Translate By Irina Chepaykina
We continue to communicate with the laureates and nominees of the All-Russian
BNGR competition. In 2024, Denis von Meck - an educator, publisher,
philanthropist, founder of Tchaikovsky admirers' associations, and head of the
International Charitable Foundation named after N. F. von Meck – won the
Arthur Karl Social Activity Award.
Born in Moscow on April 16, 1969, Denis Andreevich von Meck's well-known
surname speaks to his distinguished lineage as a direct descendant of the von
Meck, Davydov, and Tchaikovsky families.
Denis is an expert in fire safety and an engineer by education. He worked for
many years as the head of commercial organizations in construction and
production. However, for the past decade, Denis has been actively engaged in
educational activities. He popularizes pre-revolutionary culture, art, and history,
studies and promotes family traditions, and is involved in developing
intercultural associations of Tchaikovsky admirers. Recently, Denis has also
begun working to unify educational institutions named after P. I. Tchaikovsky.
Before the interview, Denis shared an inspiring story about how culture unites
people despite time, distance, and prejudice:
"While traveling to different Russian cities, I met an accordionist who
performed in various countries. He told me a story that deeply moved me. In a
small German town where he played Tchaikovsky on the accordion, an elderly
German man sat in the front row, crying throughout the concert. After the
performance, the man approached the musician, thanked him, and asked, 'Will
you play again? Is it possible to hear you somewhere else?' My acquaintance
replied, 'Yes, there's another concert tomorrow, but it's far away, in another city,
300 kilometers from here.'
To his surprise, the next day in that distant German city, as he played
Tchaikovsky again, the same elderly German man was in the front row, crying.
After the performance, the German approached him, holding out something
clenched in his fist with a shaking hand. He said, 'You know, I got this from my
father. He fought in Stalingrad and took this star from a killed Soviet soldier's
cap. He brought it home as a war trophy. Over time, as he aged, his worldview
changed. Before his death, my father found this star and gave it to me, asking,
"Please make sure this star returns to Russia."'
The elderly German fulfilled his father's last wish by giving the star to my
acquaintance. Please consider this – it's a very illustrative case. Everything in
life is rethought and reevaluated as time passes. Ultimately, culture and art
conquer differences and hate."
What do you think is the most important thing for a representative of your
profession?
"In this case, the main quality is the same for both my professional and
educational activities. The most important thing is continuous self-development.
My professional field is fire safety, one of the most dynamic areas that
constantly undergoes significant changes. There are crucial regulatory updates
every year. In my educational work, it's an even more endless process.
I have a complex family tree that includes many remarkable people in various
fields. There are generals from 1812, Decembrists, the first builders of private
railways who created an entirely new economic environment in the country, and
close associates of Imperial families in times of peace and war. My ancestors
conducted incredible educational activities, creating, managing, and actively
participating in the development of over a hundred educational and charitable
organizations.
The need for continuous development stems from the vast amount of materials
that I couldn't fully master even if I lived ten lifetimes. Given these conditions,
it's necessary to grow intensively in terms of both knowledge and
communication skills.
It's crucial to learn how to deliver information correctly and clearly to my
audience, which can be very diverse. My lectures attract listeners ranging from
six-year-olds to ninety-six-year-olds. Some are musicians, some are historians,
some are foreigners, some come to understand the subtleties, and some have
never heard of the topic before. One needs to learn how to present information
in an understandable and accessible format and to be an engaging storyteller.
There are two basic skills: first, you need to know how to promote your event
effectively so that people will come to listen. In the vast daily information flow,
you need to highlight your event so that it gets noticed and chosen. Then, it's
important not only to keep the audience engaged during the lecture but also to
present the material in an understandable and interesting way that makes people
want to attend your future presentations. I have dozens of different lectures
dedicated to various topics."
What are you most proud of?
"You know, I lead a very interesting life and have much to be proud of. I've
visited numerous countries and made thousands of acquaintances in different
parts of the world. Of course, this greatly expands my understanding of the
world, the universe, and different cultures. It's easier to grasp the cultural
context that can help us find common ground.
I believe that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky would be a wonderful example here.
He's a perfect candidate for the title of 'ambassador of the world' in the field of
culture because he spoke several languages and even learned them to read
literature in the original. He visited 19 countries and 165 localities worldwide.
Considering there were no planes in those years, this is an impressive number.
He was a very versatile and inquisitive person who knew and learned a lot. He
understood not only literature, culture, and history but also the mentality of
different nations.
I think it's really fascinating. My main achievement is that my life has developed
in such a way that I now have the opportunity to learn about people, their
history, and culture in a vast number of countries. The same is true for my
professional activity: I've delivered presentations in different countries
worldwide. Fire safety is a field where sharing experience is crucial. The more
we share it, the fewer people in the world will die. By the way, I'm also a fire
historian and have a large collection. From a historical and cultural point of
view, the more positive facts we know about each other, the more likely we are
to cooperate creatively as neighbors – not looking for problems, but seeking
common ground to help our world remain peaceful."
Do you have German traditions in your family? Or maybe something
typically German at home?
"No, I wouldn't say that. After all, since the second half of the 19th century, we
already have a large mix with very little German left. I don't think I can answer
this question in an interesting way.
I don't know why, but I remembered that when reading a book about Baron von
Falz-Fein, I found a phrase that amazed me with its expression: 'The Germans in
Russia became more Russian than purebred Russians.'"
What did you dream about as a child?
"Well, as a child... Our childhood was quite limited; I grew up in the Soviet
Union. The understanding of what existed in other countries and relations
between these countries was very illusory. Of course, I wanted to know what life
was like for other people on other continents. As an adult, I've visited 70
countries, many of them more than a dozen times, so, thank God, I've managed
to fulfill this dream partly. But the main thing here is not the fact of obtaining
the information itself, but how it's used and for what purposes.
I'm very encouraged by social activities that unite people; I'm a social activist by
nature. I admire people who have managed to establish social organizations that
live on and benefit others.
Here's an example: there's a Tchaikovsky society in Germany. It consists not
only of experts, musicians, and musicologists but also music lovers. Of course,
most of them are Germans, but there are also members from different countries.
I was very impressed at a meeting in Germany once. I came to the Tchaikovsky
Music Society and heard Pushkin in six languages. The Tchaikovsky admirers
read Alexander Pushkin's poems in French, Hebrew, English, German... Can you
imagine how culture unites us after all? I see great happiness in this. In
particular, it's a great happiness for me to be part of the process. Dreams
generally work in a very interesting way. I clearly remember a picture from
Soviet TV: the bright lighting design of a hotel in Las Vegas. And in 1998, when
I visited Las Vegas for the first time, I stayed at that very hotel! I didn't know it
was that hotel and I didn't choose it, but when I came out of the hotel, I saw
exactly the picture with the shimmering lights of the signboard from my
childhood memories. So, as you see, it really works."
And what are you dreaming about now?
"I dream that people from all over the world, belonging to all cultures, would
find something in common for mutual exchange and not look for differences.
This is my heartfelt dream."
If you could call yourself in your childhood time, what advice would you
give yourself – a child?
"I would advise myself to be less lazy. I won't be original: exercise more
actively, read more, learn languages. Develop yourself more as a child, because
it's much more difficult for an adult person."
*The All-Russian competition "The best names of Germans in Russia" is aimed at
identifying and encouraging Russian Germans who achieved recognized success in
their professional activities and is held for the 14th time. The competition is
organized by the International Union of German Culture. You can support your
favorite candidates by voting online on the official website of the contest.
The original interview text was prepared by Ekaterina Alekseeva and published on
the website https://rusdeutsch.ru (https://rusdeutsch.ru/Nachrichten/15686).
