do this, in particular, put your hands in the right place. This takes a lot of time, unfortunately. Our instrument is one of the most complex. If on a piano after, say, three months, you can already depict something - some minimum, then with a violin it’s a completely different story - you have to practice for a very long time and hard in order to be able to play at least something.

— You graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Please explain how the “St. Petersburg” school differs from the “Moscow” one?

— I don’t see too much of a difference, the fact is that the very concept of “school” is now quite vague, so to speak. Many of our teachers have long been teaching outside of Russia, and the school no longer exists on a geographical basis, it is global. Maybe earlier, a hundred years ago, schools were somewhat isolated from each other, but now, in the modern world, there are no such boundaries.

"Petersburgers"

— Well, is it true that St. Petersburg residents are for the authenticity of sound and do not hang bridges and chin rests on the violin? Do you use these accessories?

— Personally, I’ve been playing without a bridge for ten years now! But a minimal percentage of violinists do this, because the bridge is easy and convenient, and there is no need to strain in a certain sense. It should be noted that historically the bridge was not used before, since the bridge appeared only about fifty years ago. In principle, in my opinion, this is an unnecessary detail and it only bothers me during performance, although I have been using it for many years.

— You studied with Vladimir Yurievich Ovcharek. In one of his interviews, he once said that St. Petersburg residents are loyal people and do not leave Russia.

— In principle, yes, I myself spend a lot of time in St. Petersburg and really, really respect and love our city. But in order to develop further, you need to leave, I think, because, unfortunately, now there are few options for opening up in Russia.

— So, it’s bad for the violinist in Russia?

— Perhaps professionally, yes, especially for a soloist. We have many excellent orchestras where you can just sit down and sit for many years on an excellent salary and not need for anything. But since I don’t have such a goal, I chose a different path, the path of a soloist, and in St. Petersburg the situation is difficult for soloists.

— Do you have any offers to play abroad?

— There are many countries where I could go, but again, I don’t want to leave in such a way as to completely break with Russia! Many are leaving, but it’s hard, I often see this in my colleagues who live in the west. I would like to find a compromise and combine life there and life here!

"Competitions"

— In 2005 you won 1st prizeIIIInternational Moscow Violin Competition named after. Paganini. Did Paganini ever play the violin?

— About ten years ago, a big festival was held in St. Petersburg, and especially for this festival, two instruments were brought from Genoa, which Niccolo Paganini played. These were violins by the Italian master Giuseppe Guarnieri del Gesu - a world-famous instrument and its copy made by the great French master Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume. I played a concert with one of these instruments - it was Vuillaume’s violin “Sivori”, named after Paganini’s only student Camillo Sivori, to whom the violin passed shortly before the death of the maestro - a unique instrument where, it seems, the soul of Paganini is still present. These were phenomenal sensations, which, of course, faded a little over time, but they will remain with me throughout my life.

— You are a laureate of ten international competitions. Which one was the most significant for you?

— I think that the International Competition named after. P.I. Tchaikovsky, because he occupies a special place in the soul, especially of a Russian musician. The competition has a rich history, and it is a great honor for me that I was able to mark my place in the history of this competition as a participant and laureate.

— Are music competitions objective?

“I’ll say this: our art, in principle, is not objective. In principle, the fact that musicians need to be evaluated and graded seems terribly unfair to me. But we live in this world and competitions are a great help to young musicians, as a result of which they have to participate in them. You must understand that it is very difficult to please all members of the jury, since everyone has different opinions, different tastes, different expectations. Because of this, there is a feeling that everything is biased... Music is not mathematics or sport, that is, it is very difficult to evaluate it unambiguously.

— What do competitions give you professionally?

— Competitions should provide career development - this is their main task, they are not needed for anything else. Many competitions helped me a lot personally.

— You completed your concert graduate school in Cologne and continue to study further in Vienna. It seems to me that you are already such a prize-winning, virtuoso violinist - you can do everything, do you still have something to learn?

— My teacher Boris Isaakovich Kushnir says that violinists who have been soloists and stars of the world stage for forty or fifty years come to study with him. The fact is that throughout your professional life you always need an outside perspective; What is important is a person, a high-class musician, who is able to point out details that sometimes, for many reasons, become blurred over the years, but are fundamental elements of first-class performance. We need an objective, qualitative assessment from the outside and productive assistance.

"Opinions"

— Does our (Russian) interpretation of the music of Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven and other European composers differ from the Western one?

- Of course, it is different and very much! In particular, this concerns the style of performance: articulation, vibration, sound production, which greatly influence the perception of music. In the West, these details are given great importance.

— There is an opinion that Paganini’s works are within the reach of every technically equipped violinist. Do you have works by Paganini in your repertoire?

- Yes, of course! I don’t know who is saying this, but playing Paganini is technically very difficult, besides, only a few can make a show out of Paganini’s music and perform the work at a decent level.

— How do you feel about the “crossover” direction?

- I'm not into this myself. Most likely, I would not play a “crossover” if it was offered to me, but maybe something will change in the future. Now I’m happy with everything – the way it is.

“It was a phenomenal concert, which was performed very interestingly, convincingly and at the highest level.

— Who is the most significant figure among modern violinists for you?

— Currently, I am very interested in Leonidas Kavakos, Julia Fischer, Yanin Janson. If we talk about soloists who have been on stage for several decades, then these are definitely Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Anna-Sophia Mutter, and many, many others.

— Now, in Russia, is interest in classical music returning?

— Classics have always received little attention, but they will never “die”, because classical music always has its listeners and connoisseurs. Our direction is not as popular as, say, rock and pop music, but it is forever!

"Cooperation"

— You have collaborated with the most famous conductors and orchestras in the world, which of them was the most interesting to work with?

— You have to understand that the orchestras with which I worked are all of approximately the same very, very high level, and in this case, the most significant thing is the collaboration with the conductor. It was incredibly interesting for me to play with Maestro Temirkanov and Maestro Gergiev - these are two great masters, working with whom is always accompanied by amazing emotions.

— Which conductor would you like to work with again?

— With a lot of people, but I was already very lucky that I had the chance to play concerts with Valery Gergiev, Yuri Temirkanov, Vladimir Spivakov. I have a special relationship with Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov, one might say filial-fatherly, we are very close mentally and I really appreciate it! Recently, in April, I played a Mendelssohn concert at the “Vladimir Spivakov Invites” festival in Kazan and I am very flattered that Vladimir Teodorovich invites me to his festivals taking place in Russia and on world tours.

"Repertoire"

— How do you form your repertoire?

— Every year I try to add something new; There are many sonatas and pieces that I am interested in learning. Soon I will have to play the concert “Distant Light” by the Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. This concerto was written about 20 years ago and first performed by Gidon Kremer in 1997. Now this concert is deservedly receiving “new life” and attention from the public. I am about to tour with this concert in Estonia, Sweden and Finland. The fact is that even when I was young, so to speak, I set out to get as many concerts with orchestras as quickly as possible, so now there are not many concertos left that I have to learn and play. But there is a huge list of plays and sonatas that you can learn throughout your life.

— What is your repertoire now?

— My repertoire includes all the major violin concertos: from Bach to contemporary authors, including all the major concerts of the great composers of the 18th-20th centuries, in general, a very diverse and extensive list of concerts. Now I am trying to expand my repertoire with sonatas and chamber works performed in quartets, quintets and trios. We, thank God, have a large layer of music that you can learn throughout your life.

— Is there any piece that you would really like to play?

— Perhaps this is Sergei Prokofiev’s second concerto, which I have not performed yet, but I hope that I will soon correct this mistake.

— Do you have a favorite composer?

— I think not - there are a lot of composers whose music I love. And if I undertake to play a concert, every time I do it with great respect and great sympathy for the author. You can say that I fall in love with every piece I play.

— So, accordingly, there is no favorite work either?

— There is no favorite work, or rather, there are very, very many of them.

— When you prepare a concert, what do you pay attention to first – the technique or the composer’s intention?

— The fact is that one is impossible without the other, that is, if there is not sufficient technical training in the arsenal, then there are not enough resources to convey the musicality of the work and its interpretation to the audience, to the listener. Both components are important - performance technique and personal view and understanding of music.

— Do you analyze his performance after the concert?

- Certainly! In general, I very rarely get complete satisfaction from a performance; there is always something that still needs to be refined and improved.

—Are you nervous before the concert?

- Every time - sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.

— How do you cope with anxiety?

“If I knew, I wouldn’t worry.” There is no recipe, but you need to understand that excitement is in a sense a help - there is a great surge of energy, an intensity of emotions, and it is important to leave this on stage, that is, you cannot get rid of it.

— How many concerts do you know by heart?

— Quite a lot, but it’s clear that it takes from two to three days to a week to repeat, refresh in memory this or that piece before a performance.

— In which countries are you better received?

— I don’t have a definite answer, because they accept it differently everywhere. Here in Russia, in small towns, people enjoy going to concerts and love the classics very much, maybe even much more than those who live in Moscow and St. Petersburg. On the periphery, audiences are very grateful and emotionally more responsive than in big cities.

— Do any modern composers write for the violin?

- Undoubtedly. There is a Moscow composer Alexander Rosenblat, who writes a lot of music for the violin and recently wrote a very bright and original concerto for violin and orchestra at the junction of mixing styles: jazz and classical.

- And you play his music?

- Certainly! And very often! We are great friends and communicate very closely in the field of creativity.

"Violin"

— What instrument do you play now?

— On a violin by the Italian master Gaetano Antoniazzi, made in the mid-19th century in Cremona. This is one of the last famous masters of the Cremonese school of the old generation (editor's note: A violin by the Italian master Gaetano Antoniazzi, made in Milan in the second half of the 19th century, Sergei received as a reward at the III International Violin Competition named after Yuri Yankelevich in Omsk in 2013) .

— How do you transport your instrument on a plane?

- Everything is simple - in hand luggage. Now, of course, it is more difficult, many airlines have banned the carriage of instruments in hand luggage, but the main major air carriers still allow them to be taken on board.

— Do you have any special relationship with the violin? Vladimir Teodorovich Spivakov once said in an interview that the violin is jealous.

- Yes, I absolutely agree with this. She understands your attitude; if I don’t go near the violin for a day or two, she immediately feels it. A kind of connection of lofty matters. The more you play, the more it reveals itself; What matters is how you play it to suit yourself - to suit your sound and your style.

— Do you play any other instruments besides the violin?

— We had a general piano course at school, and I can play something for myself, but at an amateur level, of course. If you do something, then you need to do it for real, professionally, devoting all your time and attention to music, and not the way we sometimes do it.

"Behind the scenes"

— What do you like to listen to, besides classics?

— Mostly I listen to classics, but when I’m driving in a car, I listen to Queen, Michael Jackson and Celentano, Demis Roussos, that is, different performers, different styles and directions - whatever is close to my soul and mood at the moment.

— After participating in the International Competition named after. P.I. Tchaikovsky, you radically changed yourself. What is this connected with? Do you work out at the gym?

“I just decided that it was time to start leading a healthy lifestyle and change my shape, and about six years ago I started going to the gym. Thank God - this has become such a good habit that it’s hard to imagine how you can do without it. The thing is that in the gym I can easily mentally switch from concerts and rehearsals and forget about everything for a while.

— Is it important for you to switch gears after concerts?

- Of course it’s important! Sometimes even if there is a gym in the hotel, after the concert I definitely go there to work out.

— What do you like to do on vacation?

— I love the gym, as I already said, and in the summer at the dacha I really like to go fishing. When I have enough free time, I take a motor boat and fishing rods and can sit “on the water” all day.

- What else can you do with your beautiful hands? Can you hammer a nail?

— If we are talking about doing something around the house, it’s easy, I don’t have any problems with it, but sometimes there simply isn’t enough time for it.

— Do you take care of your hands in general?

— It’s clear that I don’t play basketball or volleyball, but I don’t have any special prohibitions - I do whatever I want and like.

"Career and Family"

— In 2008, you recorded a solo disc with works by P.I. Tchaikovsky, S.V. Rachmaninov, S.S. Prokofieva, A.P. Rosenblatt. Are you planning to record a disc with “solo albums”?

— I would like to, of course, but there are no plans for this in the near future.

— Are you satisfied with how your career is developing? Is there still something to strive for?

— In general, yes, I must admit that my life is the dream of many musicians. But it’s clear that I have room to grow, and there are heights that I would like to achieve and realize my plans and dreams. Everyone has something to strive for, even the most famous and recognized artists. My teacher Boris Kushnir says that the “top” soloists come to him to learn something more. So, it is important to never stop there! As soon as you stop, you immediately go down, that is, either up or down, you can’t stand in one place!

— Aren't you afraid of star fever?

- Absolutely not! There were concerns about this before, but they have already dissipated, thank God!

— So you are an approachable person in life and don’t feel like a “star”?

- Well, it’s not for me to decide, but I don’t feel like a “star”.

— Do people recognize you on the street and come up to you for autographs?

— This has happened many times in St. Petersburg, but this is understandable - they know me here, I spend more time here than in other cities and play many more concerts than, say, in Moscow.

-Are you not embarrassed when people recognize you?

- No, on the contrary – it’s very pleasant! For me, this means that I was able to give a part of myself to the audience, and that it was appreciated and remembered.

- That is, you can safely approach you for an autograph, I understand.

- Boldly, yes.

— Do they give flowers at concerts?

- They give it. And I really welcome this. I give all the flowers given at concerts to my wife, and she makes wonderful arrangements out of them at home.

— Since I mentioned your wife, let me ask, how long have you been together?

— More than seven years.

— Does this mean that love and family are not the last place in your life?

— They occupy a very large place, I would say. In creativity, the feeling of falling in love especially helps, and I try not to lose this feeling.

"Plans"

— Tell us about the upcoming season - what will you play, where and when?

— The year will most likely be very busy: a large tour of America is planned, including concerts in Germany, Estonia, Sweden and Finland. In addition, concerts should take place in Russia. Since 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the world famous Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, I will play his works, which I love very much. This, of course, is the famous concerto for violin and orchestra, but also the most beautiful violin pieces, quite difficult in technical performance, which I am still learning now. In addition, a concert is planned in Moscow in June 2016.

- Wonderful! We will be glad to see you in Moscow, we are looking forward to seeing you!

- I’ll definitely come! Thank you!

— Sergey, it was very nice to talk with you! Thanks for the interesting conversation!

- Mutually! Goodbye!

Reference:

born in September 1988 in St. Petersburg into a family of musicians.

Winner of ten international competitions, including:

-2002 - International Competition named after.AndreaPostaccini— Grand Prix, Ι Prize and Special Jury Prize (Italy);

-2005 - International competition named after. N. Paganini - 1st prize. (Russia);

-2009 - International competition "ARD» – Special Prize of the Bavarian Radio (awarded for the first time in the history of the competition), Special Prize for the best performance of a Mozart concerto, Special Prize for the best performance of a work written for the competition (Germany);

-2011 — XIVInternational competition named after. P.I. Tchaikovsky -IIbonus (Ino prize awarded) and Audience Award (Russia);

-2013 – IIIInternational competition named after. Yu.I. Yankelevich – Grand Prix (Russia).

Scholarship holder of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, the New Names Foundation, the International K. Orbelian Foundation, the Mozart Society in Dortmund (Germany), laureate of the Yu. Temirkanov Prize, the A. Petrov Prize, the Youth Prize of the Governor of St. Petersburg, the Prize of the President of Russia.

He has toured in Russia, the USA, Japan, Germany, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Denmark, China, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Ireland, Chile, Latvia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Romania, Moldova, Estonia and the Netherlands.

Since his debut in 2002 in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic with the Honored Ensemble of Russia, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by V. Petrenko, he has performed on world-famous stages such as: The Great Halls of the Berlin, Cologne and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras, the Herkules Hall in Munich, Liederhalle in Stuttgart, Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden, Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Symphony Hall in Osaka, Palacio de Congresos in Madrid, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Kitara Concert Hall in Sapporo, Concert Hall Tivoli"in Copenhagen, the Bolshoi Theater in Shanghai, the Great Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Concert Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow, the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theater.

He has collaborated with such world-famous orchestras as: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Nordic Symphony orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonic Orchestra Philharmonie), Frankfurt Opera House and Museum Orchestra (Frankfurter Museum Orchestra), English Chamber Orchestra, Polish Chamber Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica Chamber Orchestra, Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Mariinsky Theater Orchestra, Honored Ensemble of Russia Academic Symphony Orchestra St. -Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, national orchestras of Estonia and Latvia, State Orchestra of Russia and other foreign and Russian ensembles.

In 2003, the BBC recorded A. Glazunov's violin concerto performed by S. Dogadin with the Ulster Symphony Orchestra.

Katerina Slezkina

Photo: personal archive of Sergei Dogadin

The young violinist Sergei Dogadin has an amazing biography and unique professional achievements. At 22 years old, he is a laureate of nine international competitions, including the International Competition. N. Paganini, International Competition named after. A. Glazunov, International Competition named after. A. Postaccini and others. Sergey has collaborated with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Symphony Orchestra, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg Capella Symphony Orchestra and other groups. He toured in Germany, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Turkey, Estonia and Holland.

The recent performance by Sergei Dogadin and the Capella Symphony Orchestra of Jean Sibelius's violin concerto was the best answer to those skeptics who believe that new young world-class “stars” have stopped appearing in Russia.

- You are a laureate of many prestigious international competitions. How did you manage to achieve such amazing success at such a young age?

I think the main credit for this goes to my parents. They directed me into music at the age of five, studied with me, tried to educate me for real. My dad Andrei Sergeevich Dogadin is a wonderful musician, violist, concertmaster of the Honored Ensemble of Russia Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic, professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The main credit for what I have achieved goes to him.

- How do you generally feel about music competitions? What is their level now?

You know, competitions are a topic for a separate, very big conversation. I believe that competitions should be in the life of every musician who wants a truly great career. Of course, I can’t say that I treat competitions with love. Concerts and competitions are completely different things. And, ultimately, the career of a soloist consists of concerts, not competitions. Modern big competitions are a very big test for musicians, psychologically very difficult. Three or four rounds, a huge program that needs to be kept in mind, as a rule, several concerts with an orchestra in the final rounds. It is really very difficult, and only a few people can truly prepare and go to a prestigious competition.

- You collaborated with a variety of groups. What is special about working with the Capella Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor Alexander Chernushenko?

I love this orchestra very much, I have a lot of friends and acquaintances in it. They are excellent musicians, and the orchestra has now reached a very good level. The orchestra attracts a lot of young people who are well brought up; there are truly talented guys in the orchestra. I have many, many years of great close friendship with Alexander Vladislavovich; we played together and collaborated many times. He is a wonderful musician, it is a pleasure to work with him every time.

- Whose music is most difficult for you?

Complex issue. In general, there are no easy composers or easy works; each work can be honed ad infinitum. Therefore, I cannot say what is easier for me and what is not. I equally love romantic, classical, and modern music of the 20th century. And every work is difficult if you take it seriously.

- You had the honor of playing the violins of Niccolo Paganini and Johann Strauss. What sensations does a person experience when he holds such instruments in his hands?

It is a unique feeling when you hold a violin in your hands that has been touched by the hands of great musicians, perhaps the greatest violinists in history. To date, no violinist has surpassed Paganini. They are also fantastic instruments and have unique tonal characteristics. Paganini’s violin has a very powerful sound, very rich and bright. Strauss's instrument has a very “sweet” timbre, a chamber sound. Of course, it would be difficult to perform, say, Sibelius’ violin concerto with him, but for chamber concerts this option is amazing.

- What is your attitude towards Russian music criticism?

Mostly, I encounter critics in the West. In Russia less often, because I rarely play here. Of course, I don’t treat critics very kindly; they can sometimes accuse a performer of anything out of nowhere. Evgeny Kissin told in one of his interviews how he once played a concert in Moscow, in his opinion, the best concert he had ever had in his life. But the criticism after this concert was simply terrible. The relationship between musicians and critics is always very difficult. However, critics have enormous power; they can make a star out of a person, or they can destroy him in vain.

- Can we say that over the past 10-20 years classical music in our country has ceased to be prestigious?

I think no. After all, great conductors work in our city, such as V.A. Gergiev, Yu.Kh. Temirkanov. There is a wonderful Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Philharmonic, Capella. Collectives are constantly developing, and I believe that what is happening now is not a decline, but a rise in national culture.

- I have heard the opinion that it is extremely rare to see students from music universities in the hall at classical concerts. What is the reason?

It depends on the specific concert and the specific students. For example, many of my friends quite often attend concerts that they are interested in hearing, which can give them new emotions, new impressions. But of course, there are concerts that not only young people, but also the older generation will not go to. It all depends on the specific case.

- How to attract young people to classical concerts?

This is a difficult task, perhaps even impossible. It is not enough to attract young people, you need to interest young people, and this is very difficult. I have many friends who did not study music. And I understand that it is quite difficult to attract people from non-musical backgrounds to classical concerts. But, on the other hand, there are people who sincerely love classical music, perhaps without understanding it the way a person with a special education understands it. And such people will always go to concerts. And yet, classical music is an elitist art, so it is impossible to gather 20-30 thousand people for concerts, and this should not happen. Classical music was and remains an art for a fairly narrow circle of people. In my opinion, this is how it should be.

- How do you feel about attempts at symbiosis of classical and pop music, crossover, joint performances of classical musicians with rock and pop performers?

If a pop singer or rock singer is an outstanding, legendary, talented musician, then it might be interesting to try such a collaboration. On the other hand, there is, for example, the English violinist Nigel Kennedy, who cannot be fully called a classical musician. He knows how to combine aspects of many genres, thereby captivating and attracting more and more people to his art.

- What kind of music and what performers do you like besides classics?

I can't say that I love any particular genre or any one musician. I love music that suits my mood. For example, I really like Adriano Celentano, Demis Roussos. From ours - “Time Machine”, Boris Grebenshchikov. I can like any performer if he touches me.

Good question. There is still time left, but every year it becomes less and less. And I hope my free time continues to get shorter and shorter. Being a musician is still a really difficult profession. If a musician has a long career, say 100-150 concerts a year, then he barely manages to find seven days a year to rest. The rest of the time is taken up by flights, travel, concerts, and rehearsals. But I still have free time, and for now I’m enjoying this circumstance.

Interviewed by Vitaly Filippov

What role does family play in the life of a musician? Russian violinist Sergei Dogadin is convinced that he owes much of his success to his parents - after all, he was born into a musical family. The father of the future musician, Professor Andrei Sergeevich Dogadin, teaches at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, and is also the concertmaster of the Philharmonic Orchestra; his mother also plays in this orchestra. And although the performing activities of Sergei’s parents are connected with string instruments (his mother is a violinist, his father is a violist), they initially wanted their son to be a pianist, and from the age of five the boy learned to play the piano, but at the same time he mastered the violin. He immediately felt the fundamental difference between the instruments - the violin required much more in-depth work on the sound, but in the end he felt that the violin was closer to him than the piano, and quite consciously decided to connect his life with this instrument.

It was not easy to study five to six hours a day at such a young age, but from the very beginning Sergei Dogadin had excellent mentors. His first violinist teacher was Lev Aleksandrovich Ivashchenko, and later he studied with Vladimir Yurievich Ovcharek. At the conservatory, the violinist’s father became the violinist’s mentor, and after graduation, the musician improved his art in graduate school abroad - first in Cologne with the famous Romanian violinist Michaela Martin, then in Graz with Boris Isaakovich Kushner. Here he learned that not only young violinists come to study with his mentor, but also famous musicians who have decades of performing experience behind them - after all, improvement should never stop.

The violinist's solo debut took place in 2002 at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, and since then Dogadin has performed more than once in the best concert halls in the world. He was applauded by Cologne, Berlin, Warsaw, Tokyo, Shanghai, Baden-Baden, Stockholm. By the age of twenty, he was already a laureate of many international competitions held in Italy, Germany, and Russia. The musician calls the Competition named after him the most significant for himself. P.I. Tchaikovsky with his rich history, in which he was happy to enter his name. However, as Sergei Andreevich believes, with all the colossal workload that accompanies competitive performances, the only meaning is the development of a performing career: it is impossible to make a career without competitions in the modern world, but still, first of all, the life of a musician should not be spent in competitive performances, and in concerts.

The highest award for a performer is not even prizes won at competitions, but the right to play instruments touched by the hands of great musicians. Sergei Andreevich received this honor twice - he played violins and Johann Strauss and forever remembered the unique sensations that come into contact with such instruments - after all, it seems that the souls of the geniuses of the past still live in them. Each violin has its own “character”: Paganini’s violin has a powerful and rich sound, in contrast, Strauss’s violin has a chamber sound and very refined (it is difficult to perform a concerto for violin and orchestra on such an instrument, but it is ideal for chamber music).

Sergei Dogadin's repertoire is varied. The musician has a special love for the works of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, in particular his violin concerto. At one of the competitions he received a special prize for the best performance of a work. Of course, his repertoire includes works by Niccolo Paganini, and the artist does not share the popular opinion that any violinist with good technique is capable of performing them: according to Sergei Dogadin, very few musicians. The artist is equally attracted to the work of composers of the classical and romantic eras, as well as modern times.

Sergei Andreevich does not agree with the statement that academic music in modern Russia is not prestigious - yes, such concerts do not attract twenty or thirty thousand listeners, but this should not be the case, because we are talking about elite art, the circle of true connoisseurs of which is relatively narrow. Dogadin himself is distinguished by the breadth and variety of musical tastes - he appreciates not only classical music, but also Boris Grebenshchikov, the Time Machine group, Adriano Celentano, as well as Demis Roussos.

He considers taking care of physical health an important aspect of a musician’s life, so he tries to regularly visit the gym.

Since 2017, Sergey Dogadin has been combining performing and teaching activities, being a visiting professor at the Liangzhu International Arts Academy in China.

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Sergey Dogadin born in 1988 in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory named after N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (class of professors Vladimir Ovcharek and Andrei Dogadin). Trained at the Yehudi Menuhin International Music Academy (IMMA) with Maxim Vengerov (2012). Subsequently, he studied in graduate school at the Hochschule für Musik Cologne (class of Professor Michaela Martin) and graduate school at the University of the Arts Graz (class of Professor Boris Kushnir, with whom he continued to improve at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts).

Sergey Dogadin born in 1988 in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). Graduated from the St. Petersburg State Conservatory named after N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov (class of professors Vladimir Ovcharek and Andrei Dogadin). Trained at the Yehudi Menuhin International Music Academy (IMMA) with Maxim Vengerov (2012). Subsequently, he studied in graduate school at the Hochschule für Musik Cologne (class of Professor Michaela Martin) and graduate school at the University of the Arts Graz (class of Professor Boris Kushnir, with whom he continued to improve at the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts).

Winner of the international violin competitions named after Andrea Postacchini in Fermo, Italy (2002), named after Niccolo Paganini in Moscow (2005), named after Yuri Yankelevich in Omsk (20130), named after Joseph Joachim in Hannover (2015), in Singapore (2018), Victor Tretyakov in Krasnoyarsk (2018), named after P. I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow (2019; in 2011, the violinist received 2nd prize at this prestigious competition). Winner of three special prizes (in particular, the Bavarian Radio Prize) of the ARD competition in Munich (2009), II prize of the I International Isaac Stern Competition in Shanghai (2016). Winner of the Yuri Temirkanov and Andrey Petrov awards, the youth award of the Governor of St. Petersburg, and the award of the President of Russia.

Performs in the largest halls in the world, including the Musikverein (Golden Hall) in Vienna, the halls of the Berlin, Cologne and Warsaw Philharmonics, the Hercules Hall and the Gasteig in Munich, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the National Auditorium in Madrid, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, etc. Collaborates with leading orchestras and outstanding conductors, including Yuri Temirkanov, Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Simonov, Thomas Sanderling, Alexander Dmitriev, Nikolai Alekseev, Vasily Petrenko, Vladislav and Alexander Chernushenko, Alexander Rudin, Alexander Sladkovsky, Dmitry Liss and others.

Participant of festivals in St. Petersburg (Stars of the White Nights, Arts Square, Violins of Paganini), Schleswig-Holstein, Colmar, Baden-Baden, Tivoli, Baltic Sea Festival, George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, Vladimir Spivakov invites..." in the regions of Russia, the International Festival of Mstislav Rostropovich, "In Memory of Oleg Kagan", Crescendo by Denis Matsuev, Vivarte by Boris Andrianov and other famous forums. In 2018, he took part in the European tour of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia conducted by Vladimir Spivakov.

Sergei Dogadin's performances were broadcast by major radio and television companies, such as Mezzo, Medici.tv, European Broadcasting Union (EBU), BR-Klassik and NDR Kultur (Germany), YLE Radio (Finland), NHK (Japan), BBC (UK) , Polish Radio, Estonian Radio and Latvian Radio. Since 2017 - visiting professor at the Liangzhu International Academy of Arts (China). He was honored to play the violins of Niccolo Paganini and Johann Strauss. Currently he plays a violin by the Italian master Domenico Montagnana (Venice, 1721), provided to him by private owners (Singapore).