Persim fans
Persimfans (also PERSIMFANS ) was a conductorless orchestra in the Soviet Union that existed from 1922 to 1932 . The abbreviation is derived from the Russian name "Perwy Simfonitscheski Ansambl" (German: "First Symphonic Ensemble").
In 1922, as an experiment in applied musical collectivism, an orchestra without a conductor (which was rejected as an absolute symbol of power) was founded in Moscow . Under the abbreviation "Persimfans" the orchestra soon gained international fame. The driving force was Lew Zeitlin , professor for violin at the Moscow Conservatory.
The orchestral repertoire included not only classical but also contemporary works. Questions of speed, dynamics, agogics etc. were initially discussed in a smaller group. Nevertheless, extensive rehearsal work was necessary before each performance. At concerts, the orchestra was grouped in a circle to enable intensive eye contact with one another.
The orchestra played mostly in barracks, workers' bars and factories. Occasionally, guest conductors were invited (e.g. Otto Klemperer ), but after a while they were asked to listen to the orchestra from the hall. The French composer Darius Milhaud expressed his appreciation for a concert by the orchestra, but said: "A conductor could have achieved the same goal, just a little faster."
Also Sergei Prokofiev played the beginning of 1928 during his first visit to the homeland after years in exile, two concerts with Persimfans, including his third piano concerto . He reported: “The orchestra accepted the difficult program excellently and accompanied it as if under a conductor. Difficulties were caused by the passages requiring ritardando or accelerando ... The complicated passages were all the better - here everyone felt as a soloist and played exactly ”. A little later, on April 2, 1928, the orchestra took over the premiere of the 10th Symphony by Nikolai Myaskovsky . The composer was, however, not very enthusiastic about it - due to obvious coordination problems.
In 1932 the ensemble was finally dissolved, partly as a result of differences of opinion among the musicians, partly due to the fact that the prevailing state ideology had long since turned away from the ideal of the leaderless collective.
In 2008 the Persimfans Orchestra under the pianist and sound artist Peter Aidu was reorganized in Russia.
literature
- B. Schwarz: Music and musical life in the Soviet Union, Part I-III , Heinrichshofen's Verlag, Wilhelmshaven, 1982.
- E. John: Orchestra without a conductor: The Moscow »Persimfans« and its successors in: Direction and Conducting. Symposium of the Basel Music Academy 1999 .