achieve professionally but didn’t? - What I see as the next step are our students and the placement of Serbia as a mini violin superpow- er 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 to- wards what’s next and how to ex- press myself, and that will always be a challenge. Forty years after you start- ed playing and 35 years in- to your professional career, have you grown a little tired of the violin? - Not only have I not grown tired of it, but every day I discover some- thing new, I hear a new voice. I feel honoured to have been fated to be a living guardian of tradition every single day. That is a responsibility and sometimes a burden. We are special knights of culture who absorb an art with our body. We dedicate our en- tire lives to instruments and music being alive and transmitted. That is our duty. Tirelessness is a prerequi- site of progress and I was chosen pre- cisely because I’m a marathon run- ner and not a sprinter. Could you familiarise us with your favourite violin? - Gladly! It was made in 1783 as the work of one of the greatest luth- iers in history, alongside Stradivari and Guarneri. That was Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, who died three years later, so my violin is among his last and highest valued masterpiec- es. Guadagnini lived in Turin for the last ten years of his life, where he met Count Cozio, who bought the entire Stradivari workshop and was so im- pressed with Guadagnini that he al- lowed him to 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 Stradi- vari. 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 tem- porary guardian. It existed for 234 years before me and will exist for centuries afterwards.
actually see Belgrade and Novi Sad as one city with two different en- ergies that are enriching. I’ve per- formed a lot in Novi Sad, where I have many friends, the new con- cert 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 trav- el from Queens to Juilliard. Where is Serbia’s classi- cal music scene today, and where could it be? - We have a very rich music and art scene, life, people; we are eclec- tic and defiant in many things, even in art. Classical music itself is part of that organism that’s very pro- gressive. Avant-garde creative pro- gramming, various ensembles, re- cordings, videos and spaces where it is performed. A lot is already be- ing done and we are on track, but even more can be done. Few coun- tries 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 effec- tive. Here I’m referring to market- ing, 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 as many 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… To sow seeds, because every- one gains from that, and my role is to lead by example, to be tireless; to reach as many people as possi- ble and that’s something I do grad- ually, gently and constantly. You were a child prodigy who played for world pres- idents, popes... Is there an- ything that you wanted to
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 se- cret that you always reveal to students? - The most talented students have common characteristics - dedication, discipline, parents who support them, a desire for knowl- edge, intelligence and self-motiva- tion. It is easiest to work with 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, personal- ity, psycho-physical and emotional sequences of the existence of a hu- man being. In that dimension you transcend the instrument and en- ter 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 exper- iment, having played with rock band Gorillaz, per- formed at the Apollo Theat- er 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 var- ied forms of music, I can’t decide on just one. I never know what will sur- prise me. That’s why I’m a musical omnivore, that’s why I’m eclectic… I can be delighted by hip hop, bal- let, an opera 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 mu- sic is also important, because it then takes on another valuable, deep di- mension. Music has the magical pow- er 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, embark on a musical journey around the world, explore through sound, travel through melodies…
Violin greats » Velikani violine | 39
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