Oleg Karavaichuk

Legendary St. Petersburg composer Oleg Karavaichuk strolls through the Hermitage accompanied by his music. A seething genius among the masterpieces and interiors of the Winter Palace similar to himself.

The film is dedicated to a unique artistic phenomenon—the work of musician Oleg Karavaichuk, who with great strength embodied the understanding of “The Spirit of St. Petersburg” in our time. About this film composer who wrote music for more than 100 movies, and the creator of virtuosic piano, improvisations, Dmitry Shostakovich said, “Karavaichuk is not a talent; he is a genius.” This is how he was discussed, as the last musical genius, in June 2016, when Oleg Karavaichuk passed away. The next year, 2017, he would have turned 90 years old.

This film is about Oleg Karavaichuk, eccentric musical genius and famous St. Petersburg composer, who takes his final stroll through Komarovo, a bay-side summer community just outside St. Petersburg where he spent his whole life and wrote most of his works. His final piece, “The Komarovo Waltz”, unveiled here for the very first time, was written as a tribute to the place. The film is the reclusive composer’s eulogy to the community. It also serves as Karavoichuk’s farewell to audience as well as his last address and reminder of things that are truly important – love for your fellow man and virgin nature.

The legendary Oleg Nikolaevitch Karavaichuk is the mysterious and moving subject of this loving film by the young director Duque. He was moved by the music the pianist composed for a film by Kira Muratova and is the first foreigner to win the trust of the eccentric and still active 89-year-old Russian.

In Soviet times it was impossible to go to a concert of composer Oleg Karavaichuk. Because there weren’t any. Karavaychuk’s eccentricity was too bewildering for the culture officials of that time, and he was practically banned from performing in public. He began to work at the Lenfilm Studio and write film music there. Recognition came to Karavaichuk only in the 2000s. It is summer 2015 and Oleg Karavaichuk gives his “Pure Music” concert. Half a year later he travels to Spain, where rehearses again. While there he meets with journalists and talks about how he senses the smell of death in the streets of ancient Pamplona.

The film is based on a video made by Sergey Lando on the Petersburg Recording Studio at the end of March 2009, before the 200th anniversary of Nikolai Gogol. Next day, Oleg Karavaichuk took the footage and assembled film. It was first shown on April 1, 2009 in Gogol's birthday at a concert "Diary of a Madman" in Culture House "Lensovet" in St. Petersburg. This film is not about Gogol, but is dedicated to him: in the intervals of playing the piano, the composer talks about the true roots of the writer's work, about the common fate of the greatest people of art, about the synthesis of music and literature, about eternity and paradoxes.

Reflections of the brilliant film composer Oleg Karavaichuk on life and art.

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