Lev Berkovskiy 

Monipuolisena viulistina tunnettu Lev Berkovskiy on luonut maineensa kansainvälisenä solistina ja kamarimuusikkona, jonka taide ulottuu historiallisesta musiikista aikamme säveliin – hänen hallitsee niin modernin viulun, barokkiviulun, barokkialttoviulun kuin violoncello da spallan. Lev tekee yhteistyötä useiden muusikoiden ja yhtyeiden kanssa, kuten Sayaka Kinoshiron, Evgeniy Sviridovin ja Ludus Harmonicus -yhtyeen kanssa. Hän on esiintynyt festivaaleilla ja konserteissa eri puolilla Suomea, mukaan lukien Laura Netzel -festivaalit ja BarokkiKuopio-festivaali. 

Opintonsa Lev on suorittanut sekä Kölnin musiikki- ja tanssikorkeakoulussa sekä Dresdenin Carl Maria von Weberin musiikkikorkeakoulussa. Tällä hetkellä Lev soittaa Kuopion kaupunginorkesterin ykkösviulujen sektiossa ja jatkaa barokkimusiikin opintojaan Ammattikorkeakoulu Noviassa opettajinaan Aira Maria Lehtipuu, Heidi Peltoniemi ja Petteri Pitko.

Known as a versatile violinist, Lev Berkovskiy has built a reputation as an international soloist and chamber musician whose artistry spans from historical music to contemporary repertoire. He masters the modern violin, baroque violin, baroque viola, and the violoncello da spalla. Lev collaborates with a number of musicians and ensembles, including Sayaka Kinoshita, Evgeny Sviridov, and the ensemble Ludus Harmonicus. He has performed at festivals and concerts across Finland, including the Laura Netzel Festival and BarokkiKuopio.

Lev completed his studies at both the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln and the Carl Maria von Weber College of Music in Dresden. He currently plays in the first violin section of the Kuopio Symphony Orchestra and continues his baroque music studies at Novia University of Applied Sciences under the guidance of Aira Maria Lehtipuu, Heidi Peltoniemi, and Petteri Pitko.

Dear friends, 

It is my honor to introduce you this fascinating instrument - violoncello da spalla. What is it? It is an instrument in the cello range, that was used as a basso continuo as well as solo instrument. 

I mentioned basso continuo - so what is it exactly? Imagine: your neighbors have a party and you wake up at 3 o’clock in the morning from a music from behind the wall. What exactly you hear first, what makes your bed tremble? This is the sound of bass - the basement of popular music. Ancient music has a similar basement, but it is played in a somewhat more exquisite way: Usually the bass voice is played by a harmonic instrument, for instance harpsichord, that improvises on the harmonies. The harmonic instrument is usually doubled by a bowed instrument of a bass range, for instance viola da gamba or cello - both are hold between the knees. Now we are coming to an important part. Around three-four hundred years ago somewhere in a small village in Italy or Germany musicians were supposed to play at a festive church mess, but the one and only cello or viola da gamba player in the village became sick and couldn’t come, so the very important part - bass - was partly missing. Only violinists could be present, but unfortunately they could play only shoulder instruments, most of which were of a small size and high range. The priest of the church was so disappointed, that musicians came up with an idea to invent a bass instrument that is hold on the shoulder, not between the knees. So here we have it - violoncello da spalla: meaning of “violoncello” is obvious - it is a cello; Spalla in Italian means “shoulder”. Of course I made up the story, but I am sure: before the invention of da spalla there was a huge amount of disappointed priests, whereas after they became way happier.

Violoncello da spalla in different sources is also called viola da spalla, viola pomposa, cello da spalla or even in German Fagottgeige - bassoon violin. It has five strings: the lower strings are tuned exactly as the four strings of the cello - C-G-D-A, and on top of it there is the fifth string - E. That string gives the instrumentalist the possibility to play virtuosic parts in the higher range of the instrument with ease and pleasure, staying in the lower positions. As I’ve already mentioned,  da spalla was as well used as a solo instrument and could have solo parts in Music. As a matter of fact, J.S. Bach in many of his pieces wrote a virtuosic solo part for a bass instrument in a very high register for the instrument. A normal cello might sound quite unpleasant in this parts, especially with historically correct strings that are made of gut, also it is technically challenging,  but with an instrument like violoncello da spalla or violoncello piccolo it is playable and as well sounds light and virtuosic. 
In the second half of 18th century the music becomes more accessible for different classes of society and little by little moves from churches, private chambers and palaces to concert halls. Orchestras become bigger and find their new shape. At the same time a lot of instruments that were used before don’t suit for big halls acoustically - their voices are not loud enough for such big rooms. Within several decades many instruments fell into oblivion. One of them - da spalla. 
There are only few original violoncelli da spalla left in the world, but why? in 19th century, when the instrument was forgotten, violoncelli da spalla were either just thrown away because people wouldn’t know what to do with that instrument, or they were rebuilt in small size 4-stringed cellos for children. 
Within 20th century there were some research on this instrument, but they were not full or the researchers lacked sources. Practically the instrument was rediscovered around 20 years ago, its main ambassador among instrument makers is Dmitri Badiarov. 


-Lev Berkovskiy