DEFECTIONS & REFLECTIONS

What a difference a year-and-a-half can make. When prize-winning Soviet violinist Viktoria Mullova arrived in the United States following her hair-raising escape in the summer of 1983, she was nervous and hesitant in a conversation conducted shortly before her recital debut at Ambassador Auditorium that fall.

Reached at her hotel in Milwaukee, the 25-year-old musician now seems more relaxed and confident as she tells of her successful career in the West. Mullova and pianist-conductor Vado Jordania escaped while on tour in Finland, fleeing to Sweden. When reminded of her much-publicized defection--the two had been so closely watched by Soviet authorities that they had to leave behind all their possessions, including a priceless Stradivarius--Mullova says simply: “All that is in the past. I am now in the midst of my fifth full season of concerts. I am satisfied with that.”

As part of that fifth season, she returns to Ambassador for a recital next Sunday night. The irony of this previously unscheduled appearance does not escape her. Mullova was added as a substitute for Soviet violinist Vladimir Spivakov, who was denied an exit visa.

“That’s the way things are there (in the Soviet Union). They still don’t want people to play in the United States. Maybe it will change, though, now that Gorbachev is in charge.”

Mullova pauses to think about that: “The faces change, but it’s still the same government.”

Turning to more musical matters, the violinist rattles off the cities, countries and continents she has visited since receiving her green card. (Asylum was granted in Oct., 1983, around the time she made her debut at Ambassador, she says.)

“For me, the greatest thrill has been to play with the great orchestras of the world, such as the Berlin Philharmonic. I am going to play at La Scala, and in London with Claudio Abbado, and next season here with the Boston and Philadelphia orchestras,” she says.

Her personal life, she says, is also pretty much in order. She currently lives in New York with her fellow defector Jordania. Mullova has made a few friends, though not many in the musical world. “Actually, I don’t like New York that much. I am missing fresh air.”

Mullova calls her family in the Soviet Union each week, though, she notes, “It is difficult for them to speak freely.” She also occasionally keeps in touch with Msistlav Rostropovich, who took her under his wing when she first arrived in this country: “I seek him for advice sometimes, though not as much as when I was new here.

“The last year was strange for me,” she reflects. “There were so many changes in my life. I didn’t know who was who or what was what.” But, as she says, that’s all in the past.

MORE ON MULLOVA: Subsequent to the above interview, Mullova came into the possession of a Stradivarius violin. The instrument was purchased by an anonymous U.S. foundation at a Southeby’s auction four days ago for $349,000 (the second highest figure for a Strad) and was to be presented to the violinist as a replacement for the one she left behind in Finland. Presumably, the rare instrument will be used at her Ambassador recital. Mullova could not be reached for a reinterview.

OPERA FOR THE MASSES: Because of the heavy demand for tickets to San Francisco Opera’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen” this summer (all three cycles were sold out in mid-February), the first cycle--June 2, 4, 5 and 6--will be telecast live via closed-circuit video to nearby Davies Symphony Hall. Three cameras will be utilized, with the picture projected on a 22- by 30-foot screen, enabling an additional 2,700 to view each performance. Tickets for Wagner-on-Video are priced at $40-$100 for the cycle. This idea seems to have been borrowed from the world of heavyweight boxing, though Howard Cosell is not expected to be, uh, Ringside.

Thea Musgrave’s “Harriet, The Woman Called Moses,” will be broadcast on KUSC and KCPB (91.5 and 91.1 FM) Friday night at 7 p.m. The Virginia Opera production received its world premiere in Norfolk earlier this year.

“GEROLSTEIN” FROM LONG BEACH OPERA: As originally announced, Long Beach Opera will present the first of four performances of Offenbach’s “The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein” Saturday night at Royce Hall, UCLA. As was not previously announced, the title role will be sung by Sheila Smith. “Brenda Boozer was our announced Duchesse,” artistic director Michael Milenski says. “But her son suddenly became ill while she was in Europe and she felt her first obligation was to him. He’s much better now.”

Smith, Milenski points out, had sung Offenbach before: “She did ‘Belle Helene’ in Washington and Canada, and she did ‘Duchesse’ with San Francisco Spring Opera a few years ago.” Of Smith, Milenski would only add, cryptically, “She’s six feet tall.”

Another relatively recent addition to this production is director Edward Berkeley, replacing Charles Ludlam. “We wanted a theater director for the piece all along,” Milenski says. “We didn’t want to overburden it with style, we just wanted a straightforward ‘Duchesse.’ ” Ludlam’s schedule would not permit an engagement here, Milenski added. The production will be repeated April 16, 19 and 21 in the intimate Center Theater in Long Beach.