Beyond Novelty: Music, Education & Artistic Identity with Maria Vlasova

This episode is in Russian. English subtitles are available on YouTube.

What makes a piece of music truly new? Is it the date it was written, the techniques it uses or the artistic ideas and emotions it communicates?

Maria Vlasova is a Russian accordionist, performer and professor at the Gnessin Academy in Moscow, whose artistic work spans classical transcriptions, contemporary music and collaborations with living composers. With a deep interest in repertoire development and music education, she brings a thoughtful perspective to the relationship between tradition, innovation and artistic expression.

In this episode of Everything Accordion podcast, I speak with Maria about her unexpected journey into music, from her childhood to discovering the accordion almost by accident. We reflect on the influence of her first teacher, whose approach went far beyond instrumental technique, encouraging students to explore music, literature, visual arts and the wider cultural world. Maria also shares her experiences studying with Friedrich Lips at the Gnessin Academy and how these formative years shaped her own philosophy of teaching and performing.

A central part of our conversation explores the relationship between musical education, specialization and artistic identity. How much should young musicians explore before choosing their own direction? What role should competitions play in their development? And why is a broad understanding of musical traditions essential, even for musicians who eventually dedicate themselves to contemporary repertoire?

We also dive into the fascinating question of what constitutes "new music". Maria challenges the idea that novelty, experimentation or unusual instrumental techniques necessarily give a composition artistic value. We discuss the importance of musical substance, the relationship between composers and performers, and why certain works continue to speak to audiences long after they were written.

The conversation also touches on Maria's work with contemporary composers, the importance of developing lasting accordion repertoire, and her interest in classical masterpieces such as Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and Tchaikovsky's "The Seasons". Through these examples, we explore how the accordion can connect different musical traditions while continuing to develop its own artistic voice.

This episode offers plenty to reflect on for accordionists, composers, educators, students and anyone interested in the relationship between music, creativity and the meaning of artistic expression.

This podcast is supported by listeners and friends who believe in the project. A special thank you to Herbert Scheibenreif, a longtime friend of "Everything Accordion", for his continued generosity and support, and to Martin Šidlovský for supporting the podcast through Ko-fi.

🔗 Episode Links & Resources

The Episode on YouTube with English subtitles: https://youtu.be/LnBFg3eOhTo

Full English Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17DMKB48c08G9fVR63Q7SCRI18JA2Dy_Q/view?usp=sharing

Maria's page on Gnessin Academy Website: https://gnesin-academy.ru/employees/vlasova-mariya-vladimirovna/

Maria's videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@vlassovamaria

⁠Maria's music on Spotify:⁠ https://open.spotify.com/intl-de/artist/4YBCz1ynvfsjqN1YU7CSyj?si=-Sn1ir88RcORhascoW5v5Q

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