RU  UK  EN
Статьи  >  Enjoy  >  Violinist for a Trumpeter: interview with member of Gogol Bordello Sergey Ryabtsev and composer Alexandr Ratmansky

Violinist for a Trumpeter: interview with member of Gogol Bordello Sergey Ryabtsev and composer Alexandr Ratmansky

Автор: 29.05.2014 | music, cinema, interview, personalities
Slightly over a month ago the first musical film for kids in the years of independence premiered in Ukraine, it is called “Trumpeter”, directed by Anatoliy Mateshko.

The movie tells a story of a 13-year-old trumpeter Kolya Sokolov, a virtuoso of the instrument who composes music himself, and his friend Lisa. Kids are getting ready for an important performance but a chain of unfortunate events takes place for them to face a complicated task: no to lose both their dream and their way. The complete movie was filmed in Ukraine with all the parts performed by our fellow countrymen. Even music creation was worked at from over the ocean by renowned Ukrainians – a violinist of the famous band Gogol Bordello Sergey Ryabtsev together with composer and arranger Alexandr Ratmansky

Alexandr Ratmansky, Sergey Ryabtsev

OUTLOOK had a chat with the musicians and a glimpse within the veils of cinema production out of the corner of its eye.


Sergey, how did you manage to combine work over the film and tour life with Gogol Bordello?

S.R.  In fact, despite obvious genre difference, there was no conflict in it. My tours with Gogol Bordello and work over the film demanded one same thing – higher rotation rate of internal engine. An amazing feeling. I am accustomed to it, always ready for one, sort of. Despite tire. This year was the year of search and some creative discoveries. In the band everyone understood me and was supportive in all possible ways, so I’m really grateful for that.

Tell us about your cooperation with Ukrainian movie producers, why was it you that they turned to?

A.R. It is worth mentioning that it was very pleasant working with Ukrainian colleagues – director and actors were just great. High level of performance – I liked it from the very first frame. Sure enough, I’d have to palter with truth saying that everything in our relations with Ukrainian producers went perfectly smooth. In America we work in a different way, after all; there are distinctive features of music industry. And they mean that whatever is done – it is done fast and is output-aimed. And everyone in the field understands that working in studio is first of all about planned production and only then about creativity so if there is a project’s due date set, “lack of inspiration” is no excuse. With Serezha it was easy and simple – we understand each other excellently so even if we failed to get to the right track at once, we still managed to find a way to achieve necessary results.

S.R. There were a couple of circumstances determining cooperation with us of everybody else: first – time constraints, second – price. There is no secret that in America solving certain financial issues, including ones connected to music industry, is much easier. I’ve lived in New York for 20 years and in this period almost all our celebrities were recorded and re-recorded there. Why? It isn’t about prestige or finance alone. Reliability, quality and last but not least – speed. When I came to Kiev, there were 3 month left before the shooting of the movie. Musicians I was introduced to were really good at what they did. We worked passionately, with pleasure, sometimes spending entire days in studio. Time went on but, with all the enthusiasm, in some mystic way we were making no progress. We had a radical decision to make. I made a call to friends of mine in New York from AB studio offering them to participate in the project. They agreed and, by the way, against the amount three times smaller than we were charged by one of Kiev companies. Not only did I well know people I had to work with close and fast over the ocean, I also realized specifics of working there. Immigration teaches you a lot of things – primarily, discipline. 

Sergey, this was your first experience of working in movies as a composer. What difficulties did you face?

S.R. The biggest difficulty was exactly that it was the first one. This means that I had to get the whole creative and production process going. Imagine a mechanism of splendid and sophisticated jewelry clock where every gear-wheel is in its special place without spoiling general glib and lightsome impression. What if instead of a graceful tiny cuckoo a furry monster will be springing out of the clock house, articulating all kinds of nonsense – not a simple and dear “cuckooing”? This is what was the hardest when creating music: to succeed in precision, lightness, compactness and “childishness”. And, sure enough, in addition to that – a bit of healthy and perfectly natural magic. 

Was it hard working with children?

S.R. On the contrary, I‘ve had an experience of working with kids and it has always been a pleasure for me. When studying at conservatoire I was teaching at a music school at the same time and when I became a director in a theatre, I was delivering the whole course of lectures at musical college. But with this project I have very special relations. It was the first time I felt he immense impact on life that is coming from kids of all others. I realized their power, their abilities. In fact, they became my main discovery and a source of true inspiration! There is no room for doubt that this experience was unique and priceless in both human and professional terms. 

Have your colleagues from Gogol Bordello already watched the movie? What are their impressions?

S.R. Concerning music, I was acting in quite a crafty way: I was presenting them materials even in an unshaped version on the stage of elaboration and according to their reaction and interest was figuring out where to move further. So they were among the first introduced to the music. But the movie itself turned out more than a shock for them: no one expected such a bright and stylishly executed footage as well as such a professional “picture”. They haven’t watched the whole “Trumpeter” yet for I’d rather show it to them with English subtitles but those fragments I demonstrated in the process of work were received with flying colors and discussed stormily. And it was a real pleasure for me.

Вам это будет интересно:
Yodel - Music of the Austrian mountains
Austrian tour operators launched an unusual touristic tourdesigned for fans of singing style called yodel. Hikers wander through the Ziller Valley, a broad trail narrows opening the way for only the most avid travellers, then track leads upwards. Tourists look into the interactive station shaped as a giantsonorous walk-in cowbell, then they go around thelargest alpine horn and head to place...
A jewelry approach to perfection
Behind the window sad eyes of old man peered at Petrograd engulfed by revolutionary fire. This fire spread on his life's work: a proud four-story building was invaded by noisy commissioners and sailors, whose presence seemed a cruel joke after regular customers. Workshop owner Carl Gustavovich Fabergé, apparently, noticed in this chaos approaching decay of his career. However, he could have a secret gleam of hope for another life of his heritage.
Art of Patrick Cabral: paper as a symbol of fragility of our world
Independent artist originally from the Philippines, Patrick Cabral conquers the world with his unusual artwork. His creations are an innovation that combines the age-old traditions of calligraphy and cutting-edge 3D technologies. His art is a way to change the world for the better, both through aesthetics and through the fulfillment of a social mission.
Fado: Gentleness and deftness of Portuguese romances
Twelve-string guitar, the twilight of Portuguese nights, candles, and soul-gripping voice… Dramatic incentives of fado song tell about unrequited love. It cannot appear in the crossroads of destinies; however, it enables feelings to embody into the touching sounds of Portuguese romances.
Not only a tower is a symbol. The best works of Gustav Eiffel
The word is, Guy de Maupassant hated Eiffel Tower. The famous writer believed that it was uglifying the face of Paris without benefiting the city. Nevertheless, he could be often seen in a cozy cafe on the top of the construction. In such cases the author of “Bel Ami” used to say that “it was the only way the damned tower dropped out of his sight…”
Duduk: music evocating love
This music is one and a half thousand years. Gentle and penetrating melodies played on the flute duduk have been called ‘the voice of eternity’. In Armenia where people esteem national motives believe that in duduk there is a soul of apricot tree what made tree sound. Staying plangent and soul-touching, they are framed with the sound evocating light wistfulness.
The magnificent world of land-art: Patrick Dougherty
Land-art is not simply the landscape design but also the whole direction in art which in thee 21-st century considered one of the most important when only lazy people do not speak about the ‘green technologies’ and environment. The names of stars of such an activity have sturdily come into the speech of the tutors, critics, and connoisseurs, especially they outline Patrick Dougherti.
I came, I saw, I built. Masterpieces of Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini
Sometimes it happens that you look at a postcard with a picture of a city and instantly realize that this is Kyiv, or Moscow, or Rome or your native village. And it isn’t courtesy of your geography teacher but back-breaking efforts of artisans with whose hands commonly familiar architecture masterpieces were created. Today we recall Italian conqueror of marble Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Flowers in Ukrainian Style. Kateryna Bilokur
Today marks 120 years since the birth of the famous Ukrainian artist - Kateryna Bilokur. Her talent has been recognized in her lifetime, her work has been admired by Pablo Picasso, and nowadays her paintings are exhibited in museums, and Google dedicates its doodle to her. And it all started in totalitarian times...
Yummy fingers: What awaits you behind scenes of the world best kitchens
Can you remember the most unusual dish that you had ever a chance to try? You decide what kind of food it was: something exotic; those insects that we can hardly imagine as an ingredient; strange drink with a bitter taste; an unexpected combination of bitter and sour... Everyone has his or her own unforgettable experience in this regard.
Cinema in Nigerian style
For most people Nigeria is known as a country with huge oil reserves and permanent economic and political problems. At the same time, few people outside Africa know about the powerful film industry of this country, the scale and pace of which are nothing short of incredible. We have engrossed in this subject and tried to understand what a Nollywood is.
Pablo Picasso: Poet for his era
About Picasso as a distinctive artist, graphic artist and sculptor, we know to some extent everything. Meanwhile, his other incarnations are pushed into the background. Ilya Ehrenburgh once very concisely described Pablo Picasso’s relations with his era: “20th century found in him its own dynamite expert, its own philosopher and its own poet”.
To the cinema for a city cour
Travelling around the globe lure increasingly every other year and it is so upsetting when all kinds of obstacles arise on the way of undertaking trips. OUTLOOK offers you not to get desperate if you can’t set on a journey. Today we suggest you get inspired with movies in which one city or another “plays” equal part to actors’ ones. We’ll tell you about five films that, alongside having artistic merits, educate as good as habitual tour guides do.
Know Ukrainians: Eugène Deslaw
In our “Know us” column, we usually talk about outstanding Ukrainians who have achieved significant success in one area or another. However, our today's hero - Eugène Deslaw or Yevgeny Slabchenko is very difficult to fit into some kind of framework. As he reached heights in several areas at once, being not only the most real Renaissance Man of the 20th century, but also a patriot of his Ukraine.
The Ambassador Elena Leticia Teresa Mikusinski held a diplomatic reception, the world-famous Argentine singer Gerónimo Rauch became an honored guest
The Column Hall of the Kyiv City State Administration on June 11 welcomed guests of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine on the occasion of a national day. The Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, representatives of the government and its agencies, partners of the embassy, the business community and the media lined up to congratulate the head of a foreign diplomatic institution and express their greetingss to friendly Argentina.
Know Ukrainians: Anatoliy Kokush
Cinematography is probably the most "technological" art form that mankind has ever come up with – no matter how much talent, imagination and energy creators of a movie have, almost every stage of creation process one way or another comes to technologies; and without them ideas will remain just ideas.
Know Ukrainians: Serge Lifar
In the childhood a famous Frenchman from Ukraine was a blue-eyed dreamer. Once all his dreams came true. Whatever he wanted, everything was easy, as if luck was following him. HBe was singing in the choir, he made his best at artistic talent - and, finally, he succeeded in ballet.
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Peter Høeg: "There was no bottom, only eternal falling"
Peter Høeg is Danish writer and philosopher. Sometimes he is called as anchoret because he comes to society events quite rarely, only to represent his new books. The indoor life led to numerous legends that penetrate the image of Peter Høeg on his motherland. In this interview Peter Høeg told OUTLOOK how new novels are created, what hides behind the evident asceticism, and shared his view of life and person.
Packed and Ready: Oleg Borschevskiy
Oleg Borschevskiy is a famous film director, screenwriter and music video director. Among his works, there are music videos for such stars as Potap and Nastia, music bands NeAngely, Boombox, NIKITA, singers Maria Burmaka, Tonia Matvienko and many others. In a nice conversation, he recalled the most interesting places on the world map, which he visited and shared his personal disappointments.
Know Ukrainians: DakhaBraha
Their song, Sho Z-Pod Duba, is featured in the Fargo series and the commercial with David Beckham, Thai schoolgirls teach Koliskov in a music lesson, and their concerts are eagerly awaited around the world. Continuing a series of inspirational stories about talented Ukrainians in the “Know Ours” column, Outlook tells about the most original, controversial and popular Ukrainian team “DakhaBrakha” abroad.
Закрыть
Outlook facebook page