Russian

Composers about M.Kuss

From letters of V. I. Fedoseyev, the conductor, People’s Artist of the USSR and O.I.Dobrokhotova (Maestro’s wife) to the composer M.I. Kuss
Our darling Margoshechka!
We are fond of you, always remember our meetings, talks full of mutual understanding…
…Believe us, we highly appreciate your cordial friendship and confidence in us.
With God’s help let our “Quientet” remain together, successfully tackle as much as possible creative tasks…
Dear Margaritochka!
We regret it very much, that on your Birthday we cannot kiss you, congratulate and wish you the most bright days in your life, and mainly health.
We love you very much, dear, and are grateful for your kind constancy in consolidation of our “Quientet”. We are looking forward to our precious talks.
Dear Margaritochka!
Thank you for your first-class music, for your real cordiality!
Be healthy and compose your works easily and with efforts, with pleasure and sorrow.
We cordially embrace you and congratulate with Premiere.
Yours faithful and affectionate friends V. Fedoseyev and O. Dobrokhotova.
O. B. Galakhov 
Composer, Honored Art Worker of the RSFSR and Chairman of the Moscow Organization of the Union of Composers. From a speech at the concert dedicated to 85-year jubilee of M.Kuss.

“Margarita I. Kuss belongs to a cohort of our outstanding composers. She embodies in her work great traditions of our national musical culture. She has always been faithful in her approach to every effort. We do not often hear Margarita’s music, the reason for this is her extraordinary requirements to her creative work. Every note in her compositions is accurately verified, gained through personal feelings and filled with emotions”.
A.I. Golovin 
Composer and Professor at the Russian Gnesins’ Academy of Music. From a speech at the jubilee celebration. 

“Margarita’s music is to me as a gulp of spring water. It purifies the soul and speaks about her soul which is very deep, pure and God-fearing”. 
I.I. Golubev, composer. From a speech at the concert dedicated to 85-year jubilee of the composer M.Kuss.

“P.I. Tchaikovsky used to say that music should be written at random. I think that Margarita writes this way. But in order to write in this manner, it is necessary to have a very profound knowledge of composition, know masters of the past and have a deep knowledge of orchestral forms and the most important quality is to have an inborn talent and to be able to feel nature and life. And all the above Margarita has”. 
R.S. Ledenev
Composer, Professor of the Moscow Conservatory, People’s Artist of the RF 

"I am very fond of Margarita Kuss’s music for its authenticity, naturalness and for her respect for the traditions of Russian music. She never tried either to fit in with something or someone, nor did she attempt to be carried along with the tide of a certain composer and his school. She absorbed all music - both Russian, and Western and expressed herself in her own musical language. As S.V. Rachmaninoff said: "The highest quality of art is to be natural". And she was of that mind. She always has been open-minded in music, and she made many noteworthy comments regarding the music of other composers. She was in general very intelligent, - : strict but fair. And I am proud that I heard her personal opinion on some of my own works, as one could always trust her. She was a person with a particular ability to understand music and discuss it. She was a remarkable composer and I think that her contribution in the history of Russian music is significant and it will be acknowledged some day." 
V.I. Rubin, People’ Artist of Russia
Excerpt from a letter of the composer.

"You are a magnificent composer with an amazingly pure, chaste attitude to music and your music is beautiful and lofty, I appreciate your music very much." 
G.V. Sviridov 
Composer, People's Artist of the USSR.
Excerpts from letters to composer Margarita Kuss 

"Thank you for your gift. It is really wonderful! Arrangements are made with a great taste, they are pure and organic. Songs are adorned, neither depraved, nor befouled. Congratulations on your good, lively, honest Work. Cordial greetings to you”. About her vocal cycle “Russian Songs”
“I should say that I listened to your music attentively and with great pleasure. The first three romances are very good. The fourth one I liked less. The words “Decay is viewed in nature” for some reason interfere with concentration of my attention on music, on the whole quite good, but truly speaking, not so striking (however essential in the whole content, as well as “Gorodok”). And the last three songs are really wonderful. They are diverse, lofty, unpretentious, beautiful and original in the sense of inspiration! “The Earth” is a special success. This music can be listened to for many times. And it is done so skillfully, not a single unnecessary note…” About vocal cycle “Eight romances”.
“Dear Margarita Ivanovna, thank you for memory, for the sheet music of your sonata. I had been unaware of it before and studied it on my own, but of course I would like to listen to it. If you have a record, please send it to me. And now I would like to tell you something. It has happened so that the record with your songs, words by different poets, including Kaisyn Kuliyev (performed by Miroshnikova), some of the songs are marvelous, (the record) which you handed over to Rubin so that he would give it to me and I would send to Kaisyn who would be glad to have this record, and the point is that these songs (your record) were (was) lost. It’s beyond me, I give up to assume where they could be. I have only my copy, which I have listened to many, many times, as I have played these songs on the record very often both for myself and my friends, and there is no copy for Kuliyev, it seems to vanish into thin air. … Please, obtain one more copy to me or even (if possible) 2 copies of this record. I impudently ask you for it as there is no this record in shops! And still I have to give this record to Kuliyev, especially as I have told him of it and he would like to have it very much”… About vocal cycle “Eight romances”.
“ Dear Margarita, be healthy, compose music, let it sound as much as possible, and mainly better performed. By the rights of our old friendship I embrace you and wish you all the very best! Best regards from Elza. G.Sviridov”. 
A.Y. Eshpai
Composer, People's Artist of the USSR. From a preface to publication of Margarita’s Trio for piano, violin and cello. 

“Margarita Kuss is an amazingly gifted composer. The highest levels of her professionalism, of great erudition and of irreproachable taste help her to tackle the most challenging creative problems. The depth and expressiveness are the main attributes of all her works. She composes in various genres: cantata, symphonic poem, and sinfonietta. Considerable attention M. Kuss draws to vocal art: her romances are marked by delicate lyricism”.