Moscow Virtuosi Trod Precarious Road to Center : Music: Until upheaval in government, the orchestra didn’t officially exist--one reason why it makes Spain its headquarters.

In the 12 years since the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra was formed, its members, like most Russians, have seen their world turn so many times they might be forgiven if they feel a bit lightheaded.

Career-wise, things have improved immeasurably--the orchestra’s founding conductor and principal violinist Vladimir Spivakov recalls that early on, the orchestra had no official governmental status. So even though requests for performances started coming from outside the U.S.S.R. in the early ‘80s, in the eyes of Soviet cultural officials, the group did not exist.

Now, the Moscow Virtuosi tours the world regularly and freely from its new home in Oviedo, Spain, where the group relocated last November. Currently on its fourth U.S. tour since its American premiere in 1987, the ensemble plays a Mozart program tonight for the Orange County Philharmonic Society at the Performing Arts Center.

But those improvements don’t mean that everything’s coming up roses now, nor that shock waves from ongoing changes in the Soviet Union don’t continue to be felt by these musicians whom Spivakov originally hand-picked from top Soviet orchestras.

“During the first few years of (the administration of Soviet president Mikahail) Gorbachev, there was hope,” Spivakov said by phone earlier this week from a tour stop in Mexico City. “But soon people realized that some things--such as people’s psychology--could not be changed right away. It takes time, maybe one generation. Right now in the Soviet Union, it is not the time for the arts (to flourish). Because now the biggest problem in Russia is food.”

And Spivakov has no grand illusions that situation will change for the better in the near future. “We will see,” is the most optimistic pronouncement he makes.

The continuing upheaval in their native land was the main reason for moving to Spain, even though the disparate group of individuals in the orchestra have gotten along well on tour.

“In the orchestra, I have many Ukrainians, Jews, Armenians and we all live together like a wonderful community,” Spivakov said.

Nevertheless, external political turmoil frequently exerted internal pressures.

“When we traveled, people from the different nationalities were very much afraid for their families back at home, because of the anti-Semitic groups, the conflicts between Russians and Ukranians, between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. The musicians told me that we had to do something (to insure their families’ security) or many of them would emigrate,” he said.

The solution was the move to Spain, at the invitation of the Spanish royal family. There, the 26 group members--all but three have been with Spivakov since 1979--and their families, numbering about 150 in all, feel better shielded from Soviet political tensions.

“We are there with our whole families, with cats and dogs, and also with six teachers I brought from the Moscow Conservatory, because I want to fund a school for Spanish students and also to continue the musical education of the children of the orchestra’s musicians,” Spivakov explained.

The group’s European ties are further strengthened by its status as resident orchestra at two festivals: Spain’s Marbella Festival and the colmar International Festival in France.

Those affiliations, the group’s busy touring and recording schedule (nine RCA discs have been released, and nine more are planned), as well as Spivakov’s own appearances both as violinist and guest conductor around the world, have thrust the boyish, 47-year-old musician into a jet-setting existence.

But Spivakov also returns to the Soviet Union at frequent intervals, as does his orchestra, which is free to return and perform at any time. Spivakov organized the first International Sakharov Congress last May; it included a Moscow Virtuosi concert that featured cellist-conductor Mstislav Rostropovich and was attended by both Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltstin. Spivakov lists several upcoming Soviet engagements, including a benefit to raise money for invalids.

As a violinist, upon graduation from the Moscow Conservatory, Spivakov made a name for himself in various competitions and first performed in the U.S. in 1975. Critics praised his refined musical intelligence and purity of tone. He also favored varied, unusual programming, preferring to avoid the bravura Romantic showpieces. This approach also is evident in the Moscow Virtuosi’s repertoire--the RCA recordings include Mozart, Vivaldi, Prokofiev and such contemporary composers as Karl Amadeus Hartmann and Krzystof Penderecki. Spivakov’s latest recording without the orchestra, a collection of violin miniatures, includes Gershwin, Ravel and Bartok, among others.

The music chosen for the group’s swing through the Southland is another example: In addition to tonight’s Mozart concert in Costa Mesa, the orchestra appears Saturday at El Camino College for a program split between Bach and Mozart, Sunday at UCLA’s Royce Hall in works of Elgar, Schnittke, Shostakovich and Mozart; and Tuesday at Claremont College in a Vivaldi program.

Regardless of composer, period or style, however, Spivakov said that when leading the orchestra, he strives to find something new in even the most familiar music; he speaks of “leaving room for air,” allowing for spontaneity and an improvisational spirit, in performances. “It’s very important . . . then the musicians are not bored.”

The Orange County Philharmonic Society presents the Moscow Virtuosi with Vladimir Spivakov in a Mozart program that includes the Concertone for Two Violins in C, K.190; Symphony No. 29 in A, K.201; Violin Concerto No. 2 in D, K.211; and Symphony No. 24 in B-flat, K.182, tonight at 8 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tickets: $10 to $30. Robert Sangster previews the program at 7 p.m. Information: (714) 553-2422.