OLEG AND THE RARE ARTS

Spain, 2016, dir. Andrés Duque, 67 min.

Who is this man who looks as if he stepped out of a story by Gogol?

The legendary Oleg Nikolaevitch Karavaychuk is the mysterious and moving subject of this loving film by the director Duque. He was moved by the music the pianist composed for a film by Kira Muratova and is the first foreigner to win the trust of the eccentric 89-year-old Russian composer and performer who sadly, passed away, early in 2016. So this film is also a rare and the only tribute to the gifted musician offered by the Western film director.

Several biographical facts: Oleg Nikolayevich Karavaychuk (born 1927) played the piano for Stalin as a child prodigy, attended the Leningrad Conservatory and in the course of his career primarily wrote music for theatre and film – for instance, for Paradjanov and Muratova. In Russia, he is admired for his music and his playing, but also for his unique and eccentric personality. At the age of 89, Karavaychuk is still a controversial and puzzling figure in Russian culture.

The beautiful film that Andrés Duque made about him is a gift to the viewer, a gift from an old artist who wants to be reconciled with the world and who transports us away from reality with words, gestures and piano playing, free of social conventions, to a world where clashing dissonance has a liberating beauty.

The film also premiered on MUBI on Friday 9 June. You can enjoy a free 30-day trial of MUBI here.

12 July 2017,
19:00, Calvert 22