She did not like the organist who seems to be a serious lady, strict.And most certainly should play a serious, sometimes boring music, immersing room in a state of mild drowsiness.
Ekaterina Melnikova not so.Elegant, slim (even wonder how it is managed with such a massive tool "growth" in the number of floors), leaving the control body to perform a dance or sing in the style of French chanson in shocking - of course, to the stereotypical image of the organist - stage clothes,which intertwine the boldest ideas of domestic (and not only) designers.
- Three years ago it was difficult to find a designer, a fashion designer, who would agree to work with me - laughing Ekaterina Melnikova.- Hearing the word "organist" immediately dismissed: we do not sew clothes "on the floor" Glitter.I thought, really, among the artists of the academic field did not meet the bright clothes, modern extravagant scenic image.
the past three years she "walked" in all existing bodies stereotypes, speaking on the major organ sites in Moscow and regions.Those who are used to seeing in it an impregnable royal robe, surprised, hearing the music or movie music the streets of Rome, the synthesized melodies of the famous Ennio Morricone, Adriano Celentano and even Elvis Presley.
Yes, and own compositions Ekaterina Melnikova, which are woven into the fabric of performances, contemporary sound, it is unusual for organ music.And for some body - the Church hermit - faced with an incredible combination of live sound body and the hard rock band, DJ-s, shocked blowing from the scene on a motorcycle organist and musicians, lying in the sun loungers by the beach.
When asked why it is necessary, Catherine recalls his first performance in Westminster Abbey in London, where, making the concert program, faced with a choice: to go to the line with a win-win Organ Classical (classical Bach, Franck and other familiar names), or surprise the audienceRoyal Cathedral of anything unusual, such as arrangements of Russian music.
chose the latter, and soon received an engagement at the second concert in the celebrity series - a limited series of concerts the world's best organists.- Russian school prepares performers and artists who convey to the public their emotions and feelings through suffering, tragedy.I like a man who naturally likes to enjoy life, it's always seemed a little strange.In England, my teacher was world famous organist Gillian Weir, who held the view that the organist should be first and foremost an artist on the stage, not the grim subjects of connecting with the audience in the hall of the universal fear of divine punishment for sins, and play the organ as it may seemparadoxical, to bring joy and good humor, as well as the executor, and to all who listen.
And this is the vector, which I tried all my life, but the years of training in Moscow and London outplayed the entire classical organ repertoire.Ekaterina Melnikova quite freely may indicate posters "Body, Russia - United Kingdom": more than ten years married to an Englishman, leisure tours and training programs show time visiting Albion often than their Moscow apartment, and from artists and musicians,if they are needed in the conventional sense of "domicile" can not be.
- The thought that I will stay constantly live in England, I get bored.When I was in London after a long time was in Ripon - a cozy town in North Yorkshire, and worked in the Cathedral of the XII century, sculptures which are the source of inspiration for Lewis Carroll, that she was beginning to think that I fall into the well in some of its mirror.
In general, if you live in England, the professional activities of an organist somehow be linked to the life of the Church: it is necessary to have a good position in some of the cathedrals, and even though no one will prevent international touring, my experience shows thatwork in the church requires too great return.
Will accident or a planned harvesting fate that she weaves a slave patterns of life, but to graduate prestigious London Royal Academy of Music Ekaterina Melnikova did not seek, and she was invited to study, without entrance examinations and grant just heard one of herperformances of English music.In the Western world, the trend to promote brain drain, and natural talents.
Catherine did not disappoint: graduated with the highest scores and permanently stayed in Europe.- I always thought it strange that a body which is in its essence - the first in the history of mankind synthesizer, because it consists of mixing sound tones, imitating the sounds of instruments from different eras, now, when there are no restrictions in the art, there is no framework and everything is openfor free experimentation, still trapped in the invented for him a decade ago the frame.But in principle, I do not invent anything fundamentally new, because in the past century Town Hall England organists did, in fact, the whole presentation, replacing his entire instrument orchestras, performing popular and famous music.
I just put the body into a modern format "wiped" from his age-old dust and is connected to the modern stage technologies - light installations, synthesized sounds and theatrical set design.Organ and fashion, body and element of water, the streets of Rome and love in Paris - surreal space where Ekaterina Melnikova moves the tool in their shows and performances, surprisingly unopposed public.Nezyblimy stereotype, in fact, is not as strong as it seems.
concerts are sold out, the audience in raptures.Dissatisfied only the most conservative "academics", but some domestic counterparts, appropriated Catherine, as they think, contemptuous label - "show organist."
- This professional assessment makes me happy: I really managed to turn the body into a central tool show.Nobody in the world no longer appears in this format, many of my colleagues from England, even a little jealous that I can do such a show at the major venues of the country.And this is doubly surprising: after all free, no framework is not limited relationship to the instrument I saw it absorbed during the years of my studies in London.
