Une Autre vie

Minsk, winter 1999. Alyosha, his cello in hand, walks into a room full of books, ornaments and pictures. It is here, at the Bielorussian State Music College, that Vladimir Perlin gives his classes. Alyosha plays, Lyuba Petrovna accompanies him on an old grand piano… Little by little, the mystery of this unusual class unfolds’Vladimir Perlin teaches music as a daily act of creation. More than just music, his lessons are artistic moments, where poetry, be it Verlaine or Pushkin, is all important. When Alyosha, Sasha, Volodya, Garik play, they interpret their music for us as if « reciting » a poem. Thanks to music, they are emotionally moved, can seduce, have fun, find freedom… They are the enthusiastic guardians of a culture which may well come under threat, but which can be transmitted intelligently and lovingly so as to open up « another dimension »… full of freedom and space.