WHEN inverted commas appear in a published interview, they usually imply direct quotation. But this can't be the case with Russian Alexander Anissimov, who tomorrow appears with the National Symphony Orchestra as its new principal guest conductor, because his English is, for the moment, severely limited. This means that all conversation with Anissimov has to be conducted - through an interpreter - which is the form this exchange took in Paris last month. Just to complicate matters still further, the interpreter was French, making the encounter tri lingual, so it's no wonder that Anissimov was a little anxious over how his remarks were going to be reported.
Still, he managed to indicate that when it comes to music, there are means other than language to communicate. Although he does have some grasp of Italian ("the international language in this profession"), "I completely trust my arms and eyes, and this way the members of the orchestra understand me. Musicians don't like it when a conductor speaks too much."
Obviously he has managed to speak neither too much nor too little to the members of the National Symphony Orchestra after working with them for the past two years. In 1994, he conducted Tchaikovsky's Chereviehki at the Wexford Festival Opera to which he returned again last autumn for Rubinstein's The Demoo, which was subsequently released on disc. In between there have also been a number of concert appearances in Dublin, including a broadcast performance of Rachmaninov's second symphony.
"It feels like we became very good friends immediately," he says of these first contacts with the orchestra. "When I came here to rehearse for the opera, it, was like a new start to my career.
TOMORROW night's exclusively Rachmaninov programme underlines that hitherto Anissimov's work in this country has been confined to Russian music, but he insists this will not remain the case. "Of course I like Russian music very much and I want to transmit this love but at the moment I've several other propositions." These include a performance of Don Carlos in Genoa, Madama Butterfly with the Kirov, and a programme of French music by the likes of Chabrier, Franck and Ravel in Monte Carlo.
Similarly, his plans for the National Symphony Orchestra cover more than just Russian music. There's talk of a Brahms symphony cycle "and I'd like to play English and Irish compositions as well." Asked to name his favourite composers, Anissimov mentions a wide spectrum of names, such as Berlioz, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Verdi. "In fact, I have several preferences. For example, at the moment I'm working on Britten so I consider him the best, right now."
Although pre 19th century music looks notably absent on the above list, he explains that while a student at the St Petersburg Conservatory, from which he graduated in 1970, he performed a lot of chamber music, particularly work by Cimarosa and Paisiello. "And of course I like Handel and Bach very much because I received my diploma as a conductor of a choir. I sang for about 20 years - as a baritone."
After St Petersburg, Anissimov went on to the Moscow Conservatory, graduating from its assistant trainership programme in 1977. Three years later, he was offered the position of chief conductor with the Belarussian Opera and Ballet Theatre. While based in Perm, he conducted the first Soviet production of Prokofiev's opera The Fiery Angel along with a sufficiently wide programme to indicate that, really, Russian music is not his only interest.
Meanwhile, Anissimov was gradually developing his profile both in Russia and overseas through appearances as guest conductor at the Kirov Opera in St Petersburg and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, as well as acting as assistant in San Francisco and Genoa to Valery Gergiev. After making his Dutch debut conducting the New Year's matinee concert with the Netherlands Wind Ensemble in 1993, a year later he was appointed guest conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Last year he was also named chief conductor of the Belarussian State Philharmonic Orchestra.
FOR much of the past 12 months, Anissimov and his wife have been based in Paris due to work commitments with the Bastille Opera. "I do prefer to live in the place where I'm working," he says although obviously he still returns regularly to Belarus. Now he is even considering the possibility of setting up home in Ireland, thanks to his good relations with the National Symphony Orchestra.
Warm as these may be, he is not blinded to the need for improvement. "I think it's not unfair that the orchestra in a capital city isn't big enough. It could be the equal of New York or Los Angeles within three or four years; you have all the possibilities of `super class' orchestra. I don't know the whole situation maybe there are financial or cultural politics - but I can hear the potential of the orchestra."
He'll be tapping into that potential not just with tomorrow night's performance but also with a recording of Rachmaninov's third symphony which he'll be making shortly with the orchestra for the Naxos label. Of this he promises "We'll do the best we can. I want to have at least as good a recording as what already exists." This remark is said with sufficient emphasis to make the work of an interpreter at least temporarily redundant.
