Musica Vitae, April2020, for the Program book

1. What attracted you most as regards this assignment of being artistic leader of Musica Vitae?

 The Musica Vitae Chamber Orchestra and I played a few memorable concerts in the past season; i was bringing specific repertoire of a wide stylistic range, and the Orchestra was responding just wonderfully. I realized this is a great group and we could do some really special musical work. Secondly, this new challenge in my life to fits into my situation as a touring soloist (not in the moment, obviously), teaching professor and family man. To build up a constant musical relation with an excellent chamber orchestra is a great challenge and honor. I like challenges.

2. What do you think is characteristic of Musica Vitae, and what is your opinion about the orchestra today?

This Orchestra has a first rate musical and technical quality, which is the "conditio sine qua non" for the musical life today. Its Players are excellent, motivated, curious and very resilient. They are great personalities and love discipline of a human manner - features that i meet a lot in Sweden! I think this is the perfect group to explore new interpretations of seemingly „known“ masterworks aswell as perfect to play new repertoire in versatile styles.

3. What are your visions concerning the orchestra? What are your thoughts about your future work wih Musica Vitae?

We have a fully planned two season program planning starting in October 2020, which is fantastic - can´t wait to work and play. Mostly I will lead this orchestra as a violinist rather than as a conductor; which nevertheless means that I will take full charge of the preparing process and „Interpretation“ of our performances,  and of course I will also play solo in the many programs , but we also invited other incredible soloists. In 80% of the programs we combine established chamber orchestra repertoire with unknown and very worthwhile Repertoire, both historic and modern. For example our concerts in October 2020 contain Mozart, Beethoven (of course in 2020) as well as a Jazz violin concerto by the female Austrian Composer Sabina Hank, which was written for me, a marvelous work! These will be very rewarding musical encounters. The future also has recording plans for the next two seasons, and the plan is to primarily record new repertoire, there is so much to discover in that field.
 

4. You play a Stradivarius. Tell us a little more about your valuable instrument!

it was built in 1718, so I celebrated my 50th birthday together with the 300st of my violin…. it was played by many great figures of the violin world, for example Giovanni Battista Viotti  or Arnold Rosé. Now it is in the possession of the Austrian National bank and I am very thankful to play it. Every day I wonder about the magic of its sounds - how ist this specific, unreplicable beauty possible ? why does it touch our souls? I guess it is the secrets of music which always are made of sound and message. 
 

5. You, being a musician of all sorts, play both classical music and jazz. How did this happen? I suppose it is rather unusual.

in a way i have been raised bi-lingual in the musical sense. Classic was there from i cannot remember anymore, and jazz joined in when I was about 6. My father used to play jazz tunes with me -that was the beginning, and of course records of Stephane Grappelli and many others. I was infected from the start with this very different form of music - its rhythm, the harmonic universe of jazz and of course the priceless privilege and freedom of improvisation never left me any more.

6. You live in Austria. How often will you be able to work with the orchestra in Växjö?

I will be in Vaxjö at least 3 -4 times a year for our projects.

7. You are touring all over the world, and you is also professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Do you have time for anything else than music in your life?

I love reading (still reading on paper mostly) , nature and sports on a dilletantic level: hiking, skiing, race and mountain bike, gymnastics in the hotel room. Cooking is a great hobby that i love, and all of that is of course best with the kids involved!