Oleg Akkuratov pianist biography. A blind musician gave up fame for money for his family. About music as a way of life

20.10.2019

Unique blind pianist Oleg Akkuratov - about the main task of his life

Doctors and psychologists know: nature often more than compensates for the absence of one of the senses by the development of others. This is what happened to Oleg Akkuratov. Blind from birth, the boy showed phenomenal musical abilities from childhood. Now that Oleg is 27, it has become obvious: Akkuratov is Talent with a capital T. And a Man with the same one. At his first big concert in the capital, in the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International House of Music, the musician from Krasnodar amazed the capital's audience with how surprisingly natural he felt in the world of European classics and jazz, showing himself to be a subtle interpreter and a brilliant virtuoso. But our conversation with Oleg after the concert concerned not only music.

He was born in the city of Yeisk, Krasnodar Territory, to a minor mother, and was raised by his grandparents. And they noticed how enthusiastically the baby picked out any melody he heard on the piano. They showed it to the teachers of the local music school - they immediately accepted the guy into first grade. Then Oleg graduated from a specialized music school for blind and visually impaired children (it turns out there is one in Armavir, Rostov region), and the Moscow Music College of Pop and Jazz Art. And then the Rostov State Conservatory (with honors!), where he is now a graduate student and also teaches.

Oleg is a laureate of Russian and international competitions, not special ones, but those where sighted musicians compete. He toured Russia with concerts and performed in the most prestigious foreign halls. As a member of the Igor Butman Quartet and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, he toured in Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, India, the USA, Canada... And everywhere he received a standing ovation. The hall of the Moscow House of Music was no exception...

— Oleg, jazz is often contrasted with classical music, but you brilliantly play both. What is closer to you?

— For me, classical and jazz are two facets of the same art, I like to combine them in my programs. In a classical piece, you must play all the notes accurately and convey the author’s phrasing and dynamics. But in jazz you improvise, build a composition, come up with riffs - repeatable motifs... When I play classics for a long time, I begin to miss jazz, and vice versa.

Music can express and depict anything - even the mountains of Tibet, even the prairies of Texas. In Debussy you can directly hear the singing of forest birds. Or take Grieg... You immediately understand: this is the north, Norway - the sea, fjords, meadows. And in Beethoven’s tragic works, behind the music there are battles and revolutions, not only those that have happened, but also those that are yet to come...

— A more practical question: how do you learn pieces?

- Using a computer. I slow down the tempo and listen to what my right and left hands are playing. I reproduce the parts, but not mechanically, but trying to catch the accents and polyphonic effects. I spend whole days at the instrument, from morning to evening. Music is as vast as the ocean. You can dive deeper and deeper into a work you already know, constantly finding new nuances. Actually, this is what my whole life consists of.

— How many of your 27 years have you been playing the piano?

— I’ve been playing since I was three years old. I went to music school at six. At the age of 10, he was already performing Children's albums by Tchaikovsky and Schumann, sonatas by Mozart. Having mastered this, I moved on to Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata, Rachmaninov's Preludes... I love the feeling when you seem to grow from play to play. I also compose instrumental music and songs. But at the moment I am focused primarily on classical music - after all, graduate school obliges me.

— Tell us about the school for blind musicians in Armavir.

“She’s the first one like this in Russia.” It opened in 1989 on the initiative of a wonderful person - blind accordion player and teacher Vladimir Sukhorukov. At first, only visually impaired people studied there, then they began to accept everyone. Everyone learns together, which is very good. Our teachers have developed a technique that uses notes written in Braille. And we perceive a lot by ear. The school has well-equipped classrooms, excellent instruments... Three years ago, at the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Sochi, I played the Paralympic anthem, and a student from our school, Nafset Chenib, sang brilliantly with Jose Carreras and Diana Gurtskaya.

I owe my victory at the Vera Lothar-Shevchenko International Competition to my teachers, first of all to Anna Yuryevna Kudryasheva. In general, it is impossible to list all the people to whom I feel enormous gratitude. Here are a few more names. After Armavir, I studied at the Moscow Variety Jazz School with Mikhail Moiseevich Okun. He helped shape me as a jazz musician. Of the professors at the Rostov Conservatory, I cannot help but mention Vladimir Samuilovich Daich, a teacher of classical piano. And now I’m studying in graduate school with Professor Margarita Petrovna Chernykh, a chamber ensemble specialist. I also teach at the jazz department of the Rostov College of Arts, which is headed by a magnificent musician and my friend, double bassist Adam Teratsuyan. The meeting with Igor Mikhailovich Butman turned out to be very important for me. It was he who opened the world to me as a touring artist. How can we forget the wonderful concerts where we performed with such giants as Wynton Marsalis, Chick Corea, Robert Glesper and other world-class jazz stars.

— You also performed before the Pope?

— Yes, but I didn’t play, but sang in the Vatican in 2003. The choir of Viktor Sergeevich Popov and two more soloists took part in that trip. We performed the 140th Psalm of King David, “Let my prayer be corrected,” its famous version written by composer Pavel Chesnokov. Our performance created a sensation. Pope John Paul II thanked me in three languages - Russian, Polish and Italian - for singing well.

—Where is your favorite audience?

— Even when you play the same program, in different cities of the world you are greeted in a special way, they expect something special from you, close to this particular audience. You can feel it from the stage. I like the public of St. Petersburg, they are warm, educated and intelligent. But the closest thing to me is still the Moscow public. Hospitable, enthusiastic and at the same time demanding, well versed in music. When the Svetlanov Hall of the House of Music applauds you, believe me, it’s worth a lot.

— I heard that you are going to participate in the Tchaikovsky competition?

“I would really like this, but I can’t say yet whether it will work out.” A lot has to come together.

— Oleg, what qualities of character or soul led you to success - if, of course, we talk about the main thing?

— If about the main thing, then it is the love of music. I really live by her, and she often reciprocates my feelings, I feel her gratitude. And I also love to work. At a concert at the House of Music, I sang my ballad based on Zabolotsky’s poems, “The Soul Must Work.” These words are my motto. The work of a musician is a labor of labor. As the brilliant pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein said, “you need to practice music 20 hours a day without a break.” I try to follow this advice.

Oleg Akkuratov, whose biography will be described in this article, is a young pianist, virtuoso, laureate of prestigious competitions and festivals. The brilliant musician was blind from birth and was brought up in a boarding school.

Biography

Oleg Akkuratov was born in the Krasnodar region, in the village of Morevka, in 1989. He was raised by his grandparents, his mother was only fifteen years old. The pianist was born blind. Musical abilities began to appear in the boy at the age of 4 years. His grandmother took him to audition in Armavir, at the only music boarding school in Russia for visually impaired and blind children. He was accepted to study there, and the boy left home. In Armavir, Oleg learned musical notation using the Braille system. At the age of 6, he was already playing P. I. Tchaikovsky’s first concerto, which he learned by ear from a record. Then he won his first victory in the competition. In 2008, Oleg graduated from the Moscow Music College of Pop and Jazz Art and entered the Institute of Music.

Oleg has an excellent musical memory; he performs both classics and jazz wonderfully. There are no difficult works for him. O. Akkuratov sings well and has a pleasant lyrical baritone.

Creative path

In 2003, while still a student, Oleg Akkuratov performed in Great Britain before the Pope. He also took part in the concert of the outstanding opera diva Montserrat Caballe.

In 2005, the young pianist performed in Moscow, St. Petersburg and London. His partners were world-famous orchestras.

In 2006, Oleg proved himself to be a talented vocalist, taking 1st place in the competition of choirs and soloists.

In 2009, A. Akkuratov was the hero of A. Malakhov’s “Let Them Talk” program. Then he moved to live in Morevka, with his father and his family. He headed the Mich Band jazz orchestra in the city of Yeisk and became a soloist at the Russian Opera Theater. A concert was organized at the Moscow Conservatory in which Oleg Akkuratov was supposed to perform. The pianist planned to perform J. S. Bach's fantasy together with a combined choir of 815 people and an orchestra. But the concert did not take place. Oleg’s father, who had previously not taken any part in his son’s fate, prevented this performance.

Due to blindness, the pianist has to spend 10 or more hours a day mastering new works. Oleg is constantly developing and improving.

Awards

The owner of a large number of diplomas is Oleg Akkuratov. The blind pianist became a laureate of a large number of competitions and festivals at the regional, all-Russian and international levels. He received his first diploma in 2002.

Competitions in which Oleg Akkuratov won

"The starry youth of the planet."
Competition for young jazz performers.
“Piano in Jazz” (competition for young performers).
Competition for young pianists named after K. Igumnov.
"Orpheus".
Competition of young composers of Kuban and many others.

In 2001, he became a scholarship recipient of the Gifted Children program.

Found family

Oleg Akkuratov, as mentioned above, was brought up with his grandmother, and then in a special music school for visually impaired and blind children. Parents did not take any part in the musician’s upbringing. Several years ago, Oleg found a father and stepmother. And also two brothers and a sister. Oleg now lives with them in Morevka. They control his whole life. There are rumors that his relatives forced the pianist to perform almost in restaurants so that he could earn money from them, since none of his family members worked. His apartment, which he received from the state, is put up for sale, and the money accumulated in his account has been spent. The pianist's father is going to become his concert director, because he believes that the musician does not need strangers, although he does not have the necessary experience for this.

Concert programs

Oleg Akkuratov is actively touring. He travels to different cities and also performs at prestigious venues in the capital.

Concert programs this season:

“The Saved World Remembers” (evening in memory of composer A. Eshpai);
festival of musical humor in Chelyabinsk;
concert with Deborah Brown;
"Beauty Queens";
performance with Igor Butman and his orchestra;
musical evenings in Aramil and Yekaterinburg;
concert with the Russian Chamber Orchestra;
charity marathon "Flower of Seven Flowers";
concert with Jesse Jones and others.

A landmark event in which Oleg Akkuratov took part was a concert " The possibilities are limited - the abilities are limitless." The pianist performed in a duet with E. Kunz. The musicians performed F. Schubert's Fantasia in F minor four hands. The performance was bright and emotional. The musicians played superbly with each other and sounded like one person.

Great actress

Oleg Akkuratov became the prototype for the main character of the film "Motley Twilight", in which actress Lyudmila Gurchenko acted as director and composer. The film was filmed in 2009. The premiere show took place in Lyudmila Markovna, who loved the blind pianist very much, called him son and did a lot for him. She attended school in Armavir, where Oleg studied, and took part in a charity concert. The great actress and the young pianist performed songs included in the film "Motley Twilight", which at that time was still in the process of filming. A lot of listeners came to the concert. Lyudmila Gurchenko and Oleg Akkuratov were not allowed to leave the stage for a long time. The death of the great actress was a blow for the musician.

Mikhail Okun, Oleg’s teacher, is seriously concerned about the future of his student.

Biography

Oleg has perfect pitch, excellent musical memory, and a wonderful sense of rhythm. He performs both classical and jazz. There are no difficult works for him. O. Akkuratov sings well and has a pleasant lyrical baritone.

Creative path

In 2003, while still a student, Oleg Akkuratov performed in Great Britain before the Pope. He also took part in the concert of the outstanding opera diva Montserrat Caballe.

In 2005, the young pianist performed in Moscow, St. Petersburg and London. His partners were world-famous orchestras.

In 2006, Oleg proved himself to be a talented vocalist, taking 1st place in the competition of choirs and soloists.

In 2009, A. Akkuratov was the hero of A. Malakhov’s “Let Them Talk” program. Then he moved to live in Morevka, with his father and his family. He headed the Mich Band jazz orchestra in the city of Yeisk and became a soloist at the Russian Opera Theater. A concert was organized at the Moscow Conservatory in which Oleg Akkuratov was supposed to perform. The pianist planned to perform J. S. Bach's fantasy together with a combined choir of 815 people and Yuri Bashmet's orchestra. But the concert did not take place. Oleg’s father, who had previously not taken any part in his son’s fate, prevented this performance.

Due to blindness, the pianist has to spend 10 or more hours a day mastering new works. Oleg is constantly developing and improving.

Awards

Competitions in which Oleg Akkuratov won

"The starry youth of the planet."
Competition for young jazz performers.
“Piano in Jazz” (competition for young performers).
Competition for young pianists named after K. Igumnov.
"Orpheus".
Competition of young composers of Kuban and many others.

In 2001, he became a scholarship recipient of the Gifted Children program.

Found family

Concert programs

Oleg Akkuratov is actively touring. He travels to different cities and also performs at prestigious venues in the capital.

Concert programs this season:

“The Saved World Remembers” (evening in memory of composer A. Eshpai);
festival of musical humor in Chelyabinsk;
concert with Deborah Brown;
"Beauty Queens";
performance with Igor Butman and his orchestra;
musical evenings in Aramil and Yekaterinburg;
concert with the Russian Chamber Orchestra;
charity marathon "Flower of Seven Flowers";
concert with Jesse Jones and others.

Great actress

Oleg Akkuratov became the prototype for the main character of the film "Motley Twilight", in which actress Lyudmila Gurchenko acted as director and composer. The film was filmed in 2009. The premiere screening took place in a Moscow cinema. Lyudmila Markovna loved the blind pianist very much, called him son and did a lot for him. She attended school in Armavir, where Oleg studied, and took part in a charity concert. The great actress and the young pianist performed songs included in the film "Motley Twilight", which at that time was still in the process of filming. A lot of listeners came to the concert. Lyudmila Gurchenko and Oleg Akkuratov were not allowed to leave the stage for a long time. The death of the great actress was a blow for the musician.

Mikhail Okun, Oleg’s teacher, is seriously concerned about the future of his student.

Complete blindness.

Encyclopedic YouTube

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✪ Aslan Akhmadov and Oleg Akkuratov - I dreamed about you for three years

✪ Triumph of Jazz (Fantini and Oleg Akkuratov)

✪ Concert of Oleg Akkuratov

Subtitles

Biography

As a member of the UNESCO World Composite Choir, he took part in the world premiere of the international charity event “Thousands of Cities of the World” and performed at the residence of the Pope.

Oleg Akkuratov has outstanding musical abilities: absolute pitch, musical memory, sense of rhythm. Masterly plays jazz and classical works. He can sing in English and German, having learned this on his own by listening to songs on an audio player. Having heard a melody, for example on the radio, he can play it on the piano from memory. He loves poetry and knows many poems by heart.

Since 2013, Oleg Akkuratov has been working closely with People's Artist of Russia Igor Butman. As a member of the Igor Butman Quartet and the Moscow Jazz Orchestra, Oleg toured Latvia, Israel, the Netherlands, Italy, India, the USA and Canada.

In 2013, Oleg Akkuratov became a real sensation at the Triumph of Jazz festival.

In May of the same year, Oleg, along with double bassist Kate Davis, drummer Mark Whitfield and saxophonist Francesco Cafiso, became a participant in Igor Butman's international project "The Future of Jazz", with which he performed at the Chereshnevy Les festivals in Moscow and Aquajazz. Sochi Jazz Festival in Sochi.

In April 2015, at the invitation of Wynton Marsalis, Oleg performed at the Rose Hall of New York's Lincoln Center along with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

In April 2016, the pianist’s debut album “Golden Sunray”, recorded with the Igor Butman Quartet, was released on the Butman Music Records label.

On February 1, 2017, Oleg’s first Big solo concert took place in the Svetlanov Hall of the Moscow International House of Music with the participation of Igor Butman and special guests

Competitions and awards

About him

One of the best jazz pianists introduced me to Oleg. And this acquaintance amazed me so much that if he had been an orphan, I would have adopted him. It's a dream to have such a child! Since then, I have had a goal: to do everything possible so that the whole world knows about it. I showed Oleg to famous people, took him with me to concerts, we sang together at Eldar Ryazanov’s recital, and this performance created a real sensation in the hall... There were so many plans ahead, such prospects were opening up, and suddenly I found out that he had not returned from Morevka. Oleg, in fact, is still a child. He simply does not understand that if there are no real teachers and mentors nearby, he is deprived of his future. And we are all deprived of the miracle of his talent. Lyudmila Gurchenko, People's Artist

In 10 years of teaching this brilliant child, I never heard my father’s voice. And to find out that he was now Oleg’s impresario was simply wild. I wanted to say in plain text, so that Oleg would definitely hear: “For dad to be your impresario, you need to speak languages, understand music, know conductors and directors of concert halls.” I’m glad that the boy has a family, but I’m afraid that in six months he will realize that he is left with nothing. The money from the sale of the apartment will quickly run out, and Oleg will be forced to play in a restaurant, although he is unlikely to be able to feed such a large family. Well, it will be simply impossible to return to the high level of classical music.

Oleg Akkuratov is a sensation and a holiday man. Virtuoso academic pianist, inspired jazz improviser, singer, arranger. Music is his life, his air and the main means of communication with the world.

To date, Oleg Akkuratov has already won many victories in prestigious music competitions (only Grand Prix and first places!). He has experience of performing on the best stages of Russia, Europe, America, China, creative work with such famous musicians as Lyudmila Gurchenko and Montserrat Caballe, concerts with jazz stars: the famous trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, vocalist Deborah Brown, international tours with the Igor Butman Orchestra .

On February 1, 2017, Oleg Akkuratov’s first Big solo concert took place on the stage of the Moscow International House of Music. On the eve of the performance, we talked with Oleg about his fate and creativity.

Please tell us about your years of study at the Rostov Conservatory. You got there after years of mastering music using the Braille system. Was it difficult to adapt to the university program?

I must say that the approach to studying at the conservatory turned out to be much easier for me than at a music school. The Braille music system differs from the usual flat-printed system in that the raised six-dots indicating notes must be “read” with your hands. That is, at music school I had to follow the notes with one hand and play with the other. Thus, the right and left hands had to be taught separately and then combined! At the Conservatory, I moved away from Braille and switched to the computer - using a regular Nero ShowTime player, I slowed down the tempo and listened to each passage 20 or 200 times, gradually memorizing and playing the piece of music.

It was very easy and pleasant for me to study at the Rostov Conservatory. I met my wonderful teacher, Honored Artist of Russia Vladimir Samuilovich Daich, back in 2002, that is, long before entering the conservatory. After transferring to Rostov from the Moscow Institute of Culture, he became my piano professor. It was with great pleasure that I completed a course in classical piano with him, and now I am studying in graduate school, specializing in chamber ensemble.

What kind of musician do you consider yourself - academic or jazz?

Yes, I switched to jazz, and I am probably better known to the public thanks to jazz, but I never stopped playing classical music. You could even say that jazz is my second subject, more of a hobby. At the same time, I study jazz tirelessly, just as I studied classical music since childhood. And yet, my base, foundation is academic piano. Even when I studied jazz at the Moscow College of Pop and Jazz Arts, I always played classics.

Literally at the end of last year, on December 2, I had a big solo concert at the Rostov-on-Don Philharmonic (excellent acoustics in the hall, they recently replaced the pianos, so it’s a pleasure to play there). I performed two parts of the classical program: two Beethoven sonatas - “Aurora” and “Appassionata”, a nocturne in E-flat major and a polonaise by Chopin, and seven pieces from Tchaikovsky’s “The Seasons” cycle. Only classics and no jazz! And for an encore - Scarlatti's sonata in E major. The crowd went wild at the end!

When did you feel confident as a jazz performer? When did you believe in yourself as a jazz pianist?

After the Moscow competition "Piano in Jazz". I then studied with Mikhail Moiseevich Okun. The chairman of the jury was Igor Bril, and Mikhail Moiseevich also sat among the judges. And then I felt confident in my choice and began to devote more time and effort to jazz, and began to specifically develop in this direction.

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In November 2006, Oleg Akkuratov received the Grand Prix in the category “Performer of Jazz Music” and a 1st degree diploma in the category “Composition, Arrangement and Improvisation” at the Russian competition of young jazz performers “Royal in Jazz” in Moscow.

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But, probably, even more important was the victory that I won two years later - at the International Piano Competition in Novosibirsk, my first significant victory in an “adult” music competition. Students, graduates, and accomplished musicians took part there. I played three rounds of the classical program, won and still remember the name of each piece I performed in the competition.

Which jazz masters are close and interesting to you?

Tradition is closer to me than contemporary jazz. I love old pianists - Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Denis Wilson, Earl Gardner, Fainus Newborn (not everyone remembers him, of course, but many do). Then, of course, Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. These are more modern musicians, but their music has exactly what is close to me. Then Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Vinton Kelly (I really like him because he played exactly the tradition). If we talk about vocalists, I really like Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Julia London, Dinah Washington, Natalie Cole. They are all completely different and each is unique in its own way. There are very good modern jazz singers. For example, Deborah Brown, I performed with her in Yeisk as a pianist and vocalist. And, of course, Dee Dee Bridgewater. And Diane Schur with her huge range - from B-flat of the major octave to B-flat of the second octave.

How many hours a day do you devote to music? How long have you been practicing the instrument?

Yes, there was a time when as a child I would play for two hours a day. But I grew up and long ago switched to a different format of classes - I devote almost 24 hours a day to music. In the morning I get up, sit down at the piano, learn something, listen, practice, learn something new and interesting in music. And this is not only working with the instrument, it is also working with the voice - I am constantly improving my vocals, expanding my academic base using the methods of Alexander Vedernikov. This is my life!

And besides music, I like to listen to “talking books”, I love the poems of Balmont, Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, the entire Silver Age. And the classics - Pushkin, Lermontov, Tyutchev...

How difficult is it for you to work in a busy touring schedule, on a variety of venues and in different formats?

It’s not hard for me, but on the contrary, it’s very pleasant to perform a lot with a variety of programs. Because I am extremely partial to music - both classical and jazz. Music is my everything, it’s my soul, it’s my language, it’s light, it’s warmth, it’s trepidation, it’s all that I value.

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Oleg's dad tells the story - Boris Igorevich Akkuratov

Our Oleg is a man born in music. And I can judge this objectively, and not just as his father! His talent was appreciated by many great and respected people and musicians. Oleg studied in the class of the famous jazz pianist Mikhail Okun, communicated closely with Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko, performed with her, and participated in her film.

But he never forgot about his family and his roots! Oleg and I often sing at home, I pick up my Tula accordion, play lambada, sing Cossack songs... After all, we had our own Cossack ensemble “Kuren” - we went to kurens, played in elections, went to villages.

Oleg has been “fascinated by music” since childhood. I remember that I was just brought home from the maternity hospital, very little, crying in my crib, but as soon as I turned on the music, I quieted down and listened. As soon as he grew up, he went and reached out to our old piano “Kuban”... and began to repeat the theme from Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto, which he heard on the radio! First, with one hand, and then with the other hand, I placed it on the keyboard. Myself! And when at the age of five he went to the Armavir boarding school, one of the old, experienced music teachers said: “This boy’s hands are naturally positioned correctly from birth.”

From the age of five, Oleg studied at the Armavir specialized music school for blind and visually impaired children (the boy was born blind, he has bilateral optic atrophy). Graduated from school with honors. Even during his studies, and even after it, Oleg traveled a lot to various competitions and concerts, for which many thanks to the teachers who attached great importance to his education and development.

I was once asked a question: wasn’t it a pity for you, the father, to send your little five-year-old child to a boarding school? Yes, this cannot happen without me worrying! I tore the child, the firstborn of my beloved, from my heart. But it was precisely because of this that Oleg began to live and study in his field, with his children, with excellent teachers. He was not just an equal among equals, he felt like one of the best! Which, of course, would not happen in our simple neighborhood school. At the boarding school, he never felt like he was lacking; he studied well and developed his talent. And I was able to achieve a lot! Oleg is not only a talented musician, he speaks several foreign languages and speaks English with virtually no accent, which he was repeatedly told about on tour in America. Understands and can communicate in German and Italian! Oleg is a listener, like everyone else in our family, he easily perceives and reproduces other people's speech.

And I also want to say that Oleg is a big worker, he always worked, even when he was very little. Literally did not leave the piano. And this was not just a game or exercise for him, music became his spiritual life. And no matter what difficulties he had, he never stopped working. And very different things happened... Once he had an injured finger on his hand, he was treated, he developed his hand again. But he never backed down.