Nicolai Malko
URING the past ten years the National Orchestra has had several distinguished guest conductors, among whom have been the Italian Franco Ghione and the South American José Castro. Now another illustrious name will be added to this list when the Russian-born Nicolai Malko comes from his present position with the Sydney Symphony for a short-term visit in July of this year. Born in Brailov. in the Ukraine, the home town of Tchaikovski, Malko actually lived for seven years in the house occupied by the composer. To read of the musicians he trained under at St. Petersburg is for most of us to go back into history. He studied at the famous St. Petersburg Conservatoire under the great masters of the period, who included Rimsky-Korsakov, Liadov, Glazounoyv and Tcherepnin. While still a student he was appointed ballet conductor of the Imperial Opera House, and during this period such great dancers as Fokine, Pavlova, Nijinsky and Karsavina appeared on the stage. Later Malko became principal conductor of the Imperial Opera of St. Petersburg. Some interesting impressions of the young conductor at this time: were given to The Listener by a member of the viola section of the National Orchestra, Iwan Federoff, who played in the Koussevitsky Orchestra under Malko, and later studied conducting under him. Mr Federoff, too, was trained at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, and his first position was in an orchestra founded by Koussevitsky and his wife. The orchestra used to do summer tours on the Volga every two years under their own conductor, but during the Moscow
season Koussevitsky would engage famous guest conductors. The orchestra played under Nikisch, Wendel, Bodansky, Furtwangler, Mengelberg, and Debussy, and guest conductors from Russia included Glazounov, Rachmaninoff, Prokofieff, Emil Kuper, Orlov andyoungest of all-Nicolai Malko. "During the winter season he conducted some concerts and I remember him conducting various works without
score,’ said Mr Federoff. "The musicians liked him very much because of his musical talent and his gentlemanly manners." Before the first Revolution, when Mr Federoff was in the Imperial Orchestra of St Petersburg, he took lessons in conducting from Malko-a subject he had previously studied at the Imperial Chapel. "I still remember my first lesson," he said. "Malko was seated at the
piano and gave me the score of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. He said, ‘You ate the conductor and I am the orchestra, and you must give me orders,’ and he started playing the score." After the second Revolution Nicolai Malko went to South Russia, and later on to England, the Continent and North and South America. Mr Federoff went to Siberia on a concert tour, which was to be the beginning of the travels which brought him to New Zealand and the National Orchestra. Another member of the Orchestra, Frank Gurr, first clarinet, has also played under Malko, but this was more recently, with the Yorkshire Symphony of England. Mr Gurr described Nicolai Malko to us. "In appearance he is shortish and rather stocky. He looks gruff and somewhat severe, but he’s really not that at afl, for behind his funny little oblong spectacles he has a warm and most disarming smile that comes as a surprise, and a very nice sense of humour. He works very quickly, at a high pitch of concentration, and has a stick technique which somehow has tremendous clarity -eyery gesture counts. He insists on things being right, but is a very patient man, and once he is satisfied with a work he will immediately stop." Nicolai Malko is renowned for his interpretations of the Russian composers. ‘He has recorded them extensively and while in this country it is hoped to arrange an all-Russian programme for him. Dr Malko will have three days of rehearsal with the orchestra before his first concert in Wellington on July 27. After further rehearsals he will give two concerts in Christchurch on August 6 and 8. The programme for this second concert is being changed and the arrangements for the fourth concert are still not yet final.
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 930, 7 June 1957, Page 4
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670Nicolai Malko New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 930, 7 June 1957, Page 4
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