Text by Galina Shishkina.

Three events ,influencing music life of Russia, occurred during the last months at the big hall of Philharmonic Society in Rostov-on-Don. First - the arrival in our country of the legend of world jazz Art Van Damme.

For the whole time of his remarkable creative career, this was the first visit of the master to Russia, and therefore, it became in truth, sensational for all jazz fans. Art Van Damme gave only two concerts: in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don.

The performance in Moscow was organized by one of the greatest Russian musicians, Professor of The Gnessins' Russian Academy of Music, Friedrich Lips, and took place on December 17, 2005 as part of the festival "Bayan and Bayan Players".

Art Van Damme holding flowers in the middle of the picture. His welcome at the Airport to Rostov-on-Don.

The performance in the city of Rostov-on-Don, that occurred two days later, was organized by the laureate of International Competitions Alexander Poeluev. The concert in Rostov-on-Don has collected a record number of listeners for the last years. The applause was so tremendous that it surely made the designers of philharmonic hall, to think about strengthening of the building! Only one performance, but what!!!


Art Van Damme in concert in Rostov-on-Don

The first several minutes of sincere delight of Rostov residents, when Art Van Damme appeared on the stage, said about the approach towards the great musician more than all words later. Not a single person in the hall was left without tears, smiles, great joy in their hearts. Art Van Damme played gorgeously! After the concert he highly valued the splendid playing of the quartet under the leadership of Aram Rustamiants with whom he performed the concert. Picture above.

Art Van Damme performed the best of his music. He spent more than one hour on the stage, and for more than one hour, the people could have been assured that until the present time, Art Van Damme is the best, the only and the greatest….


Art Van Damme walking with Alexander Poeluev and Irene Pilipenko in Rostov-on-Don.

The last melodies, words, steps on the pavement, where Art Van Damme was walking, ceased resounding, his incredibly light and joyful "OK!", lifted up hand and smile fixed on the photo, applause sounded in his honour even in Rostov International Airport, but like nothing vanishing in the universe, his playing remains a hope for the new meeting in the very depth of the heart…

Then the symphony No. 2 "Autumn Nocturne" with its greatness, rich palette of mood and long musical lines sounded, it was performed by Rostov Academic Symphonic Orchestra under the leadership of Peter Gribanov.

Sonata No. 6 for bayan and the Concerto for bayan, stringed, keyboard and percussion instruments (solo player - Yuri Shishkin) - one of the highest creative activities for bayanist Kusiakov - became a culmination of the whole concert. The evening ended with "Festive Overture" of the master in the honour of his 60-years jubilee.

Viatcheslav Semionov 60 Year Jubilee

Only 5 days later - on April 13 - in the same hall was a triumphant concert by one of the greatest bayan players of all time, the Professor of the Gnessins' Academy of Music in Moscow, Viatcheslav Semionov, who celebrates his 60 Year Jubilee in 2006.

This event had been anticipated with great impatience and the hall of Rostov Philharmonic Society was overcrowded. The name of Viatcheslav Semionov is so closely linked with Rostov-on-Don, that one cannot simply imagine musical culture of the Don without it! For almost 20 years, Semionov administered the chair in Rostov Conservatory, having composed here, some of the most famous accordion compositions in the whole world: "Kalina Krasnaya", "Bulgarian Suite", "Sonata No. 1", as well as having brought-up a whole galaxy of prominent pupils.

And here on the stage - were many stars of the musical world. Musicians whose names are added with gold letters into the world history of accordion: Yuri Shishkin, Anatoliy Zaikin, Gennadiy Galitskiy, Mikhail Zatcepin, Alexander Poeluev, Alexander Selivanov, Danil Stadnyuk and the master, Viatcheslav Semionov himself.


Left front is Semionov and next to him is Poeluev with an array of famous artists listed below.

And here on the stage - were many stars of musical world, musicians, whose names are added with gold letters to the world history of accordion: Yuri Shishkin, Anatoliy Zaikin, Gennadiy Galitskiy, Mikhail Zatcepin, Alexander Poeluev, Alexander Selivanov, Danil Stadnyuk and the master, Viatcheslav Semionov himself. The wonderful evening featuring only the compositions of Semionov sounded forth and Rostov listeners expressed their love and affection with never-ending applause and greetings.

The celebrator Semionov, who played the Concert for Bayan and Stringed Orchestra titled "Freski", opened the celebrity starred concert. Then a true musical feast began - his pupils came out to the stage! Each played not only a solo, but the piece with orchestra exploding the hall with the fireworks of emotions, and then all eight performed twice on encore the well-known "Don-Rhapsody Final" with the orchestra of folk instruments under the leadership of Krikor Khurdayan. A wonderful evening.

For the whole year a series of jubilee concerts of Viatcheslav Semionov is being planed in big cities of Russia.

Festival "Umetnika Harmonike"

The famous festival "UMETNIKA HARMONIKE" was held successfully this summer in the city of Kraguejevac (Serbia). Annually, from July 4 to 14, the leading performers, bayan and accordion players from various countries of the world, are gathering there in order to demonstrate their art.

Ten days of triumphal concerts! For ten days the hall of city public school-the oldest educational institution of Serbia and one the best halls of the country, compared as per acoustics only to Choir named after Glinka in St.Petersburg - is turning into an 'arts Mecca'!

This year they invited the winners of international contests of 2005- 2006: Maria Vlasova, Sergei Osokin, Victor Semenkin, Evgeny Kochetov, Vladimir Chernykh, Alexander Poeluev; and also world-known performers; Mika Väyrynen and Yuri Shishkin.

The programs of laureates consisted mainly from compositions of their contests Performances: Maria Vlasova (class of Prof. Friedrich Lips, the first Prize of the 2006 Klingental International Accordion Competition) presented its program by one composition "The seasons of the year" by Tchaikovsky. It was the premiere performance of her own arrangement.

The program of Sergei Osokin (class of Prof. Friedrich Lips, first prize of "Trophée Mondial", 2005 - the shortest one at the festival (45 min.) as per its style, appeared to be the one of the most diverse: baroque, modern music, pieces of Frank Marocco and his own jazz arrangements. Viktor Semenkin (class of Prof. Alexander Dmitriev, the first prizes of contests in Moscow, Tian-Jin, Castelfidardo and Lanciano, 2005) successfully performed the master Program of pieces of Pushkarenko, Semionnov, Na-Yun-Kin and others.

While listening to Evgeny Kotchetov (class of Prof. Viatcheslav Semionov, the first prize winner of contest in Kiev, 2006) it was hard to imagine, that it was the sound of piano-accordion. His "AKKO" at present, is probably, the best instrument of the factory and possibly the best in the world.

Vladimir Chernykh (class of Prof. , first prize Arrasate, 2005) performed only modern music of compositions of Kusiakov, Semionov, Zolotariev and Shchedrin.

Alexander Poeluev (class of Prof. Viatcheslav Semionov, the first prize of contest in Shanghai, 2006) was the last to perform the festival concerts. Half of his program consisted of transcriptions (Bach, Scarlatti, Grieg, Tchaikowsky), and the other half of modern music (Kusiakov, Semionov). Poeluev completed his performance by playing in duet with Yuri Shishkin, the finale of "Don Rhapsody" composed by Semionov.

The biggest interest of public, as it was expected, was driven by arrival at the festival of Mika Väyrynen and Yuri Shishkin. The concerts of those musicians attracted the audience not only from other cities, but also from other countries!

Mika Väyrynen is undoubtedly the top western bayan-player and he had a program, very unusual, placing at the beginning and at the end, the organ music of Bach (Prelude and Fugue for Organ D-dur) and Dupre (Theme and Variations).

He performed with wonderful brilliancy and depth the sonatas of Scarlatti, music of Takahashi, Gubaidulina, Moshkowsky ("Etincelles"). Only the impression of Chaconne by Bach-Busoni-Väyrynen, where the performer added his own harmonies into the original text of Bach was controversial.

The performance of Yuri Shishkin became the brighest event of the festival. He performed "Pictures of exhibition" by Mussorgsky, compositions of Thaikovsky, Rakhmaninov, Schubert-Liszt, Bizet-Horowitz, and also the Serbian premiere Of the Sonata No. 6 by Kusiakov.

Besides concerts, within the framework of festival, were the master-classes, which were attended by students from Serbia, France, Italy and Holland.

15th International Summer Creative School - Pula Croatia

Pula is an Italian city, which is more than 2,000 years old. Is it located on the Adriatic seashore and it is one of the most beautiful places of the modern Croatia. This summer from July 7 to July 17 the 15th International Summer creative school of accordion took place.

Every year the leading teachers, performers from different countries of the world are invited to this musical center of Croatia and young musicians also arrive here. This year the world-known teachers such as Viatcheslav Semionov (Russia), Elisabeth Moser (Germany) and Alma Flammersberger (Germany) gave master-classes. The students, who have come to the master-classes, could be apprenticed to any of them.

The most part of my time I have spent at the lessons of my teacher Viatcheslav Semionov. It was so interesting to observe how he gave master-classes in instrument's repairing, besides his wonderful lessons on performing. It should be mentioned, that he used to do it with virtuosity and demonstrated not only the knowledge of the instrument and amazingly exact diagnostics, but also all types of repair.

In the framework of the summer creative school, three concerts took place. An old Italian temple of 1227 with gorgeous acoustics and with stone vaults of twenty meters high was used as an audience hall. The concert of Alexander Poeluev, the international competitions winner, was the first to perform. In his concert's program there was music of …Bach, Grieg, Tchaikowsky, Semionov, Kusiakov.

Next was the composer Viatcheslav Semionov, the Professor of the Russian Academy of Music named after Gnessins in Moscow. Everybody was waiting for his concert with great enthusiasm. Semionov performed music by Scarlatti, Frank and also his personal compositions.

The orchestra of bayan & accordion players under conducting of the artistic leader of this creative school Damir Bughleta performed at the end.