Interview by Daria Melikhova. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Actor Yevgeny Gerchakov has an original background, as there is Russian, Georgian, Greek, and Jewish blood in his veins. He told Vestnik Kavkaza about his view on the events happening in the Caucasus.
- What are your contacts with the Caucasus?
- The Caucasus has suffered a lot of problems; and there are many ethnic groups. And it is wonderful. They are different; they have different customs, as far as I know. It depends not on religious beliefs, but on roots which come from ancient times. The Caucasus preserves it. My mother was born in Makhachkala. I remember her stories about its beauty and so on. Unfortunately, I’ve never been there. You know that life is not easy there today.
I have a friend from Makhachkala. He works in Moscow; he is a solo violinist of the Internal Ministry Orchestra, Mario Duran [Mario Ali Duran Sutuyev, an Honored Artist of Dagestan]. He is a wonderful musician and singer. I often invite him to my concerts and he does the same, and we perform together. I really want to visit the Caucasus, because I know there are great theatre roots. In the past the State Theatre Institute formed courses entirely consisting of Ingushetians, Chechens, Azeris, and so on. They studied in Moscow and then were sent to the Caucasus to work in local theatres. It was very interesting. I was a boy at that time, but I remember that. Today we don’t have this. I would be happy to establish such a course. I was offered to open a Chinese course, but I said that I would be better opening something which is closer to my heart.
There were great actors in Armenia, for instance. I knew Karen Abramyan, theatre director of the Sundukyan Academic Theatre in Yerevan. I knew Frunkiz Mkrtchyan very well. I met him in Yerevan when I went on tour and filmed at Armenfilm Studio.
I have many friends in Georgia, many of them live in Moscow. Of course, there is tension between our countries today because of the war. I think it is very unfair.
Spain is a very emotional country, which loves its land, its rocks, its sea, but there are Basques. People cannot live in peace. Why? I don’t know why. It is much better to live in peace than to fight.
It is great that we have managed to hold the world in peace. But it is impossible for us! Is there no war? Let’s start a war! The reason for this is that money rules the world. Nothing can be done.
The state doesn’t give money for culture. But every nation begins from culture, from the culture of the people and their education. When nobody deals with it, it is easier to control people. Few people go to the theatre. A theatre is a place where clarification can take place. When you go to the cinema, you feel alone, even though people are around you; but theatre unites people.
- When did you visit the Caucasus last?
- I visited Baku a month ago. It was a long-held dream of mine. I was in the city in Soviet times; it was a nice and original city. But this time it won my heart, as well as the hearts of all our delegates, there were many famous people, artists and cinematographers. The city is very beautiful, it was a surprise for me. It has blossomed in all these years. The architecture is very beautiful. It resembled Barcelona to me, which I visited not long ago. Barcelona is a cool city. Gaudi constructed a lot of buildings there. He was a famous architect who was a friend of Salvador Dali (I recently played Dali). And Baku’s architecture is also very original.
I was invited by the Heydar Aliyev Fund. The meeting was held at the highest level; everything was beautiful and civilized. We looked at the city and the seafront. I had an idea to visit Muslim Magomayev’s grave. And of course I did. I was so well-groomed! The cemeteries are very clean; and it is nice when deceased people are remembered and their graves are kept in order. I begin to compare them with our graveyards – the difference is huge. You know, they treat the deceased like the living.
There was a big concert. Many Azerbaijani musical masterpieces were played there, as well as classical music. The concert was classical. I went to an evening in Moscow half a year ago, it was devoted to Heydar Aliyev. And I was amazed how he loved classical music.
It seems to me that people are satisfied in Azerbaijan. They have shining eyes and warm smiles. I understand that not everybody is happy; it simply cannot be so. However, the general picture is wonderful. We were present at the opening ceremony of a big building, a new cultural and museum complex. It was designed by a designer who is an ethnic Azerbaijani, but lives in Lebanon; she is a pretty woman. She was praised there. The building is amazing, white, and beautiful. One can see that the nation lives and develops. And it is great.
