Violin greats » Velikani violine | 39 actually see Belgrade and Novi Sad as one city with two different energies that are enriching. I’ve performed a lot in Novi Sad, where I have many friends, the new concert hall, where I will be the music selector, is also there. Then there’s the Music Academy, the capital of culture… All of that’s connected, while at the same time Novi Sad is a wonderful city for a family, as it’s calmer, more pleasant.With the new high-speed train, I will reach Belgrade quicker than I could travel from Queens to Juilliard. Where is Serbia’s classical music scene today, and where could it be? -We have a very richmusic and art scene, life, people; we are eclectic anddefiant inmany things, even in art. Classical music itself is part of that organism that’s very progressive. Avant-garde creative programming, various ensembles, recordings, videos and spaces where it is performed. A lot is already being done and we are on track, but even more can be done. Few countries have a single state policy that nurtures classical music. Your wish is for us to find ourselves on the world map. How do you see your own role in that journey? - We are already present on the world map, but that could be even more concentrated and effective. Here I’m referring to marketing, strengthening violin schools, branding. My vision is to take the violin and music to as many places as possible, especially places where they don’t have a chance to hear it. I want us to go to asmany schools as possible all over Serbia, not only in bigger cities, and to present what I do and what I am, to talk about the violin…Tosowseeds, becauseeveryone gains from that, and my role is to lead by example, to be tireless; to reach as many people as possible and that’s something I do gradually, gently and constantly. You were a child prodigy who played for world presidents, popes... Is there anything that you wanted to achieve professionally but didn’t? -What I see as the next step are our students and the placement of Serbia as a mini violin superpower in the world. Yes, there are halls in which I haven’t performed, but that’s part of the career process and not a destination. I always look towards what’s next and how to express myself, and that will always be a challenge. Forty years after you started playing and 35 years into your professional career, have you grown a little tired of the violin? -Not onlyhave I not growntired of it, but every day I discover something new, I hear a new voice. I feel honoured to have been fated to be a living guardian of tradition every singleday.That isaresponsibilityand sometimes a burden.We are special knights of culturewho absorb anart with our body. We dedicate our entire lives to instruments and music being alive and transmitted. That is our duty. Tirelessness is a prerequisiteofprogressand Iwas chosenprecisely because I’m a marathon runner and not a sprinter. Could you familiarise us with your favourite violin? - Gladly! It wasmade in1783 as thework of one of the greatest luthiers in history, alongside Stradivari and Guarneri. That was Giovanni BattistaGuadagnini, whodied three years later, somy violin is amonghis last and highest valuedmasterpieces. Guadagnini lived inTurin for the last tenyearsofhis life,wherehemet Count Cozio, who bought the entire Stradivari workshop andwas so impressedwithGuadagnini that he allowedhimto use it all. In the violins that he then created we can see the peak of his creative work, but also the ideological influence of Stradivari. That is an unrepeatable result - the colour of bloody Nutella, with a cutting sound and crystal smooth resonance… Even if you own such a violin, you are actually just a temporary guardian. It existed for 234 years before me and will exist for centuries afterwards. You have been teaching for 20 years, at Juilliard among other places. What is it like to work with the greatest talents? Is there some secret that you always reveal to students? - The most talented students have common characteristics - dedication, discipline, parents who support them, a desire for knowledge, intelligence and self-motivation. It is easiest toworkwith them, but if they aren’t disciplined that turns into a struggle. Talent is not enough; it must be supplemented with constant work. And there are no secrets to success, because we are talking about energy, personality, psycho-physical and emotional sequences of the existence of a human being. In that dimension you transcend the instrument and enter a sphere that’s almost esoteric. There are few students who reach that, but you can feel it during their performances. You always loved to experiment, having played with rock band Gorillaz, performed at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, jammed with Vlatko Stefanovski… At this juncture in your life, where do you find music that can delight you? - I like to listen to the most varied forms ofmusic, I can’t decide on just one. I never knowwhatwill surprise me. That’s why I’m a musical omnivore, that’s why I’m eclectic… I can be delighted by hip hop, ballet, anopera aria, ethno sounds, the folk music of any nation... What should we listen to when we are sad or feel hopelessness? - With whom we listen to music is also important, because it then takes on another valuable, deep dimension.Musichasthemagicalpower to ennoble us, to elevate us, to relax us, to respond to every need. We can start with the classics, then head to India and the Middle East, embarkonamusical journeyaround the world, explore through sound, travel through melodies…
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExMjc5