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Fateful Fancy

  Tobias

All good things come in three and so they do with Gidon Kremer, one of today's most prominent, popular and positive musicians and one of the best violinists on top of all that. So here's a round-up of what is happening in his life.

First up, a recording by Kremer has captivated the mind's of listeners worldwide. About every aspiring violinist of our time has already performed Bach's sonatas and partitas and so has Kremer. But the special thing about this one is that it is actually the third time he has decided to release his current vision as an album. An old version on an opaque Russian label has long since disappeared out of sight (and record stores' shelves), but his Philips recording of a mere 25 years ago is now considered a Classic. It must have been a hard task to once again try and mount the "Himalaya of the violin literature", but for Kremer there was no choice: "I was aware of a lot interpretations that didn't meet my expectations. And then there was the wonder of the "Sei" themselves, the need to share this experience with other like-minded people. Perhaps it was a now or never decision" Asked at a later date, he simplifies things a little more by stating he is simply a different person now and felt he had something to add to the music again. For all those who have entered the World of Classical music at a later date, this offers a great chance of hearing the famous "Chaconne" played by one of its greatest interpretators and of finding out how an approach can stay true to the composition and yet be entirely personal. First media reactions have been enthusiastic to say the least.

Then, Kremer has entertained a few highly interesting interviews in which he speaks openly about "brilliant instrumentalists who have nothing to say", "trash in the music department" and of players who are "figures in a wax museum". Because he's a nice guy, though, he refuses to give any names. For himself, it's the sense of adventure that defines which works he wants to play, even though some managers have begged him to treat standard repertoire just a little kinder. Interestingly enough for one of his instrument's most revered protagonist, his strife continues to not sound like a violinist at all: "I wanted to find the spiritual message behind the notes".

There's a sense of bittersweetness in all of his comments, best exemplified by his two-sided view on everything. On the one hand, he loves his touring life, but knows it is wearing him down. He loves his chamber music orchestra (Kremerata Baltica), but feels it is possibly taking up too much of his time. The answer to this dilemma and the most fundamental questions in his life - why did he decide to play the violin, why did he accept the hardships of life as a travelling musician, why doesn't he quit now he's "acchieved everything"  - is simply: "Fate".

Finally, Kremer and the Kremerata Baltica are once again touring Europe, residing in France until the end of the year. This is what we know about these concerts: Tickets are not going to be cheap and they're going to be worth every penny.

Gidon Kremer has never cared too much about pure exactness. so we guess it's alright if in this case good things may come in two.

Homepage: Gidon Kremer at Impressariat Simmenauer
Homepage: Gidon Kremer at ECM Records
Source: Gidon Kremer at Boston.com
Source: Gidon Kremer at arts.telegraph

Picture by Sasha Gusov