𝐃𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐑ää𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐞 "𝐊𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐚 𝐄𝐥𝐮", 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟔𝟖.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐫: If you agree, let's also discuss some of the trends in the work of young composers. For example, the use of folklore.

𝐃𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐢 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐡: /../ I can only speak from personal, absolutely subjective observation. Young composers approach folklore seriously and in different ways. It's not a question of quoting exactly one or another folk style. /../ The composers are interested in different aspects of folklore, for example, Shchedrin prefers contemporary folklore /../ They all have the same goal: the search for their own independent musical language, as well as a field of interest - folklore. I will mention some others: Valery Gavrilin and Boris Tishchenko from Leningrad, Jaan Rääts and Arvo Pärt from Estonia, Miloslav Skoryk and Leonid Grabovsky from Ukraine, and many others.

It is important, the composer continues, that Shchedrin's both piano concertos are not exchanged for Slonimsky's "A Voice from the Chorus", just as Pärt's First Symphony is not exchanged for Rääts's Concerto for Chamber Orchestra or Sidelnikov's "He Who Raises the Sword" for Nikolayev's "Masters". The whole point is not genre but creative diversity.