Inlägg 8Marianne Saietz (Denmark) skrev:den 4 juli 2009 kl. 01:27
Irena Bay skrev de n 25. juni 2009 kl. 23:23
Enjoy :)))))

An article from the Russian magazine ""7 дней" ("7 days") from June, 25th, 2009

Alexander Rybak: "My father was willing to fish and collect mushrooms just to pull his family through."

The triumphing winner of "Eurovision 200", born in Minsk and citizen of Norway, Alexander Rybak happens to be so far away from home country thanks to his fiddling father. In 1990, at the age of 36 and after having left at home his wife Natalia and little Sasha, the father founds him unexpectedly deciding not to go back to dear Belrussia after concerts abroad. He had then only a violin and a bag of cloths with him…

When touring in Europe, Sasha's father Igor was so bewildered by Norway that he decided to stay there right away. But he did not tell it to his wife reckoning that she hardly will react to the spontaneously made decision with joy. He thought, when I'll find work… adjust myself… However, when it became impossible to postpone it, he called.

"That my husband won't return bach to Minsk from touring, I was told weeks later", -remembers Natalia. – I, of course, had been worrying, waiting for any news from him. And now, I finally hear my husband's voice on the phone. And he, all of a sudden, says that he decided to stay. First, I didn't even understand what was happening… And he keeps on talking in an every-day manner that he's looking for a flat, work, as soon as he settles down, he will get them over. The conversation was suddenly over, he didn't have any money left. After putting the phone down, I couldn't calm down – how is he over there, without a home, without friends, without the language? Sometimes, I imagined the horror of my husband being hungry and cold and sleeping under some bridge like a homeless person. His mother kept weeping and was certain that Norway will never give his son citizenship. But she understood how important it was to him to start a new life in another country and to achieve this particular aim."

On first glance, Igor's behaviour could seem somewhat strange. By then Rybak the Older, a graduate of conservatory of Minks, was serving in the famous Minsk's chamber orchestra which played with Richter and Rostopovitch. He had a loving family, loved his work, enjoyed respect of collegues and was able to rent a couple of rooms in a communal flat. Like the saying says: He lived not worse than others. But during those times, things were going badly in his home country, the salary paid by the government, which had been considered not long ago to be quite good, was swallowed by the inflation. But the recently collapsed Iron Curtain has opened up til now unseen opportunities. Igor began to long for freedom and a qualitive life. "I really began to like the people here – reserved, patient, with determined Norwegian character. I understood that it will difficult to find work as musician – in Olso, there isn't such a large number of professional musical institutions such as it is in Minsk. Here, we find many small orcherstras where people make music because of their love to art, without getting paid. I even decided that if I won't earn enough by playing violin, I will go and catch fish, collect mushrooms … Somehow we'll survive" – says Igor smiling.

But Rybak the Older was lucky. "Almost from the beginning, I met a family that was raising a talented boy David of the age of my Sasha. They needed a violin teacher on daily basis. They gave me a room in their wonderful house, and later on they helped me to apply for a citizenship. But I had to work an weekends and without holidays: I was working with David everyday. But they treated me like family. They took me when they travelled on holiday, we were sailing on their sailing boat along the fjords. " And the most importantly, Igor had a roof over his head and free time to learn for hours the language sitting in a pile of language books. Soon, after passing a contest, he was accepted to the orcherstra of the opera theatre in Oslo. He earned some money that he was able to save for the future. "I was saving on everything with the result that I lost 10 kg. And then, due to exhaustion , I started to suffer from insomnia that went on for months – symphonic music kept ringing in my head and didn't let me go to sleep.

Eventually, Igor managed to account fort he living and the tickets for his wife and the little son and got them tourist visa. Natalia has always believed in the talent of her husband, but still couldn't shake off her doubts. "I couldn't imagine how to leave my beloved work (Natalia was working in the musical editiorial department of Minsk television), family, friends… I have never been abroad and had no idea what was expecting me there. But when we, Sasha and I, came to Igor and I saw the magnificent landscape (we lived from the beginning on Nesodden where we live now, just in another area), then I understood my husband. I remember my first impression – March, the clearest air, the scent of the melting snow, cleanness. "It's like in Narochi!", I exclaimed, comparing Norway with a famous Belrussian holiday place. During the first months, I stayed at home with the child. I see now that if I had put the usual wave of immigrants – "everything is here so unknown, we need to go back home as soon as possible", I would have become depressive. But I came here with an open heart and a wish to be part of the everyday life of this place." Like Igor, Natasha immediately began to learn the language and to socialize with people. As soon as couple months later, she met a Norwegian female singer who was in need of an accompaniment (who is now her best girl friend), and then found work in a school as pianist, while playing organ in a church on weekends. The beginning wasn't that easy and they were forced to take any job offer. But thanks to Igor's determined mind and persistance, the family quickly adjust itself in a foreign coutry. Today, Rybak the Older is overloaded with work: he teaches over 30 students in a private school, he supervises two orchestras, performs with different ensembles , composes and arranges music, beside the violin, he plays keyboard instruments, guitar, accordion. Four years after the immigration, Igor and Natalia could afford to buy a three-storeys house in a very prestigious area – a suburb of Oslo, Nesodden. The musicians spouses have always dreamt of a own house where you can make music without disturbing neighbors. "Traditionally, it's the people of art who come to live on our peninsula, but there are few millionaires as well, - Igor tells us. – Today, it would be unlikely that we could afford a house like this – the prices are now four times higher. But, of course, it clearly isn't your Rublevka. We won't find here mansions, there aren't fences neither. To be frank, we want to put up a little fence, but only because it is not allowed to let out our dgo Cindy: Since the April, 1st, according to Norwegian law, you are allowed to let your dog out in suburban areas only on a lash in order to secure the peace of birds hatching babies. It is not common to show off wealth - through interiors, cloths. Next to us lives a milionaire. You can tell a difference between our houses."

To be continued...