One of the leading performers on the harp in the genre of academic music and classical crossover, improviser, arranger, and composer with a personal style of music. Conductor and organizer of cultural events. Exclusive artist of the Italian Harp house Salvi Harps, founder of the Zurich Harp Festival and initiator of the World Harp Day.
FM42: What would you consider the most challenging aspect of composing music
in your career?
There are few layers of composing music. The first is the inspiration, the idea, you can hunt it all life, trying to sublimate your experience, your passion and the life around. Especially now in turbulent times, but then is always comes to work. It’s like regular work to do, it needs time, some quiet space to concentrate, it’s always challenging and depends on what you want as a result. I am doing mostly improvisations now because it’s the direct communication with the audience, which in a way is very inspiring for me and the audience and nothing is left behind.
FM42: Who has most influenced your music life and career as a composer?
Everyday different people and music inspires me. I don’t make a difference between pop, rock, classical music. I like to listen to my colleagues, sometimes it is something modern or from the past. In music it is most important what kind of emotions and feelings it brings. Basically everyone could make the playlist not based on the time or on the composer or the group, but based on the feelings or emotions and this is the most important thing that music can give.
FM42: In 2017, the chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theater Tugan Sokhiev invited you to take part in the premiere performances of Carmen. What it feels like to perform there?
I participated in 2015. as the guest soloist of the Bolshoi Theater of Russia. The projects I was doing there were really inspiring. The most important thing I was doing there was to relieve the ballet by Kirill Serebrennikov.
The harp was on the stage, the solo with a ballet dancer, one solo was premier, one solo with prime; it was really unique. I like to do unique things, That’s why most of the time I am not working with the orchestras because it’s normally like an office job, you get the music you need to play, you play it one time, ten times, hundred times and it’s not such an inspiring job. Musicians should do all kinds of jobs.
FM42: You have many amazing concerts world wide, which performance will be in your memory forever?
Everywhere. I am cosmopolitan, but the concert in Belgrade was outstanding, like festival in Berlin and the concert in Russia in big concert halls it’s just amazing. I always like to come to Brazil, they have these huge emotions and in Japan they are very culturally particular, listen very carefully, much more to give in a professional way. I like every single concert it doesn’t matter where it is.
FM42: You performed in Belgrade at the 15th INTERNATIONAL HARP FESTIVAL
2016 at the concert (From Russia with love).
Harp Festival Zurich was established in 2019 together with Musik Hug Zurich and Salvi Music as a multi-instrumental platform, united by one of the oldest instruments – the Harp. More than 200 Harp teachers in Switzerland and several thousand people play this instrument. We are proud to have our own Volk’s Harps, the only double Grammy Award winner – Andreas Vollenweider, modern harp factory – David Harps, and many young performers, alumni of Geneva, Zurich, Basel, Lugano, and Lucerne conservatories.
Our mission is to give people an opportunity to learn about this versatile instrument, find more fans and students, support young performers and invent new exciting combinations. COVID 2019 canceled the development of the art, but we would like to regain the development of the Festival and keep going in 2022.
This year the Festival will be partly dedicated to the current situation, uniting the players from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, making a concert of the choir and orchestra of the Refugees entering Switzerland in 2022, and helping charity organizations to achieve their goals. Also, we will present Swiss artists performing on the Electric Harps and make a new exciting competition Lira Helvetia, to increase the interest of the young generation
