Mark Drobinsky and Laubach instruments

The Chamber Orchestra "Russian Camerata" and the "Cello Demon" Mark Drobinsky.

After returning from a brilliant tour of Europe, the Governor's Chamber Orchestra of the Tver Academic Philharmonic "Russian Camerata" under the direction of Artistic Director Andrey Kruzhkov gave a concert on March 26 featuring the outstanding cellist Maestro Mark Drobinsky (France).

A long-standing friendship connects us with the orchestra's musicians, many of whom are our regular clients. Laubach instruments and bows have earned special love and recognition among the performers; nearly all the string players use Laubach Gold Rosin. Almost the entire first violin section plays on Laubach LIM 918 V soloist violins.

The Governor's Chamber Orchestra of the Tver Academic Philharmonic "Russian Camerata"

Shortly before the European tour, the orchestra's concertmaster Elena Cherkashina received her violin. Elena had waited a long time for this instrument; specifically for her, the master Laubach built a magnificent instrument, comparable in its objective characteristics to the best Italian violins.

The tour through Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, and Poland was a success. In his television interview, Artistic Director Andrey Kruzhkov gave a report on the tour.

Interview with Artistic Director Andrey Kruzhkov

According to long-standing tradition, Maestro Mark Drobinsky, often called a true "cello demon," performed in Switzerland both with the orchestra and in a duet with first violin Elena Cherkashina.

On March 26 in Tver, as part of the XXII International Bach Music Festival, a concert by Mark Drobinsky and the "Russian Camerata" Chamber Orchestra took place. It was very important for me to attend this concert, to hear the orchestra in the magnificent hall of the Tver Philharmonic, and primarily to hear our instruments, form my own impressions, and gauge the response of the esteemed public, the conductor, the musicians, and the great master Mark Drobinsky. Therefore, we arranged a meeting with Drobinsky and attended the rehearsals in advance. It was crucial for me to present a Laubach LIM 918 C soloist cello (Montagnana model) for the judgment of this remarkable musician—an old-school virtuoso who was a student of Mstislav Rostropovich and has performed with the most prominent musicians of our time, including Rostropovich himself, Jacqueline du Pré, Martha Argerich, Mischa Maisky, Dora Schwarzberg, Renaud Capuçon, Patrice Fontanarosa, Diane Andersen, and many others.

We arrived in Tver together with Anastasia Cherkashina, a wonderful cellist and student at the M.P. Mussorgsky Ural State Conservatory, pupil of the Honored Artist of Russia, Professor Sergey Fedorovich Peshkov. For over six months, Anastasia has been playing a Laubach Montagnana LIM 918 C Soloist cello. When we reached the Philharmonic, the orchestra was already rehearsing, though without Drobinsky yet. Taking the opportunity, we visited Mark Drobinsky in his dressing room. The impressions from the first meeting were very warm. Mark said he was delighted to meet us, as he loves performing with the "Russian Camerata" and in a duet with Elena. He mentioned that the recent joint concerts in Switzerland remained deep in his memory, emphasizing that with the new Laubach instruments, the orchestra had become more expressive—specifically, the first violins sounded exceptionally even and cohesive. We arranged to meet the next day for a master class and a short interview. Mark gallantly addressed Anastasia:

"I have heard about you as a wonderful musician from the orchestra members and the artistic director. Furthermore, I know you study with the outstanding musician and teacher Sergey Fedorovich Peshkov. Therefore, I would not want to view our meeting as a 'master class'; let it rather be an exchange of experience between two professionals."

A break was announced, and I hurried to meet the orchestra members to hear their impressions of the tour. I was most interested in how the musicians performed with our Laubach violins. All the first violin players were very pleased. The responsive, easily controlled violins and bows, with comfortable sound production capabilities, gave the musicians a new stimulus. Preparing for the tour, the violinists meticulously studied the scores. As a result, the first violins blended into such harmony that they caused a real sensation at all concerts. A famous Italian conductor noted that the first violin section could grace the finest orchestras, such as La Scala in his homeland.

After the break, Mark Drobinsky joined the rehearsal. It was a wonderful sight. Drobinsky was so relaxed on stage that he set a magnificent tone for the musicians. I knew Mark had injured his right hand and was in pain, but it was impossible to tell from the outside. His charming smiles and clear facial expressions brought continuous lightness to the musicians. He occasionally cracked jokes, for instance, saying "Well, look at that—I hit the note," as if surprising himself. The rehearsal concluded, leaving an indelible impression on my memory.

The next morning, Elena, Anastasia, and I hurried to meet Mark. Anastasia brought her Laubach cello (LIM 918 C Montagnana model), and I prepared new Laubach violins: LIM 818 V, LIM 888 V, and LIM 898 V. Mark wanted to listen to and compare their sounds, so I asked Elena to perform. I also brought gifts for the Maestro: Laubach Gold Rosin for cello, Laubach cleaning and polishing agents, and the new Evah Pirazzi Gold cello strings. Pirastro had introduced these new strings at the Frankfurt exhibition, where I received a set as a sample. Knowing I would meet Drobinsky, I told the Pirastro management that the strings would end up in very good hands. They expressed appreciation, as they know him as an outstanding cellist and looked forward to his objective review.

We met at the Philharmonic in Mark's dressing room. First, he asked to see the new Laubach violins. These included the LIM 818 V orchestral violin, two LIM 888 V violins, and one LIM 898 V, the latter three featuring an antiqued varnish imitation. After examining them closely, Drobinsky noted that the violins looked very good, especially the "antique" ones, mentioning he has a 1970s Italian cello that also imitates an antique look. Mark noted the ground and varnish were exceptionally beautiful and the maple flame sparkled. After hearing Elena play, the Maestro said that the antiqued violins were more interesting due to their richness of tonal color.

"Now let's see your cello; usually, I'm not very fond of German ones," Drobinsky said.

Anastasia took out the cello, and the musicians spent a long time analyzing fragments from works by Bach, Boccherini, and Davydov. They understood each other with half-gestures and half-words.

Finally, I asked Drobinsky if he liked the Laubach instrument. Mark replied that he liked it very much. He inquired about the maker and asked if we could keep in touch. He called the instrument very strong, bright, and responsive—undoubtedly interesting for top-level soloists, allowing for the expression of the most subtle feelings.

I thanked the musician and presented the gifts. Looking at the rosin, he asked:

"Is that real gold in there?"

"Yes, the gold is real."

"That’s great! If I go broke, I can extract the gold," Drobinsky joked.

A few hours later, we took our seats in the packed hall. It was a magnificent concert. The first violins charmed with their unison. When Drobinsky took the stage, I couldn't stop thinking about his right hand. I knew how difficult it was for him to play, but no one in the audience could have noticed the pain. When he began to perform Servais' fantasy on Rossini themes in his own arrangement, I forgot about his hand. His performance was filled with warmth, humor, and joy, which enchanted the entire audience.

The next day, we met again in Moscow to see Mark off at the station. He called a few days later to thank us again for the instrument care product and the Laubach Gold Rosin: "Pavel, you know, I tried your miracle cure—my cello looks a hundred years younger! And the rosin is very good, although dust still falls; I thought there wouldn't be any," he said with another joke.

04/02/2014. Pavel Dudenkov.