Fedor Osver was born in Moscow in 2003. He attended the Children's School of Music at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory where he studied with teacher Yuri Yegorov. He graduated from the Gnessin State Musical College where he studied with teacher Denis Osver. Since 2021, he studies at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatoire with Professor Alexey Utkin. Fedor won the third prize award at the Gnesin International Wind and Percussion Competition and Festival for Young Performers in Moscow, Russia and the third prize award at the International Grand Prix Competition "Golden Talents" in Kursk in 2020, and won in the XII Moscow Conservatory International Wind and Percussion Competition in 2021. He won the "Young Talents of Russia" Award (2018-2019). Fedor has a busy concert schedule. He has performed in the halls of the Moscow Conservatory, the Nizhny Novgorod Conservatory, and the Gnesin Academy of Music. He has collaborated with the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic, the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic, the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Tigran Akhnazaryan, the Gnesin Virtuosos Chamber Orchestra. He has been involved with the Saint Petersburg Music House since 2021.

Fedor Osver: Music has been a part of our family for a long time. My great-grandmother on my father's side was a musician in kindergarten, and my great-grandfather on my mother's side learned to read score and learned to play the accordion just for himself. My parents are the first professional musicians in our bloodline: my mother is a cellist and my father is an oboist. There were engineers and painters before them. Of course, my parents influenced me and influence me to this day by helping me work on different pieces, but it was I who decided to play the oboe.

Saint Petersburg Music House (SPMH): What composition did you play when you appeared on the big stage for the first time?
Fedor Osver: I recall a lot of my first performances, contests, every small leap was a small victory. My first solo performance with an orchestra was when I was 11 years old. At that time I played Vivaldi's Concerto for 2 Oboes at the Nizhny Novgorod Philharmonic Hall and had the honor of playing with Maestro Alexander Skulsky. Afterwards I had performances when I played a movement from the concerto with orchestra, but I think my first serious performance and first appearance on the big stage was the performance of Mozart's Concerto for Oboe in C major in Ulyanovsk, which was within the framework of the River of Talent project. It was then that I first played the entire Concerto. It was exciting, but very joyful!

SPMH: The oboe was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most challenging instrument in 1989. What do you think is the most challenging thing about it?
Fedor Osver: Yes, indeed, the oboe is the most difficult instrument, as recognized by the Guinness Book of Records. It's an extremely capricious instrument, but the biggest challenge for oboists is the reeds. It is an eternal quest and an eternal experiment. It takes from one evening to a week or more to make a reed. There is a myth saying that the more time it takes to make a reed, the longer it plays, but in my experience, it is a matter of chance, sometimes a reed made in 2 days will play for a month and a half, and a reed that is made for a week will crack almost immediately.  A couple of years ago, oboists had a challenge called "10 minute reed," which was to make a playing reed from scratch in 10 minutes.  Basically all professional oboists make their own reeds, because it's all very individual, the technology is very sophisticated and takes a lot of time, effort and energy. You need to be able to fix your reeds, because they can change depending on the climate, the temperature and the humidity. For example, in St. Petersburg, reeds become heavier due to humidity and do not produce sound, but old, seemingly dried out reeds can suddenly gain a new life. I should also say that the oboe is physically hard to play. You need to take enough breath to blow through the instrument, but the hole in the reed is very thin and creates a lot of pressure and leaves a lot of excess air. This is why oboists who prefer "heavy" reeds often get headaches. A lot of attention should be paid to the condition of the instrument, it also greatly affects the comfort of playing.

SPMH: The oboe in an orchestra often plays playful, prankish, comic roles. Do you like these features of its " temperament"?
Fedor Osver: Yes, it does happen, the most clichéd and suitable example is the duck from Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. However, the oboe is usually responsible for lyrical, melodic themes. All the most famous oboe solos are exactly something sung, melodic, and lyrical. I feel closer to the lyrical oboe. The most beautiful oboe solo in the orchestra for me is the cantilena solo from the 2nd movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 1. Maybe it's because I'm a huge nature lover. It may be that because of my age, Romanticism is more intimate with me than anything else; I'm not trying to portray anything, but I am trying to convey to the audience the feelings and states that the composer put into the notes: freshness, ardor, the flight of the youthful soul, nobility! I love Schumann, both to play and to listen.

SPMH: A large part of the oboe repertoire is associated with the Baroque. You perform, in particular, compositions by Telemann and Bach in the programs of the Saint Petersburg Music House. Do you feel integral to the music of that era?
Fedor Osver: Yes, of course, there was an enormous body of music written for the oboe in the Baroque era, and I'm sure that just as much has been lost or is simply unknown to us. I am very attracted to the variety of Baroque genres: instrumental concertos, sonatas for oboe and basso continuo, trio sonatas, double instrumental concertos, orchestral suites, concerto grosso. It is admirable that baroque music always has some freshness, liveliness, it does not lose its relevance. There were times when I came to rehearsal in a not very good mood, a little sad, but after class my mood rose sharply, just took off. Then we played the Bach orchestral suites. I often perform Baroque compositions, especially in the programs of the Saint Petersburg Music House; this music is very interesting to play, it is organic, you can improvise a bit and enjoy the sound.

SPMH: What would you highlight from the oboe compositions of more recent or modern era?
Fedor Osver: Favorites of 20th-century music at the moment include Henri Dutilleux's Oboe Sonata, Hidas's joyful and folksy Concerto, and Silvestrini's solo etudes, which take the technical potential of the oboe to its fullest extent. Certainly there are compositions by Luciano Berio, Heinz Holliger, Antal Dorati, and Vinko Globocar, but I haven't gotten to those yet. The techniques used there range from frullato, glissando, playing the oboe without a reed, using multifonics, to shouting and laughing without an instrument. I was told that in a composition contest there was a piece where you had to smash the bell (the oboe's lower knee) against the floor during the performance. There are still many pieces from the classical concert oboe repertoire that I want to play and need to learn, so the time for "informal" music has not yet come.

SPMH: Which of the oboists is a benchmark for you as an artist?
Fedor Osver: It is very tricky to name just one name. François Leleux, Alex Klein, Washington Barella, Alex Utkin, Philippe Tondre, Ramon Ortega, Anatoly Lubimov, Heinz Holliger. They are all terrific musicians and excellent instrumentalists. Sometimes while listening to the recording you get the feeling that this is playing the violin, but not the oboe, as if there were no technical limitations in the instrument's capabilities.

SPMH: It is believed that it is very difficult for an oboist to make a solo career, at least many times more difficult than, for example, for a pianist or cellist... Do you agree with this statement? Are you willing to prove it wrong with your own example?
Fedor Osver: Yes, it's tough, there are very few such cases. But they do exist, everybody knows Alexei Utkin, François Leleux, Alex Klein. I think it all comes down to the oboe's limited repertoire. Even the performer himself can get bored of playing the same thing for many years. And there aren't many people who like to listen to an oboe all night long - it has too distinctive a timbre and a strong sound. But there are examples when excellent oboists combine solo performances with playing in an orchestra (Albrecht Meyer, Philippe Tondre), because an oboist in an orchestra is also a soloist. I'm not ready to prove it's wrong with my own example yet, I'm just at the beginning of my journey. When I get a chance to perform solo, it's a great thrill, and I'm grateful for every opportunity to go on stage.

SPHM: What kind of art project would you like to take part in, perhaps an experimental one that goes beyond the usual boundaries?
Fedor Osver: I would like to play baroque music with harpsichord, organ, theorbo or baroque guitar. But I wouldn't turn down projects with modern music either, as long as it doesn't involve breaking my instrument, because playing such music is most often interesting, and sometimes it's a matter of sportsmanship.

SPHM: What events are you especially looking forward to in the new year: concerts, projects, and tours?
Fedor Osver: First of all, I want to express my enormous gratitude to the Saint Petersburg Music House, which gives young musicians the opportunity to perform at the best concert venues, to perform completely non-standard programs even on instruments unaccustomed to the public (oboe, clarinet, double bass), and to gain indispensable concert experience. Terrific projects such as River of Talents, Embassy of Musical Mastery, Summer Academy, Crash Course in  April, and Crash Course in November give a wide range of young musicians from all over our country the chance to study with the best teachers, great musicians, and to go on stage with a symphony orchestra!  I was lucky enough to attend master classes with Professor Alexey Utkin (I am currently studying at the Conservatory with him) and with the amazing musician Pavel Sokolov. It's a precious experience, new knowledge, and a tremendous boost for learning! All of my important concerts were played as part of Saint Petersburg Music House programs, and all of my victories at major competitions came after master classes and the irreplaceable, albeit still small, stage experience gained at concerts provided by Saint Petersburg Music House. My only regret is that I didn't start participating in programs until I was 18.  I'm always happy for any opportunity to get on stage! My next performance will take place on February 4 in Arkhangelsk, where I will be performing chamber music with the brilliant pianist Alexander Klyuchko as part of the Musical Team of Russia .
 
Interview by Tatiana Mikhailova

https://www.spdm.ru/solist-yanvarya-2023-fyodor-osverIN RUSSIAN