Conductor Is a Man of Virtuosi : Music: Vladimir Spivakov speaks from the heart on politics, music and women. His 28-member Moscow group performs tonight in Cerritos.

According to Vladimir Spivakov, conductor of the Moscow Virtuosi, one of the downsides of perestroika was that the Russian people sought scapegoats for everything wrong around them. As often has proved the case, the blame fell first on the Jews, then to other minorities of the former Soviet Union.

Most of the Moscow Virtuosi--who play tonight at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts--are Jewish; the 28-member group also includes Armenians, Byelorussians and Ukrainians, and when they traveled, they all feared for their families’ safety. In November, 1990, Spivakov arranged for a three-year contract for the musicians to work and live with their families in Spain, and when the contract expired recently, they did not return to Russia.

“The arrangement continues for now,” Spivakov said on the phone from Michigan City, Ind., a rest stop on the group’s seventh North American tour. “We just see from day to day.

“In Russia now it’s quite a strange situation. We all hope for much better reforms, democratic reforms, but again the powers of communism (are growing). . . . It is not the time to go back.”

Spivakov is only too happy to share his views, be they social, artistic or political, no matter how unpopular those views may be.

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For instance, in 1992 on the occasion of the ensemble’s 1,000th concert, he took the opportunity to chide his country’s politicians. The Virtuosi were playing at the Moscow Conservatory, and (Russian President) Boris Yeltsin was in attendance.

“I gave the introduction,” Spivakov recalled. “I talked about egoism, about not (having) morals, politicians only thinking about themselves and not the people, even to kill people and to use conflicts for themselves, for their own power. I talked for 50 minutes before the concert. Afterward, Yeltsin came to congratulate me, and (former President Mikhail) Gorbachev sent me a letter.

“After that, of course, the politicians again do what they want.”

In addition to the Shostakovich Chamber Symphony in F, based on the composer’s string quartet Op. 73, tonight’s program includes Mozart’s Symphony in A, K. 201 and a pair of Haydn Concertos in C, one with 20-year-old Wendy Warner as cello soloist, the other with Spivakov as violin soloist.

Spivakov is hardly in sync with prevailing opinion on authentic performance practice.

“Historical instrument performance is often more business than music,” he said. “And (those who adhere to the idea of historically informed performances) are very jealous when the normal instrument performs the 18th-Century music well.

“The most important thing, in life and music, is spirit. The halls today are not like before, and the historical instruments are not the best instruments (for these halls). The research of (historical) phrasing is good to know--but not necessary for performance.”

And did we mention that the Moscow Virtuosi all are male?

“We save our women from the hard life, to travel, take suitcases, not sleep enough and so on,” Spivakov said. He continued with a chuckle: “Toscanini once said that if there would be a woman in his orchestra and she is beautiful, ‘she disturbs the musicians. If she is ugly, she disturbs me.’ ”

Apprised that in this country women sue all-male organizations to gain admission, Spivakov paused, then responded with almost Solomonic wisdom:

“If we play badly, then they can take us to court. If we play well, the woman brings for us the flowers.”

* Vladimir Spivakov leads the Moscow Virtuosi in works by Mozart, Haydn and Shostakovich tonight at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos. Wendy Warner will be the featured cello soloist. Curtain: 8 p.m. $28-$39. (800) 300-4345.