Medals "For contribution to the development of the Union State" awarded in Minsk

Today, November 9, in the Grand Concert Hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic, a solemn ceremony of awarding the Union State awards and a concert of the Youth Belarusian-Russian Symphony Orchestra under the direction of People's Artist of the USSR and the Russian Federation Yuri Bashmet took place. It's from sb.by.

- Over more than a quarter of a century of building the Union State, a lot has been done: a single economic space has been created, common rights of citizens are implemented, more than 60 programs and projects of the Union State have been implemented. Today, under the leadership of our heads of state, Alexander Lukashenko and Vladimir Putin, we continue this work: we are strengthening cooperation and implementing joint projects. Currently, work is underway to develop a strategy for a common information space and a common youth policy. Much is being done and more will be done. I congratulate the awardees on the high appreciation of your work on Union construction. This is a high award of the Council of Ministers of the Union State, which is really awarded to those who have done a lot and made a significant contribution to the Union building. The Council of Ministers met here in Minsk a month ago and approved the main directions for the implementation of the Union State Treaty for the next three years. We still have a lot of work to do, and I am delighted to be able to present today’s well-deserved awards.

Among those awarded this evening the medal “For contribution to the development of the Union State”: Deputy Minister of Economy of Belarus Alesya Abramenko, politician Vladimir Andreichenko, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee Andrei Bolshakov, Director of the memorial complex “Brest Fortress-Hero”, member of the Council of the Republic Alexander Korkotadze, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Secreta and other prominent statesmen and industry workers.

- I am very glad that our Belarusian-Russian youth orchestra, the Union State project, is alive and well. When it began, it had an ideological component, and I did not assume that in fact we simply formed a general school of musical thinking, what is now called the fashionable word “mentality”. In creativity, we always seek our answers. It's like a firebird feather that we know we'll never catch, but we still hope for a miracle every time. This aspiration unites us. I see young guys come alive, playing together, playing brilliant classical music. We have a very strong squad so far. They teach me not to grow old, but to grow old. We have a rotation in the orchestra from 10 years to 22 two. You can imagine what a piece of life it is for a person. Therefore, on the one hand, it is necessary to gently call them to sincerity, and on the other - to taste, moderation, discipline. This is where I find the main difficulty in my role – to be with him and at the same time always say: “Wake up, do not hesitate, go ahead, but be careful!”

We have a Belarusian cellist girl, a Russian musician, and my grandson also participates. He plays a violin that I bought for a special program. I went back to playing the violin and bought an Italian instrument, which, as it turned out, belonged to an assistant professor at the Minsk Conservatory.

- Ever since I was a child, I have always enjoyed praise, and now too. There is no greater criticism than yourself, because you criticize yourself more than any enemy. You go to bed and already under the blanket all the time you think: it did not work out, here – did not finish, here – could be better. My mother said, “Work honestly and God will do it.” Praise for a person engaged in creativity is a very powerful incentive to move on. I am very happy with this award and will wear it with pride.

Among the participants of the Youth Belarusian-Russian Symphony Orchestra, the grandson of the musician is Grant Bashmet:

- First of all, everyone loves music and does it. But in such a team, in the first place, not even musical interests are brought together, but a sense of humor, general moments of our views, the inner world. This also creates a creative union.

- It’s incredible when such a great person – both musical genius and everyday genius – is with you. It's hard to tell where he's not a genius at all. When this phenomenon is so close to you, it is worth the most. He is picky, but always kind, always with an explanation - how and what to fix, how it will be better. There is nothing white and black in the world of music, everything is built on compromise.

The evening ended with a concert of the Moscow Belarusian-Russian Symphony Orchestra, in which the works of Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sergey Rachmaninov were performed.