Horns

Egor Bulgakov

In the orchestra since 2023

Since 2016, he has been studying at the Gnesin Moscow Secondary Special Music School in the class of Andrey Kuznetsov. He is the laureate of international competitions.

Since 2019, he has been the concertmaster of the horn group of the All-Russian Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yuri Bashmet. Since 2021, he has been performing as a guest musician in such orchestras as the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’ and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra. He took part in concert programmes of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia conducted by Vladimir Spivakov and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Fedoseyev.

As a soloist, he toured with Yuri Bashmet’s orchestra The Soloists of Moscow across Russia and took part in many festivals. In 2022, he took part in the II Siberian Horn Days Festival in Novosibirsk.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC?

Both my great-grandfather and my father played the French horn. Strangely enough, my parents did not plan to raise me as a musician: I was doing sports professionally. Of course, I often went to my father's concerts and listened to classical music. So, when I was 11, he gave me a chance to play the French horn. And I did it surprisingly well: this is a fairly complex instrument, as a rule, it's difficult to make a normal sound on it the first time you try, but I even managed to play a few notes. This inspired me and made it clear that it was worth trying my hand as a musician.

WHAT GIVES YOU MOTIVATION?

I like taking a hard path. I like taking up challenges, I like when there are opportunities for growth. It immediately gives me a burst of motivation, a desire to move forward. And now it's all concentrated in music for me. I still have a lot to learn, a lot to discover for myself. Music is an ideal path for me: it is difficult but interesting.

WHICH COMPOSITION WOULD YOU LIKE TO PERFORM?

I really like Reinhold Glière's French Horn Concerto, it is dedicated to the famous Russian French horn player Valery Polekh. This is a romantic concert that showcases the French horn in all its facets — listeners can appreciate its range, sound, character, and all its advantages. If you want to know what this instrument is capable of, I advise you to definitely listen to this Concerto.

WHO HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOU AS A MUSICIAN?

Of course, my father is one of my authorities in music. He was the first musician I heard, and we started studying together. This is also my teacher Andrey Kuznetsov. At the moment, my main mentors are the French horn players of musicAeterna. Some of the best musicians are gathered here, and everyone can talk about their journey, share their findings, and suggest something. It is great luck to be able to learn from them. This season has been a great test of strength for me. We played some of the most complex symphonies in the orchestral repertoire, and the French horn players had difficult parts. It was necessary not only to play pitch perfectly, but also to immerse oneself in the material, to love this music. And, of course, I had to work very hard: I found myself among very high-level musicians and had to play in a way that maintained this standard within the orchestra I'm the youngest member of the orchestra right now, and I'm very grateful to everyone who shares their experience, and they do it carefully and delicately.

WHAT DO YOU DO BESIDES MUSIC?

Of course, there are a lot of rehearsals in the orchestra, but we also know how to relax. For example, we play ping pong: we have a table right in the lobby, and we play several games between rehearsals. I like to play sports with my colleagues: we seem to be the same ensemble, but we are already doing something else. And I also like to play on the console: once in a while you can just have fun.