Basses

Lev Mikhaliov

In the choir since 2022

Lev Mikhalyov is a bass singer, conductor, and composer; a member of the musicAeterna choir since 2022. Lev graduated from Glinka Choral College in 2016 and entered the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (department of choral conducting). Since 2019 he has been studying symphony conducting.

He also studied composition privately with Igor Rogalev and Sergei Slonimsky.

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC?

I grew up in a musical family, my parents worked at the conservatory and sometimes took me to their workplace. I remember one of my first impressions: tobacco smoke on the 5th floor, double basses that stand on the concrete floor at the stairs, students who are practising on them. I've seen musicians rehearsing, composers working, and I've been to studios where music was recorded. On the one hand, all this was something unattainable for me, on the other - something that I really wanted to do myself. That's why, of course, when I reached the age of 6, it was decided that I go to a choir college.

WHAT MAKES MUSICAETERNA DIFFER FROM OTHER ENSEMBLES?

The first time I heard about musicAeterna was in 2019, when a performance was being prepared in Athens and the audition for the project was announced. I started watching and listening to the recordings I could find and was deeply impressed. And now, having already worked in the choir, I can say that the main thing for me is not even the professional level of the artists, although it is, of course, high. People who possess very important human qualities have gathered here. The first thing you notice is the kindness of everyone in the choir, how warm and sincere the atmosphere at the rehearsals is. I am very grateful to Teodor Currentzis and Vitaly Polonsky for finding and bringing such people together.

WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE DREAM?

I recently completed my studies at the Conservatory with a degree in symphonic conducting. There is an opinion that conducting is a profession of the second half of life, and I partly agree with it. The conductor needs to know everything and a little more. It shouldn't be just a master. This is a person who thinks not only tactically, but also strategically, knows how to reach an agreement and gives freedom to the team, but at the same time is a locomotive, a driving force of the ensemble. It's much more complicated than it looks from the outside, but it's very interesting.

WHAT IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF BEING A MUSICIAN?

I've recently heard this phrase: 'There are three professions where one can't stop developing: doctors, athletes, and musicians.' You need to keep fit and exercise all the time. It seems to be a simple rule, but it should become a habit. Talent is a good thing, of course, but you need to keep learning. To stop means death. Or an excessively large fermata.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?

I'm lucky to be able to not perceive work as a difficult process. Yet by all means it's nice to spend your free time relaxing: taking a walk in the nature or just being with your family and loved ones. And sometimes meditate a little. One of the methods to do that is to imagine that the thoughts in your head are arranged in boxes. One contains work processes, the other is full of household chores, and so on. And there's another box, an empty one. It is useful to open it sometimes, for example, before a concert. To put everything in there and not think about anything at all for a while.