Frederic Belinsky French guitar virtuoso, great-great-grandson of Vissarion Belinsky Country: France

French guitarist virtuoso, great-grandson of Vissarion Belinsky

Frederic Belinsky, a French guitarist virtuoso and great-grandson of Vissarion Belinsky, presented his album "Russia! With Love!" at the Yauza Palace in Moscow. Behind the pompous name lie sweet and familiar melodies to every Russian, from "I Walk Around Moscow" by Andrei Petrov and "Lullaby of the She-Bear" by Evgeny Krylatov from the cartoon "Umka" to "Lonely Harmonica" by Boris Mokrousov and the Gypsy romance "Two Guitars." This patriotic step by Frederic was inspired by the decree of Dmitry Medvedev. For his special contributions to the field of culture, the President of Russia bestowed upon Vissarion Belinsky's great-grandson the title of citizen of the Russian Federation. How did the idea of becoming a Russian citizen come about? - It did not come right away. At first, I came to Russia to perform concerts. I began to appreciate and love this wonderful country more, to think more about my roots, my family, my grandfather - pianist Valentin Belinsky, a student of Sergei Rachmaninoff and a friend of Vladimir Horowitz. I am proud to have become a Russian.

Have you already encountered Russian bureaucracy? -Yes and no. I was fortunate to meet people who warmly embraced my dream. Mikhail Shvydkoi welcomed my wife, who is also the director, Nastya Gai, and then by fate, he attended one of my concerts and said he would help. At first, I didn't quite believe it, but a couple of months later, I received a call from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, saying that, upon the personal request of Shvydkoi and Minister of Culture Avdeev, a request for Russian citizenship had been sent to the President, citing my special contributions to Russia. And then the bureaucracy began. No one knew where I could obtain a passport, and I was literally passed around from one department to another until I requested a meeting with the head of the migration service.

Most of the compositions on the album "Russia! With Love!" are familiar to Russian people from childhood. Who helped you choose the repertoire? -These are my favorite compositions, and I chose them myself. There were more than a hundred, and of course, I couldn't include them all on one disc.

Were there any problems with the rights holders? -All the issues were resolved quickly. It was very pleasant for me to receive moral support from the remarkable composers - Evgeny Krylatov and Sergey Nikitin, the wife and daughter of Andrei Petrov, and the heirs of Boris Mokrousov.

Why did you choose the piece "Romance-Prayer" by Denis Bria from the works of contemporary Russian composers? -Denis is a close friend of mine, and we released a joint album called "White Diamond." His musical ideas inspire me. I tried to feel Russian music.

When and how did you first come to Russia? -In 2005, I was invited to participate in a concert dedicated to the memory of Django Reinhardt (the great guitarist, founder of the jazz manouche style - "Izvestia"). Nastya gave my disc to saxophonist Alexei Kozlov, and from there, everything started. We traveled half of Russia with pianist Daniel Kramer, and I have already had many solo concerts. Samara, Cherepovets, Vologda, St. Petersburg... I enjoy living in Moscow, although I don't really like winters, especially the mud and the vast distances. But I love the people, their sincerity, spontaneity, and openness.

Are you familiar with Russian literature of the 19th century? Do you agree with your great-grandfather in your assessments? -Of course, I am familiar. I really love Dostoevsky. I appreciate many aspects of Vissarion Belinsky's views, but I consider them somewhat anarchic, as he wanted to achieve class equality.

Can music express political views, as it once did with jazz? -Today, ethnic music is popular, and for me, it expresses more religious views rather than political ones. I believe that music should not be linked to politics.