MARGARITA :
I hope my letter finds you in good health! I am writing to you as a highly respected friend and like-minded person whose opinion is very important to me.
I am currently working on a book about the Russian saxophone school, in which a separate paragraph will be devoted to your person, which has influenced not only the world in general, but also the Russian saxophone in particular. And I really hope that you will share with me your opinion and your ratings, which I can refer to in the book. I have prepared a few questions for you, but I will be very happy if you go beyond them:
1. How do you see the future of academic saxophone on a global scale?
JD : I see a bright future ! The saxophone is an instrument that is loved by the general public. It is beautiful, it shines and the sound is very sensual. Paradoxically, people like the instrument without really knowing its repertoire. Its popularity is in good shape ! It's up to us saxophonists to highlight it. But really, I'm not worried, our instrument does not suffer from the dusty image that other classical instruments convey. The saxophone is a hybrid in nature, so it has all the tools to adapt to whatever changes our societies are going through and will experience.
MARGARITA :
What are the prospects for its development, and what are the obstacles and constraints, and how can they be overcome?
JD : I see a mix of cultures. The classical / jazz border is not as marked as it used to be. Classical musicians tend to free themselves and jazzmen have become scholars. Even quality popular music is gaining ground. I am talking about the strict circle of living music which falls within the domain of culture of course, not that which is purely commercial.The constraint is to continue to strive for excellence without shutting down. Work seriously on different styles without becoming "average in everything". I believe that writing and improvisation are the solutions that will guarantee the training of complete musicians in the best possible way tomorrow. Historically, the saxophone has a card to play since it is at the crossroads of many musical currents and does not suffer from a label, no matter what the saxophonists themselves think. I think that one suffers much more from a stylistic cage when one is a violinist or an accordionist. The saxophonist is still free, and above all he is still free to evolve as he wishes.
MARGARITA :
On the one hand, we see an explosion in the development of the world school and a huge public interest, and on the other – the instrument remains poorly integrated into the "big" music. How do you see the solution to this problem? And is it necessary to solve it, or should we limit the development of an academic school within itself, as it is happening today?
JD : What we call "big music" is early music. History has sorted it out and only the masterpieces remain. Scholarly music does not consist only of quality works! Far from it. The saxophone is gradually building up its repertoire, and it is the job of saxophonists to find the one who tomorrow will be recognized as the Mozart or Bach of the 21st century. We can only order (or even write, like Chopin, Paganini, Liszt, Hindemith…) in the hope of creating a brilliant work by an inspired composer. The story anyway, will clean up, keeping the major scores and forgetting the mediocre works. So goes the history of art ...
MARGARITA :
2. In Russia we see the social difficulties associated with the shortage of jobs. Are you familiar with this problem in Europe? And if so, what should be done about it?
JD : The situations are very heterogeneous. I can only speak for France because Spain, Italy, Germany and others each have their own reality. Here, the majority of classical saxophonists continue to have to teach by necessity (and by vocation too, fortunately!). There is still work for everyone but, as with other professions, there are fewer and fewer careers that are stabilized for 40 years. Jobs are spread over several schools and it is not easy for young people to quickly find permanent employment. But overall, they are getting there. Rather, the good news comes from the other side. For the few who have the talent, the energy and the will, it becomes possible to make a living from your art, that is to say only performing on the stage, without also being a teacher. This is totally new, even if it concerns very few people, it is a strong trend. There are fewer and fewer teachers who don't give concerts, the vast majority are now artists / teachers, and that's a very good thing, musically, pedagogically ... and financially !
MARGARITA :
3. You are a bright representative of the French school and at the same time your identity and philosophical depth differ from it. This philosophical approach makes you close to the Russian cultural tradition as a whole. In support of my words, I will give you my assessment of the Concert "Shams" created and performed by you (published on YouTube in 2015):
"Deep, meaningful music, presented vividly, performed selflessly, with the presentation of tragic meaning. At the same time, it is served in popular Eastern intonations. Attracts the listener's attention. We are struck by the expressiveness of the SAXOPHONE as a grandiose transporter of the global problem of Being. BRAVO!!!»
What cultural traditions are close to you personally?
JD : I am French. Deeply. I love and know my country very well, its mountains, its villages, its coasts, its music, its gastronomy, its traditions, its spirit. But France geographically has 6 or 7 land borders, plus overseas and successive waves of immigration! Just look at our national football team to figure it out! :-)Russian culture touches me because I have been rocked by Oistrakh's violin, Rostropovich's cello and Richter's piano. Their strength fascinates me, I dream of carrying it within me. But I feel just as deeply a connection to the finesse of Japanese culture, or the twists and turns of the arts of Islam.More directly than culture itself, it is the men and women who make it to whom I feel close. I wish I had the intelligence to be a true citizen of the world.The cultures that I know very little are the Americas.
MARGARITA :
Do you think that in perspective of globalization the world saxophone school is waiting for unified standards, or should each national school be afraid of unification and hold on to its national roots?
JD : It is essential today that schools mark their national specificities with a hot iron. The French school was the historical, geographical basis, good for us. That time is over. The strangers took what there was to take and that's great too. You have to know other schools to live in peace of course, but you also have to cultivate differences (with love!) To maintain the plurality of styles, tastes and repertoires. Know others to respect them, know yourself to be creative. Artistic inspiration cannot come from unification. To create is to shout out who you are and where you come from !
MARGARITA :
4. What is the significance of the Russian saxophone school in the world context?
JD : The Russian saxophone school is closely linked to its performers on the one hand, and to its audience on the other.The performers are mostly soloists, relatively few chamber players. Your national identity is very much focused on the myth of the superman. Suddenly, technical prowess and the desire to shine, to be brilliant dominates. In the worst case, it can have a circus side that I don't like ;-). At the best of times, there is a depth, a force, a grandeur that really dazzles me.The Russian public is an open public. IAt least in the heart. People don't expect anything special, if they feel emotions, you get accepted. In this sense, it is a truly cultured audience, feeling takes precedence over intellect. This is essential for me, and it is what creates in you a form of honesty which is very beautiful because it does not cheat ... but which can also be very harsh because it does not spare egos ...
MARGARITA :
Did its birth give an impetus to the development of the world school as a whole?
JD : Yes ! Without a doubt. The Russian school brought the working power of your classical arts (music, ballets ...). The idea that with a tremendous amount of work, nothing is impossible. We French brought our elegance and a form of rigor. You, brought it to the scale of your country, great!
MARGARITA :
How do you see its characteristics?
JD : Its characteristics are still marked by the individuals who wear it. You Margarita, but now also Sergeï, Nikita, Vitaly, Asya, Valentin etc.The essential step which must mark your future will be the collaboration with the composers. You absolutely have to find your new Shostakovich, your new Prokoviev. A school of performer cannot exist without a school of composers. The French school shone around the world because 90% of the repertoire was French. You have to learn from this. An interpreter without a composition to perform does not exist!
MARGARITA :
5. We have repeatedly met with you at various competitions and master-classes in Russia and Europe, where my students also participated. You may also be familiar with my work as a performer. I will be very grateful if you consider it possible to share your impressions.
JD : There are a lot of very good classical saxophonists. There are very few that combine the qualities unanimously in my heart: a sound that charms the ear at first contact, a sensitivity of extreme refinement, a vibrato that gives chills, a devilish technique, an intonation perfect, a phrasing that sings. I could almost say that only 5 names come to mind: Mule, Sugawa, Deffayet, Bornkamp ... Shaposhnikova. I don't think I am giving you more honest and deeper compliments.As a teacher your energy is enormous. For me you are one of the bosses. It’s not the same generation of course, you are still very young 😘, but I see you as the Russian Marcel Mule. Nothing less than that.You know that I love you very much.
Big hugs from Lyon !!!
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