Israel Police Orchestra Essay by Boris Turchinsky

Israel Police Orchestra Essay by Boris Turchinsky
Boris Turchinsky
Essay by Boris Turchinsky


          Israel Police Orchestra
On the past and present of an unusual musical group - to its 100th anniversary
"Our service is both dangerous and difficult,
And at first glance, it seems, is not visible ...".

     These words of the famous song about law enforcement officers can hardly rightfully be attributed to musicians - even if they are police officers. Their service is not so dangerous - although, of course, it is difficult in its own way, and the lines of an old song about Soviet policemen may rightfully be relevant to today's Israeli police musicians.

Since ancient times ...

The history of the Israeli police dates back to the date of the formation of the state in 1948. And the police brass band was created back in 1921, during the reign of the British Mandate.
In the summer of 2017, a special exposition in the Historical and Ethnographic Museum of Jerusalem, which the townspeople know as the "House of ARI", told about this collective and its paths. This house at 6 Or Haim Street, in the Jewish quarter of the Old City, is not a simple building. According to legend, in 1534 the famous Kabbalist Yitzhak Luria (ARI), the founder of the Lurian Kabbalah, was born here.
This, however, has little to do with music. But the Jews and their traditions, which include both prayer and music, were directly related to the rules established by successive colonial authorities. A memorial plaque on the building of the modern police station in the Old City of Jerusalem, the former Turkish police barracks "kishla", reminds us of this. It is written that those Jews were brought here who "dared to blow the shofar on the Jewish traditional bone horn" - in violation of the existing prohibition.

               About the synagogue museum that preserves the memory of the orchestra

Turkish Ottoman law prohibited the establishment of new synagogues in Jewish settlements (ishuvs) in Palestine, and this forced Jews to hide their prayer halls located in residential buildings. In the beginning, the ARI synagogue also existed secretly. In the subsequent period, prayers in the synagogue were already held openly. And in 1936 the synagogue was looted and burned.
Subsequently, this synagogue was restored and in 1976 entered the exposition of the newly opened historical and ethnographic museum "Old Yishuv" by Isaac Kaplan, dedicated to the history and ethnography of the Yishuv from the time of the Ottoman rule until the end of the British mandate and the liberation of Jerusalem.
This building is also known as "Weingarten House" after one of its owners.

      Musicians died in the war of independence

The first conductor of the British Palestinian Police Orchestra was Captain Aubery Silver. During the Arab riots in Jerusalem in 1938, he was wounded by a grenade explosion.
Several of the orchestra's musicians were killed in the Israeli wars of independence.
After the proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948, the orchestra survived and was taken over by the Israeli police. Since then, his activity as a multifunctional brass band has developed widely.
With just one paragraph, I want to designate several more Israeli musical groups - also with an enviable history.
This is the brass band "Kinor-Zion" ("Violin of Zion") from Petah Tikva, the year of its formation - 1931, the Israeli Symphony Orchestra - 1936. In 1948, the now ceremonial, government band of the Israel Defense Forces was created. The police band is the oldest among them.
So, quite a long time - 31 years! - The police orchestra existed as a British one, and only in 1948, when the State of Israel was created, its musicians changed their shoulder straps.
In the 1920s, brass bands were generally very popular in European cities. They played dance music, famous songs and melodies in city parks, played on weekends, at holidays and city festivities. And our police band also took part in similar events in the new city of Tel Aviv and in other cities where the local residents-immigrants from Europe retained much of their European affection.
In our essay, we will tell you about the history of the oldest orchestra in the country. Let's talk about the musicians and conductors of this group. We will also tell you about the most interesting events in the creative life of the orchestra in the past and present. To get the necessary information, I not only visited the Jerusalem exhibition of the history of the orchestra, but also met with the current leader of the police orchestra, Mikhail Gurevich. And this is what he told me - he told me, by the way, in Russian.

                Chief conductor's story

Today's Israel Police Orchestra consists of professional musicians with higher and secondary musical education. Most are from the CIS countries, many of whom have experience of working in various symphony and brass bands, graduates of well-known conservatories. Among them there are laureates of all-Union and republican competitions of music performers.
We are police officers: like everyone else, we took police training courses, took the oath. Therefore, sometimes, on holidays or major events, we are sent to reinforce the police squads, where the orchestra members have to carry out the duties of ordinary police officers. There is also such a concept: "kav kedmi" (literally translated as the front line), when a member of the orchestra is sent to work in the police for a longer time. So, about the fact that "our service is both dangerous and difficult", everything is correct, without any exaggeration! And we, the police band members, declare this at the top of our voice, we can be heard a mile away!
When there are no concerts, we go to Jerusalem for a general rehearsal. Then each participant prepares himself or puts in order our library: it is quite large - you need to systematize notes, compile catalogs ...
The team has performed with great success abroad - in Russia and Ukraine, in Switzerland, Germany, Hungary - and was awarded numerous awards.
The orchestra's repertoire includes works by classical composers and Israeli authors, jazz compositions.
                From the author:
               Most of the repertoire is performed in original arrangements by the orchestra's conductor Mikhail Gurevich. He himself is uncomfortable talking about himself, so I'll tell you about him: we know each other well.
                Mikhail Gurevich has been in Israel since 1990. Immediately after his arrival, literally on the second day, he began working in the Tel Aviv Symphony Orchestra, for which I am grateful to my friends Alik Shapiro and Leonid Vinogradov - they brought him to audition. In this team, Mikhail worked for five years as a trombonist.
Gurevich is the author of many adaptations of popular classical works, as well as fantasies on themes by Russian and Israeli composers. He recorded a CD with the Israeli police orchestra, which became popular not only in his homeland, but also in many countries of the world. Has taken part as a conductor in various television programs dedicated to the orchestra. We add that Mikhail is a graduate of the Department of Wind Instruments of the Leningrad Institute of Culture.

                Traditional interview
                - Mikhail, I know firsthand that your team is one of the most popular in Israel!
     - We have concerts or participation in events - almost every day. I even find it difficult to list them. First of all, it is a ceremonial service. Meetings of various delegations, service of holidays and celebrations of our police. Participation in all events dedicated to the significant dates of our country. We perform in schools. We give many concerts in nursing homes. We participate in festivals. We are frequent guests in the house of the President of the country when he receives foreign guests. There are also evenings in memory of the dead police officers and border guards, to which members of their families are always invited. By the way, according to the charter, whenever the Minister of Homeland Security or the Inspector General speaks to police officers, his speech is preceded by a special sound signal. We, of course, serve it up, the musicians.
The police organize many special public relations events - these are the days of the police in schools, in summer camps for children, in residential areas, when the police show their full capabilities - because many people think that our employees are only busy walking the streets with handcuffs and hanging fines everywhere. Police officers often bring sniffer dogs and service horses to children's summer camps and talk about their role in the police. At the end of such meetings, our orchestra usually performs.
     - You studied at the Leningrad Institute of Culture. What happened before that? Who were your first teachers?
Did your music come to the fore spontaneously, or were there prerequisites for that?
     - When I was 10 years old, my mother took me to the Palace of Pioneers on Nevsky Prospekt, 39 (this is the famous Anichkov Palace), and I was enrolled in a circle of percussion instruments. I took drums for one year and then moved on to trombone and baritone. We had a brass band in the palace, it was led by a wonderful teacher and trombonist Georgy Ivanovich Strautman, and then I studied with him at a music school on Sadovaya Street. When I learned the basics of training, I was invited to the palace symphony orchestra, which was very prestigious for me, I was terribly proud of it! The orchestra was led by Vladimir Nikolaevich Badulin and the now world famous conductor Maris Jansons.
After leaving school, I entered the Leningrad Institute of Culture, in the trombone class of Vitaly Konstantinovich Lavrov, later director of the Leningrad Singing Capella, and then ended up in the class of Professor Akim Alekseevich Kozlov. Remembering Akim Alekseevich, it would be appropriate to note that he was a musician and a teacher of which there were not many. Outstanding! For more than fifty years, from 1937 to 1989, Kozlov was the soloist-accompanist of the trombone group of the Leningrad Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Evgeny Mravinsky. Among his students are such talented trombonists as Viktor Venglovsky, Boris Vinogradov, Alexey Yevtushenko and others.
                Reference.
          Akim Alekseevich Kozlov - Russian and Soviet trombonist and music teacher. Soloist of the Leningrad Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, professor of the Leningrad and Petrozavodsk Conservatories, as well as the Leningrad Institute of Culture named after N.K. Krupskaya, Honored Artist of the RSFSR.
Here is what the famous conductor Natan Rakhlin, People's Artist of the USSR, wrote about Kozlov: “The work of Akim Kozlov contributed to a significant expansion of the role of the trombone in a symphony orchestra. Thanks to him and other representatives of "... an eagle flock of virtuoso trombonists ...", the orchestral trombone parts have changed towards greater technical virtuosity and "... cello melodiousness ...". And again: “He brilliantly overcomes technical difficulties. The beautiful and powerful sound of his instrument gives a special coloring to the sonority of the orchestra. In solo episodes, monologues, he is strict and lyrical, he finds individual colors, nuances that give the symphonic images clarity, accuracy of characterization, romantic uplifting and realistic certainty. "

- A few words about your work in Leningrad, Mikhail. My friend Mark Steinberg says that you feel the Leningrad school in everything.
                - Among the iconic places of my work in Leningrad are the orchestra of the Leningrad Theater of Musical Comedy, the stage orchestra of the Mariinsky Theater. With great gratitude I remember Boris Ivanovich Anisimov, who brought me to the stage orchestra, it was and, probably, is a solid team. Under his sensitive and professional guidance, I lost there for eight years, which, you must admit, is quite a lot.
In parallel with his work in the theater, he directed an exemplary children's brass band at the Electrosila plant. I carefully keep a copy of the diploma of the Laureate of the All-Union Competition of Brass Bands in Moscow (2nd prize, 1989). And our orchestra was called "Helikon".

                - I heard that you recorded a rather unusual disc ...

- Yes, it was back in 2008. There are very different things there - from jazz music to samba. But I want to draw your attention to the top two lines in the list of works. The first is the anthem of the IPA (the International Police Association, created many years ago and uniting representatives of different countries, including Israel), the second is the IPA march, written at one time by the famous composer Michel Legrand. Believe it or not, until recently the IPA anthem, performed in many countries for decades, did not exist on record. Our orchestra decided to fill the gap, make such a recording and present the disc as a gift to police delegations from different countries, which annually gather at their forum in different countries. By the way, in the same 2008 the Forum of the International Police Association took place in Eilat.

                The repertoire of the Israel Police Orchestra
- Our repertoire is very large, I can talk about it for a long time. We play classical and light music written for a brass band. We can say that the Israeli Police Brass Band is the only professional pure brass band in Israel. The collective is always happy to quickly master a new repertoire. We don't need long rehearsals. Musicians can get sheet music and play right from the sight. The orchestra is very flexible, we can play music of various genres: serious, light and jazz - and we also accompany singers. We have great musicians.

- Tell us about the most important performances of the orchestra in recent years.

- We are seriously preparing for each of our performances - be it ceremonial or just in front of the people in the park or in the square. Not so long ago, we renewed a tradition that has existed since the founding of the orchestra: in the Old City of Jerusalem, we now give regular free concerts to the general public. Anyone can come and listen to the brass band, its live performance.
     Recently a significant, in my opinion, event took place. The police band performed on the square in front of the Western Wall, and this was the first time!
     - Many orchestra members, including you, Mikhail, come from Russia and the CIS countries. Therefore, I cannot but ask a natural question, are there works by Russian composers in the repertoire?
      - Of course. Considering that more than a million immigrants have arrived from Russia to Israel, Russian music occupies an important place in our repertoire. These are popular works by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, old waltzes, Russian romances and famous songs, which are usually picked up by the whole audience.
                "The Israel Police Orchestra performed in Moscow" God Save the Tsar! "
     This I quoted the headline of one of the Russian newspapers. Every year in Moscow, on Red Square, the International Military Music Festival "Spasskaya Tower" is held. Its traditional participants are the units of the honorary protection of the heads of state, as well as leading military orchestral and creative teams of Russia and the world. In 2010, the Israel Police Orchestra was also invited to Moscow to participate in this prestigious international military festival.
     “The crowned Romanovs could not even dream of this: the Jewish brass band burst out“ God Save the Tsar! ”, Seasoned with a mix from the march of the Preobrazhensky Regiment and the Easter chant“ Save, Lord, the souls of your servants ”.
Among dozens of other military and police bands coming to Moscow from all over the world, the Israelis paraded along the cobblestones of Red Square to bravura marches. By the way, they do not exhaust the Israeli military with drill training, they do not like to mint a step and do not really know how, but they get into notes like no other!
                Mikhail Gurevich
The head of the festival was a wonderful person, an outstanding musician, composer, head of the military orchestra service of Russia, People's Artist of the Russian Federation General Valery Khalilov, who recently, unfortunately, died ...
We all remember the tragedy that happened to the main cast of the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army in December 2016. Khalilov was among the dead ... At that time, he was only a few months ago appointed to the position of artistic director of this glorious and world-famous collective.
               - I knew Valery Mikhailovich long before our Moscow meeting at the festival, - says Mikhail Gurevich, parades ".
               - Mikhail, when you met at the Spasskaya Tower festival, of course, did you remind Valery Mikhailovich of your old acquaintance?
             - Of course! We had a meeting in Red Square even before rehearsals began there. And then, during the preparation for the festival, Khalilov and I met and talked many times. They remembered musicians and conductors. Valery Mikhailovich was very dear to the memories associated with the Leningrad period of his life and work. I remembered everything to the smallest detail! How much noticeable he did for the military orchestral service of the Russian army! What wonderful works came out of his composer's pen! Significant personality. His tragic departure at its very peak is a huge loss for the entire musical world of Russia.
From the author. I am well acquainted with the head of the orchestra of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation, People's Artist of Dagestan Sergei Durygin. An excerpt from his recent letter:
 “I remember the performance of the Israeli police orchestra very well! I remember the conversation in the office of the head of the military orchestra service of Russia, General VM Khalilov, about the arrival of a collective from Israel to the Spasskaya Tower festival. "The scope of the festival is expanding," Valery Mikhailovich told me then, "That year the Israel Defense Forces orchestra came to us, and now the police orchestra." The first thing I noticed: all the musicians are smart, energetic guys. They, as they say now, "blew up" the audience with their enthusiasm, sincerity and excellent mood. In its performance, the orchestra used, among other things, and always very popular in Russia "Hava Nagila" and "Seven Forty", all the stands in a single impulse sang and danced. I will also add that with the orchestra of the Ministry of Defense we organized a meeting of two orchestras,and it passed in a very friendly atmosphere. We showed our colleagues from Israel our museum - and there is something to see and tell about. I wish the orchestra creative success, all the best and hope to see it again in Moscow at our best military music festival "Spasskaya Tower"!

           Concerts, performances ... The most significant events
     are Mikhail, a significant event is the performance of Joseph Kobzon with the Israel Police Orchestra. What other eminent vocal soloists have you performed with?
     - Our orchestra has performed with many famous Israeli performers. These are Uzi Hitman, Nurit Hirsch, Yoram Gaon, Shuli Nathan, Avi Toledano, Ruhama Raz, Shiri Maimon, Anya Bukstein, and others. An important event for us was participation in a concert with a bunk. art. USSR by Joseph Kobzon.
                History in photographs
     Looking through the yellowed photographs depicting the people of the orchestra at different periods, I mentally travel back to the distant years of the British Mandate in Palestine. The oldest photo that I came across is dated 1922. Faces, faces ... How many musicians, alternately, put on police uniforms - not to put things in order in the streets, but to play music. Participation in parades, solemn events dedicated to various events ... They are now, they were then.
Here is a shared photo of the orchestra with its founder, conductor Aubery Silver. The year is 1926.
... The orchestra participates in the welcoming ceremony for the Italian prince Umberto at the Jerusalem railway station. In the photo - the prince with Field Marshal Lord Herbert Plumer, 1925.
In another photo, Arie Mirkin, one of the most experienced musicians of the Israel Police Orchestra, trombonist and violist. The year is 1929.
Here is a footage of the orchestra's participation in the opening ceremony of a new railway line in Jerusalem in 1949. And this is 1955, the opening ceremony of the road through the desert to the southernmost Israeli city - Eilat.
Here is the orchestra playing at the presentation of credentials to the ambassadors of foreign states at the president's house, 1963.
Interior Minister Yosef Burg performs at a concert by the Israel Police Orchestra in honor of the Civil Guard. 1982th.
Legendary Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek and the Police Band. 1987.
The Israeli Police Orchestra at a performance in Germany, at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Bundestag, with Israeli Minister Joseph Burg. 1989.
At Ben Gurion Airport. Seeing off Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze. 1995 year. Conducted by Menashe Lev-Ran.
Police and choir from Munich in Jerusalem, 1990.
During a visit to Budapest. Joint performance with the Hungarian Police Orchestra. 1992.
Orchestra with Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir. 1992.
Tel Aviv Mayor Shlomo Lahat at the opening ceremony of the square and the installation of a monument to the policemen who died in the line of duty. 1993.
Here is a photo of the orchestra with President Ezer Weizmann at Beit HaNasi, the presidential house in Jerusalem. 1993.
Concert of the Israel Police Orchestra on the shores of Lake Kinneret (Sea of ;;Galilee). Celebrations to mark the cooperation agreement between the Jordanian and Israeli police. 1995
And many more, many other interesting photos! It's so good that their history has preserved ...
Fortunately, some photographs are signed, and from these signatures we can today get invaluable information about the people of the orchestra, learn their half-forgotten names! For example, here is a photo of the musicians of the 1946 orchestra. Conductor Naftali Gribov - he himself played clarinet, flute, cello.
Trombonists: Mendelsso, Fanigstein, Cohen, Abramson. Clarinetists and saxophonists: Fabian, Sandberg (plus violin), Werner, Zusman, Marcus, Yehiel Welch (plus cello), Joshua Samara, Brungate Timor, Harrison (plus flute). Trumpeters: Ruben Roman, Mornako, Musso. Oboe: Lev Fanigstein. French horn players: David Ben-Kiki, Abraham Aharoni. Drums: Gokhman, Aron Berkovich. Unfortunately, not all names are signed on the photo.

                Conductors replaced each other

The first conductor of the Israel Police Orchestra was, as already mentioned, Oberi Silver. He was replaced by Naftali Gribov, who served in this post from 1944 to 1961. By the way, one of the rehearsal studios in the orchestra is named after him.
Arie Zemanek was the conductor from 1961 to 1980. The conductor's assistant was Captain Efraim Katz, who later replaced Arie Zemanek at the console.
Since 1980 Menashe Lev-Ran has been the conductor of the police orchestra. And since 2004, the position of deputy conductor was taken by our well-known Mikhail Gurevich. He was acting conductor for one year. As a matter of fact, I already had an internship. But he took the position not immediately, but only in 2013, having received the conductor's baton from the hands of Eitan Sobol.

                The role of the conductor in the orchestra

is Mikhail, this topic is not new: the role of the conductor in his musical group. What is it, how significant is it? The question is, of course, rhetorical, but ... don't the musicians themselves find their bearings in the musical text? It would seem, why do they need a conductor?
             - This question was asked by many. And they even tried to experiment. In the 1920s, a symphony orchestra without a conductor called "Persimfans" was created in the USSR. It lasted ten years. They played beautifully and quite complex music. It is enough to look into a music encyclopedia or Wikipedia to understand what kind of orchestra it was and what its performing level was.

Reference.
Persimfans (short for "The First Symphony Ensemble", also - "The First Symphony Ensemble of the Mossovet" - an orchestra that existed in Moscow from 1922 to 1932. A distinctive feature of this orchestra was the absence of a conductor (partly made up for by the position of the accompanist, who was located on a dais facing the orchestra) The first performance of the band took place on February 13, 1922.
             - I will continue. To begin with, the conductor is responsible for the unified artistic reproduction of a particular piece of music by all musicians. The interpretation of any opus, whether it be pop or contemporary music, is a delicate, filigree work with many nuances. 30 or more (not the case here) members of the orchestra will never agree on all the musical details. The main task of the conductor is to organize the well-coordinated embodiment of the composer's idea by the orchestra members. Determine the volume balance of orchestral voices (and there can be many of them), align the uniform tempo of performance, synchronous intros.
During the performance of the piece, the conductor gestures to indicate a kind of scheme - a grid, which gives the musicians an idea of ;;the exact moment of the sound. Thus, the conductor skillfully makes the orchestra collective work as a whole, where everyone hears and understands the sound of the other, and not just plays the notes written in the part.
There is one more very important point. Concert halls are very different. And the scenes are also not alike. And the acoustics are different everywhere. Musicians in such halls do not hear each other. The back rows do not hear the front ones, from one end the sound does not reach the other. And even worse: they hear not what is actually being played, but what flew to the end of the auditorium and echoes back!
It is important here that the musicians look at the conductor - by his gestures they will understand exactly what is happening in the musical fabric of the piece being performed. More precisely, in what moment of execution they are all.
Ultimately, the interpretation of a piece of music is formed - and it is the conductor who is responsible for it.
- Michael, with your permission, I will continue your answer. Recently I read an interesting material on this topic on the site "Military Conductors" (author I. Ivanov). I am presenting it in an abridged form. This will complement your thought.
               
                Not noise, but real music

“Each musician individually is already a professional and can perform his part without error. But the task of the conductor is as follows - he must inspire the whole orchestra, transfer his energy and charisma to its participants, so that it turns out not some noise, but real music! An orchestra is an instrument, one might say, and a conductor plays on it. The conductor shows the orchestra with a gesture and a glance where it is necessary to play quietly, and where it is loud, and the orchestra plays just like that; where you need to play faster, and where it is slower, and again the orchestra does everything as the conductor wants.
And what a conductor's baton ?! At first, it was a "bututa" - a cane that was pounded on the floor, beating the rhythm. I don’t know if it’s true, it sounds scary, although historians seem to agree: the conductor and composer Lully died of gangrene, hitting his leg with this trampoline and picking up something fatal.
The sticks of Napravnik and Tchaikovsky are such elegantly designed clubs, a kilo by one and a half. It is clear that the first violinist was afraid.
But then it became easier, with the advent of fiberglass sticks, the conductors themselves began to suffer. Ashkenazi (probably from a brilliant mastery of the technique of conducting) pierced his hand through with it. But Gergiev somehow conducted almost with a pencil, a toothpick, a stick 20 centimeters long. It's scary to think what will happen next. Some conductors do not use the baton at all, maybe this is better - in my opinion, the hands are more expressive.
The main function of the conductor, of course, is not to beat the beat, but to inspire the entire orchestra, as I wrote above. The interesting thing is that the same orchestra with different conductors will sound completely different.
Music, one might say, is not what is written in the score, and not even what the orchestra musicians play, but what is behind it all. It is the conductor who must create something out of notes and sounds that will make the audience feel strong emotions.
There are ensembles and orchestras without a conductor. Here, every musician should hear every colleague, building music into a common concept. With an orchestra it is simply impossible, there are a lot of musicians in the orchestra, and they are all too different. "

From the author. The truth has been announced! A good conductor can make a bad orchestra play better than ever before. And a bad conductor is capable of ruining even what was not so bad. In my opinion, 90 percent of success depends on the conductor. A truly professional conductor will be able to create a level of performance for the orchestra - if not good, then at least decent!
                We continue the interview

- Mikhail, according to the staff schedule, you are a conductor. But in addition to functional responsibilities, there is something purely human in your relationship with the team. All the musicians of the orchestra are your colleagues, and some are even friends with whom you enjoy not only playing music, but also spending time .. You treat someone like a father, someone with respect, although the latter probably applies to all. You told me a lot about your musicians ...
                - Perhaps, let's start with the soloist of the orchestra Boris Shlepakov. There are good reasons for this. Boris graduated from the Moscow Conservatory and worked in the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, which speaks volumes. He is a laureate of the All-Union Competition of Wind Instrument Performers.
Looking at Boris's Facebook page, I found a lot of interesting things for our essay. He talks about himself and the orchestra. I present the fragments to our readers.
“My grandmother was a good pianist. I draw this conclusion from the fact that she was a student of Konstantin Nikolaevich Igumnov himself - an outstanding pianist, teacher, publicist (People's Artist of the USSR, laureate of the Stalin Prize of the first degree, doctor of art history - B.T.). He worked only with talented children.
Alas, after the birth of three daughters, my grandmother stopped performing, there was a lot of things to do at home. She only taught. My grandmother began to teach me to play the piano, in a circle at the housing office.
Then we moved to the center of Moscow, and there was no room for piano in the music school at the place of residence, and I was ashamed to say that I had been studying for a year already ... The
headmaster of the school, Yan Mikhailovich Plyaskov, assigned me to the cello. Four years of torment, and then, when something began to work out, we decided to switch to another instrument. The cello was not my instrument, let the cellists forgive me, although to be honest, I love it to this day.
The pipe in the center of my attention was by chance. The handsome teacher Aleksey Aleksandrovich Volchanskiy casually said: “Let's go to the pipe!”. Well, I went. Three years later, they decided that I would enter the music school at the Moscow Conservatory. Miraculously entered the office of Vadim Alekseevich Novikov. Why a miracle - because I had no idea how to study.
But due to the fact that at the music school in solfeggio I studied in a group with string players and the level of their training was quite high, I did it easily. The first two years somehow passed, and then my teacher Novikov was invited to the Moscow Conservatory, and Fyodor Leontyevich Rigin took his place. Both of them worked in the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra.
Rigin began to demand differently, and I began to advance quickly. He won in-school contests for performers. In 1982 he entered the Moscow Conservatory alongside Novikov. He also brought me in January 1983 to the competition for the stage orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater. After listening, they took me. Two years later, he played a competition and entered the main composition of the orchestra for the part of the second trumpet. Then there were contests for "moving", until in 1993 he became the first. In 1984 he received the third prize at the All-Union Competition of Wind Instrument Performers in Alma-Ata. And in 1988 - the first at the same competition in Minsk. It turned out to be the last competition in the history of the USSR ...
… Since the mid-nineties, I have become interested in religion. And after getting married, at the end of 1997, he decided to move to Israel, since this is the only place in the world where a musician may not work on Saturday.
At the beginning of 1999, I was offered a contract with Beersheva Symfonietta.
On November 30 of the same year, I played the last performance in the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra. My last performance at the Bolshoi was the opera Tosca by composer D. Puccini. The orchestra was conducted by V.P. Andropov. Since December I have already started working in Israel, in Beersheba.
After some time, I was offered to play an audience with the police orchestra. Thanks to Edik Kuskin for this, who invited the conductor to listen to me. Conductor Menashe Lev-Ran received me without further ado.
       So, since July 2000 I have been in the Israel Police Orchestra.
               
                Mikhail Gurevich picks up the theme
         When we play for children, I often tell them: "Children, and who wants to become a conductor?" There are always daredevils, they stretch their hand. And then I invite them to the conductor's stand. Everyone is interested and fun. You know, some people do it very well.
But this is not all of our musical experiments, sometimes we let older people conduct as well. True, there are only a few who wish. Many are shy ... Not everyone is as spontaneous as children. Although, I am sure, conducting an orchestra is an unfulfilled dream of many! "
                From the author. It's true, many people dream of conducting. And here's an outstanding example. When US President George W. Bush retired, the US Army Military Band took part in the official ceremony on this occasion. This is one of the best musical military bands in the country, so it is rightfully considered the presidential orchestra. The conductor defiantly handed the baton to Bush (I think it was a textbook "piano in the bushes"), and a march began. The conductor of the orchestra - this time the President of the United States of America himself! All those present saw joy on their face and at the same time the wet eyes of the head of the most powerful state in the world. It turns out that all his life he dreamed of conducting an orchestra - since childhood. And now, finally, his childhood dream has come true!

                ***
By the way, there are not so many presidential orchestras in the world. There are several of them in the United States, and they are all called presidential in terms of the type of service, for example, the US Air Force Presidential Band, the US Marine Presidential Band, and so on.
By status, there are also royal orchestras. Several years ago, the Moscow Spasskaya Tower festival was attended by royal orchestras from Spain, Belgium and Norway - wonderful, highly professional groups.

                Tales from Shlepakov and Gurevich The
              song, as you know, helps us to build and live. A funny joke helps to play good music, because it creates a mood for the musician. And I cannot but cite at least one of the "Shlepakov's musical tales", which he also posted on Facebook.
... That was a few years ago. Whenever there is a police event, an orchestra is invited. And if there is no room for all the orchestra members? - Breaststroke quintet is on. So we went.
It was an event on the occasion of the retirement of a police general. We knew that she was from the USSR, so we decided to surprise her: choose a Russian song from the entire extensive repertoire. Well, not folk, but recognizable. We have one such in our repertoire: "The Song of the Old Cabby" by Nikita Bogoslovsky. She is also known in Israel, but only with Hebrew words. And so we start to play, we come to the chorus, and I start to shake with laughter. I play, and the words are spinning in my head: "Whoa, ancient old woman, stand, Maruska, aside." Just in the subject! Miraculously played to the end and did not break. Into excerpt!
In the days of the Moscow "Spasskaya Tower" there was a special instruction for the orchestra musicians: "do not walk alone in the streets in the dark, avoid frivolous women, respond with a decisive refusal to offers to drink ...". This part of the obligatory briefing aroused particular indignation among the Russian part of the orchestra: they have someone to meet and have something to remember in the city where they studied, on the stages of which they performed and where they returned in the uniform of Israeli police officers in order to conquer the hearts of Muscovites with a harmonious performance of "The Farewell of a Slav ", Which in their interpretation will sound more like ... farewell to the Slav. And at the same time, yes not to drink?
Conductor Mikhail Gurevich continues the theme of curiosities from the history of the Police Orchestra.
              - There were a lot of curiosities, you can't remember all of them ... However, I remember one clearly. Once our orchestra performed in one of the socially disadvantaged urban areas, where the police were simultaneously carrying out an operation to arrest drug dealers, using us as a kind of distraction cover. People listened to music, everyone relaxed, including the criminals, and then our colleagues tied them up, like that! Almost like in the movie "Liquidation".
I also remember. At one of our concerts in the nursing home in Petah Tikva, an alarm sounded. It was during the aggravation of the situation with Hamas - Israel was conducting Operation Enduring Rock. I had to go down to the bomb shelter. In Israel, they are used to such situations. No panic. Both we and the audience went down. After the alarm was canceled, we returned to the stage, the concert continued ... Everything went great! The concert was a great success, with a bang! Even though the audience was excited. Yet beauty and art will help save this world!
"And on holidays and solemn events, and on difficult days - during wars and military operations, in cities under fire, in shelters - this orchestra played in front of children, in front of pensioners, in front of all citizens, calming them down, raising their spirits", - adds Alex Kagalsky, a former Israeli police spokesman.

                The Quintet of Brass Instruments of the Police Orchestra
     After the tales from Boris Shlepakov and Mikhail Gurevich, let's return to the serious one again. Let's talk about the wind instruments quintet of the Police Orchestra, headed by B. Shlepakov. He also writes excellent transcriptions for his quintet. Let's ask him to tell about it.
      - Since the beginning of the work of the police academy in Beit Shemesh, more and more delegations of police officers from different countries come there on excursions in order to get acquainted and gain experience. During these visits, ceremonies are organized in which our brass quintet takes part. Its functions include the musical accompaniment of the constructions, as well as the performance of the anthems of the states, the delegations of which are present at the ceremonies. In addition, the quintet performs at various venues in front of a wide variety of audiences. His repertoire includes music from different eras, from baroque music to the most modern opuses. And, of course, transcriptions of works by Israeli composers.
The works of Israeli composers form the basis of the repertoire. Paul ben Haim, Uzi Hitman, Naomi Shemer, Nurit Hirsch, Shaike Paikov and many other authors are well known to us. Shimon Cohen has written and orchestrated a significant number of pieces performed and well received by the public especially for our orchestra.
The repertoire of the quintet and orchestra as a whole also includes arrangements of music by Boris Pigovat, Beniamin Yusupov, Arie Levanon, Emanuel Weil and other contemporary Israeli composers of Russian origin.
With Borey Pigovat, - Mikhail Gurevich notes, - with whom, I know, Boris, you have been friends for a long time and wrote about him - we have a great and long-standing creative contact. There were joint concerts with his children's string orchestra from the Kiryat Bialik Conservatory. And we played the music of I. Dunaevsky, the overture to the film "Children of Captain Grant". Children, young performers, were delighted, and we ourselves were impressed. Boris Pigovat, a talented conductor and composer! I remember well your wonderful essay on his difficult and amazing creative life. I advise everyone to read it!
From the author. I give the link: "Listening to his music!" http://www.proza.ru/2014/02/18/2314
               
                More historical photos

Boris Shlepakov shows me interesting photographs from the history of the orchestra: I have never seen such pictures. However, let him comment on them himself.
“These photographs show the great trumpet player of all times Timofey Dokshitser during his 1997 visit to Israel. The quality, unfortunately, is not important ... But this does not diminish the importance of the event.
The photo was taken in the courtyard of the house where Timofey Aleksandrovich rented an apartment and where, without suspecting anything, I settled three years later! Mysticism, huh?
Another photo shows Timofey Dokshitser near the Western Wall. According to the stories of people who were with him that day, Timofey Alexandrovich stood at the Wall for a long time, his tears flowed, and then he said that "here for the first time I really felt like a Jew."
     “The visit of Timofei Alexandrovich Dokshitser to the Holy Land was a great event for the windmakers of our country,” says Gurevich. “The world famous trumpeter, a legendary man. We visited Jaffa together. Soon I received a letter of thanks from him.

                My interlocutor and good friend

Another interlocutor of mine is my old good friend, musician of the police orchestra Leonid Vinogradov.
               - Leonid, tell us about yourself, share vivid memories of your colleagues and the events of the orchestral service.
               - Boris, for this you need to take a lot of air, as the woodwinds say, but this will not be enough - a lot more will be needed, my story can be long. Moreover, the essay is not specifically about me. I will try to be as laconic as possible.
I come from Kharkov. Born into the family of a professional pianist Alexander DavidOvich. He taught at a ten-year music school and was a concertmaster from God. It's not for me to tell you, Boris, what a good accompanist is. Mom, Eleanor Lvovna, was a doctor. The family is intelligent, so I had a choice - only to music or to a medical institute. Art won, and I'm glad of that.
At the music school, I studied with the excellent teacher Israel Ganzburg. As a student, he worked in the orchestra of the Musical Comedy Theater. In those years, the idea of ;;getting to study with the famous professor from Leningrad Akim Kozlov got fired up. In 1979, my dream came true, and I entered the Leningrad Institute of Culture in his class. That year, only in this university there was a set in Kozlov's class: Akim Alekseevich taught at the Leningrad Conservatory and in its branch in Petrozavodsk. By the way, about the twists and turns of fate. Our current conductor Mikhail Gurevich studied with the same teacher.
               - Just about this I wrote above! But I don’t want to interrupt, tell me!
               - I studied with this incomparable and talented teacher for three years, but then, alas, for family reasons I transferred to the Kharkov Conservatory. It was 1981. According to the competition, he was promoted to the position of accompanist of the trombone group of the orchestra of the Kharkov Opera and Ballet Theater. I was only 22 years old. Probably, I was the youngest concertmaster of the trombone group from all the orchestras of the former Soviet Union (seriously, I did not check it). Of the past achievements that I am still proud of: Laureate of the 1987 Republican Wind Instrument Competition in Voroshilovgrad.
Before Israel, he managed to teach for two years at the Kharkov School of Music. In the 90s he repatriated to Israel with "Big Aliyah". He worked at the Tel Aviv Symphony Orchestra. There was such a wonderful orchestra, which consisted entirely of new immigrants. After its disbandment, he worked in many collectives in the country.
So we got to the year 2000. Since that time, I have served in the Israel Police Band. I was fortunate enough to work with talented, highly professional musicians. Some of them have already retired. I still learn from many. I think, Boris, you will also write about them in this essay. I will name some names, although I am afraid of offending someone - all of us are great musicians: Roman Krasner, Eduard Kuskin, Anton Lutsky, Boris Shlepakov and many others.
     - What was memorable for you and for the whole team over the years?
     - Travel to Germany with concerts. It was a great success, and we were very inspired, received a tremendous charge of creative energy! Of course, the Spasskaya Tower festival. To stand and play on Red Square, see the waving flag of our homeland, hear thunderous applause ... Pride and inspiration overwhelmed us. Unforgettably!
                Concerts
Of course, concerts! After all, this is the main thing for musicians. This is the result of all the long rehearsal preparatory work. And I ask Mikhail Gurevich to tell about them.
- For many years we took part in the Karmiel dance festival, more than once we performed at the klezmer festivals in Safed and Ra'anana, at the song festival in Arad. We also performed on the stage of the Eilat Jazz Festival. I have already spoken about concerts abroad. And this is what should be especially noted! With a special feeling we go to the performances for the veterans of the Second World War on Victory Day, May 9, in Jerusalem. At one of these concerts, we accompanied the veterans' march along the entire route, playing the Russian "Farewell of the Slav", as well as the most famous songs, waltzes and marches of wartime.
A huge stage usually rises near the Jerusalem municipality, where we perform with a festive concert, after which we go to the Yad Vashem Memorial to open the Victory Day ceremony, which is held with the participation of Israeli ministers and ambassadors from different countries.

                Israeli media about the police orchestra

Often, in my essays, whenever possible, I cite fragments of the statements of journalists of newspapers, magazines and Internet portals about my heroes. These are the testimonies of the era, engraved in the word. I will not change the tradition this time either. Here are some excerpts from the publications of the Israeli media about the Israel Police Orchestra.
“In terms of playing style, the Police Orchestra is somewhat more conservative and academic than, for example, the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra. Apparently, because the latter is recruited mainly from conscripts - from young people prone to jazz swing. Although they can swing in a police band: saxophonists Oleg Raskin and Yuri Shevchuk are excellent jazzmen! The soloists of the orchestra are entirely graduates of the musical higher educational institutions of Israel and Russia, they master both jazz and academic styles of performance. But the main thing is that they are all excellent virtuosos: flutist Viki Shapiro, tubist Anton Lutsky (in one of the concerts of the festival in Kfar Saba, Anton flashed in the violin "staccato choir" Dinik), clarinetist Vladimir Gega (aka the second conductor), xylophone Michael Klimovitsky (it is useful to add that at one of the concerts a virtuoso performance of Lezginka by A.Khachaturian was delighted with all those present and the gratitude of the Chief Inspector of the Israeli Police) ”.

                ***
Great clarinet performer Vladimir Chernomordik, tuba player Alex Shapiro ... We have already mentioned Boris Shlepakov.
We also want to name the surname of a wonderful trumpet player who recently served in the police orchestra. This is Eduard Kuskin, Honored Artist of Lithuania, former soloist of the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra. Today on a well-deserved rest.

From the author.
I remember the arrival of Eduard Kuskin to Vilnius from Belarus in the mid-60s. The world of brass musicians is small, and in Vilnius everyone knows each other. Due to his high performing level, Edward immediately became recognizable and popular.
By the way, the former military conductor of the Military Air Defense School in Vilnius, Honored Artist of Lithuania Emil Wernik, worked for a long time as a librarian in the Israel Police Orchestra. I knew him well during my "upbringing" years in Lithuania. Vernik led one of the best orchestras in the Baltic Military District, and enjoyed a well-deserved prestige in the musical circles of the capital of Lithuania. I even remember such an important episode: Wernick was entrusted to conduct one of the programs of the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra - and this, judge for yourself, says something! Many military musicians attended that concert. Unfortunately, I do not remember the pieces performed - it was a long time ago, in the mid-60s. Yes, and I was still small then ...
In recent years, Wernick has lived in Canada. A couple of years ago he was gone ... More than 30 of his wonderful arrangements for a brass band remained in the orchestra's library.
...
                Orchestra in police uniforms

From the media, 1990.
              “Police musicians from Israel arrived in Switzerland as part of an Israeli delegation to participate in the international festival of police brass bands from different countries. Among the musicians of the orchestra were religious people, and the opening of the festival took place on Friday, that is, on the eve of Saturday. The hosts of the festival were sympathetic to the Israelis. Namely, they not only gave them the right to speak first, but also ensured their timely delivery to the hotel, before Saturday.
The orchestra's first trip to Moscow took place in 1989. After a long period of tension between the two countries, it was a sensation ...
The second trip took place in 1998 at the invitation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia - on the occasion of the widespread celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army. The first listeners of the Israel Police Orchestra were Russian policemen - and what do you think? They turned out to be an extremely responsive audience. Could it be possible to imagine such a thing: Russian policemen, having heard the familiar melody of the song "Shalom Aleichem", sang together to the accompaniment of Israeli musicians! "
                Colleague: Mark Steinberg - composer, clarinetist, saxophonist

- They are police officers and professional musicians in one person, and they are led by the wonderful conductor Mikhail Gurevich, and not waving their hands, surrendering to emotions and narcissism, as it happens. I say this with understanding, because my diploma says: "conductor of a brass band, choirmaster", I have 50 years of experience as a performer.
I was fortunate enough to attend a concert of this wonderful group and sit in the front row, I felt as if I was part of an orchestra under the hand of a wonderful young conductor. In a mean, correct gesture (for musicians, not listeners), the orchestra sounds in full splendor with a very varied program - from Beethoven to traditional jazz. I immediately felt the Leningrad school of conducting and a deep knowledge of the score. I would like to emphasize the harmonious sound of the orchestra, like that of an organ. This is the undoubted merit of the conductor.
I am glad to have constant creative communication with Mikhail Gurevich. The conductor took on two of my recent plays. These are "Jewish March" and "I say goodbye to the saxophone." Now I look forward to the execution. I wish you creative success, gentlemen police musicians!

                "I beg you to speak!" or the New Creative Union

 - Mikhail, having learned that I was working on an essay about the Israeli police orchestra, your colleague, chief conductor of the Orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the city of Moscow Igor Kanurin “asked to speak,” I say to Mikhail Gurevich.
“Colleagues, after looking at the information about you, I realized that our orchestras are almost the same age! Our orchestra originates from the Orchestra of the Moscow Gendarme Division, it was formed in October 1909. So our team will soon be 110 years old! And yours will soon be one hundred!
The specifics of the service and the tasks facing us and you are almost identical! And our service - just like yours, is both dangerous and difficult! Although the creative results of this service are both in our eyes and in your sight. Lots of concerts. Serving various events. Like you, we live by the charter. Years passed, the names of our orchestra and its conductors changed - just like yours. But what remains unchanged is the love of our performers and our listeners for music! As well as yours.
I remember for a long time your wonderful performance at the Spasskaya Tower-2010 festival. When I was listening to you on Red Square, I was overwhelmed by a sense of pride and joy for my Israeli colleagues! After all, there are not so many full-time police bands - there are countries in which there are none at all. We are not alone in this world, and I am glad of that. Your performance of wonderful folk music at the Moscow festival could not leave anyone indifferent. The audience instantly picked up familiar tunes and applauded your art tirelessly.
     In September 2017, the Helsinki Police Orchestra arrived on a friendly visit to Moscow at the invitation of the head of the Moscow Police. We had a great concert at the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International House of Music!
Now we have plans to unite the metropolitan police bands from different countries to hold a large festival of police bands. We will invite you too!
We wish your team prosperity and hope for an early creative union!

                On the eve of the centenary. The
     work on the essay has come to an end ... I called the Jerusalem book publishing house, which publishes collections of my stories about musicians, and asked them to prepare a place in the order folder for the publication of one new essay.
Having learned that this time it will be about the Israel Police Orchestra, the editor of the publishing house gave me this interesting photo from his own archives: May 9 in Jerusalem. Veterans parade. At the head of the columns is the Israel Police Orchestra. Colonel Menashe Lev-Ran conducts. Photo by Israeli Russian-speaking journalist Michael Kaganovich.
The military seaman David Tribelsky, a significant person in the veteran circles of Israel, approached the conductor to meet and thank for his soulful music.
From the author The
granddaughter of David Tribelsky, Maria Gelman (played the saxophone in the orchestra for 10 years):
- He himself is the author of interesting books about the war, about the vicissitudes of human destinies on the difficult paths of life ... His last book, recently published in Jerusalem, is called: "On the winding roads of life." And the veteran's age is also approaching a hundred, as is the age of the police band. In a sense, they are the same age ...
Well, well, a very curious and in many ways indicative plot: the Israeli police orchestra plays music that is very much to the liking of the main listeners and connoisseurs - representatives of the generation that walked with it the winding roads of their difficult life.
2021 will mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Israel Police Orchestra. A solid date. What is behind this?
All the intricacies of Middle East politics. What was not there! Arab pogroms, guerrilla warfare, British Mandate ... But under any regimes and circumstances, the police were needed to enforce the law, which was not on our side from the beginning.
Of course, there were also clever and discerning people on the other side of the British barricades. They decided that the police needed an orchestra, and in 1948, when the State of Israel was created, our first government decided: there should be an orchestra! To be - and to continue the tradition established in 1921 by the captain of the British police, Aubery Silver.
I am asking the conductor of the Israel Police Orchestra a simple and trivial question in connection with the approaching century: what are the creative plans? And he answers me just as simply, casually:
- We are getting ready to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the orchestra. There is a lot of work here. The plans are to record a disc, which will include new arrangements and popular works. So far, everything is only in ideas. There is still time before all this is brought to life. We think, we think, we think: how best to celebrate the anniversary! This is now our best and most interesting creative perspective!