<<  -- 2 --  Howard Smith    A CHANGING LANDSCAPE

'I knew Kitayenko already of course', says Bushkov. 'My mother, the violinist Zarius Shickmurzaeva, had performed as a soloist with him, in the USSR and abroad.'

'I felt this was the right man to study with. Already, whilst appearing as a soloist, I had received several offers to conduct chamber ensembles, amongst which was the orchestra of the Festival de Musique de Luxeuil.

'But at first it wasn't so easy to get the attention of Kitayenko. At that time he was conductor of the Bern Symphony Orchestra and I would visit him there and have private consultations with him.'

In 1999 Bushkov made his highly-praised conducting début in Mozart's 41st Symphony -- 'The Jupiter' -- as guest of the orchestra : Festival de Musique de Luxeuil, France.

'I decided that learning how to conduct was not simply about having lessons', Bushkov says, 'but also meant collecting experiences and watching other conductors' rehearsals. Kitayenko advised me.'

'The way you conduct depends on your physical and musical qualities.' It's a school of thought in which you express yourself through limited physical movements.

'Conducting technique is made up of a certain system of directive movements to which musicians have become accustomed but it should not be over strict and it should depend on each individual conductor. Kitayenko believes one should be very self-critical. He advocates recording all rehearsals and concerts so that one can analyze them afterwards.'

Continue >>