Вера Дулова. Воспоминания. Статьи. Документы

С уходом Веры Дуловой арфовый мир потерял уникальную личность, которая понимала и демонстрировала важность мирового сообщества арфистов. С разрешения своего правительства она в течение многих лет охотно, доброжелательно и бескорыстно отвечала на все просьбы присутствовать и работать на арфовых мероприятиях. Для себя персонально я наслаждалась сердечной дружбой, установившейся между нами, хотя у нас не было общего языка для общения. Но очень важно, что наши взгляды совпадали. Она была уникальным человеком, которого будет очень не хватать.]

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Olga Ortenburgwas a student of Vera Dulova at the Moscow Conservatory from 1968 to 1974, and the First Prize Winner of the 1974 International Harp Competition in Geneva, Switzerland. Olga was formerly a co-principal harpist of the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and currently the Principal Harpist of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. She lives in Berkeley, California with her husband, Sergei Rakitcherkov, and their daughter, Liza.

Vera Dulova — Vera Georgievna as everyone called her in Russia — died a few days into the year 2000 after having lived for 90 years. Her prolific pedagogic and artistic talents were largely responsible for creating the history of and progressive development of the Russian harp in the 20th century. For all these years, she was unquestionably the central figure of the Russian harp world.

She was born into an aristocratic family. Her father was a Russian Prince, and although after the Revolution of 1917 it was wiser not to mention this, she was always quietly proud of her ancestry.

She had an incredible sense of personal dignity and an intuitive knowledge of how to conduct herself in every situation. This could be felt in her playing — no wonder a critic once wrote an article, giving her the title, «Queen of the Harp». She survived all of Russia’s political turmoil without losing this inherent dignity that she possessed.

She was born into a family of musicians. Her father was a renowned violinist and teacher; her mother an opera singer; her grandmother a brilliant pianist; and her great-aunt, Zograf-Plaksina, founded one of Moscow’s most prominent musical colleges. Music was in Vera Georgievna’s genes. Her artistic, musical and pedagogical talents were astounding, but what also helped her achieve such great fame and popularity in Russia and abroad was her personal strength, charisma, sharp wit and her extraordinary abilities. Vera Georgievna was one of the most acclaimed musicians in Russia. She was honored with the title of «The People’s Artist» the highest honor a Russian artist could receive. Everyone who got the chance to know her — from the coat-check attendant to the highest government official — had great respect for her and treated her with particular warmth.

She was never snobbish or overly proud and was always willing to listen to the opinion of others. My uncle, Adolf Bruk, former music director of the Bolshoi Theater Chamber Orchestra, remembers that when Vera Georgievna performed the harp part in P. Hindemith’s Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra, she never acted like a diva and accepted any suggestions graciously. Vera Georgievna often said to me, «Your uncle is a great musician», and knowing that he was an expert on the music of Bach and Mozart, she asked him to help her prepare her part in the Mozart concerto for flute and harp. During these sessions she behaved just like a humble student, without so much as hinting at the fact that she was the star.

For her students, Vera Georgievna was an unquestionable authority, but I remember that she often consulted N. Shameyeva, I. Pashinskaya, A. Levina (who are all now co-principals in the Bolshoi Theater and were at various times assistants in her class), and some of her other students whom she considered to have matured enough.

Vera Georgievna played an astounding number of concerts. She played not only in concert halls, but also in schools, factories, even the North Pole! Her recordings were constantly being played on the radio. She often performed with her first husband, V. V. Borisovski (one of the founders of the Moscow Viola School), as well as her second husband, A. I. Baturin, who was a famous opera singer. She was known by everyone who had even the least bit to do with classical music. We were always very proud to be her students.