Violinist
Ara Malikian
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Praised by critics as an "authentic talent" (Strad Magazine), a "brilliant virtuoso" (Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung), and a violinist with an "indelible imagination" (Berliner Morgenpost), Ara Malikian has won over 17 international prizes including the Paganini Competition, International Sarasate Prize in Spain and Felix Mendelssohn Prize in Berlin, among others. Manuel Bohorquez calls his music "beyond belief" and Katharina Hottman affirms that, "There is a fascinating synthesis between his virtuosity and the romantic expression in Schumann's sonatas".
In January, 2001 the Real Madrid Foundation chose him to play in the Christmas Concert which they offer every year to their 10,000 members. Since September, 2000 he has been first violinist (leader) of the Symphony Orchestra of Madrid which he combines with guest appearances in concert halls worldwide such as New York (Carnegie Hall), Zurich (Tonhalle), Düsseldorf, Toronto (Ford Center), London, Padua, Paris, Tokio, Los Angeles, Indonesia, Vietnam etc.
Ara Malikian has recorded as a soloist with BMG, Hänssler, Auvidis, Cordaria, Trittico classics and Antar. His CD "The Four Seasons by Vivaldi" sold just over 80.000 copies for UNICEF. Other titles include, "The Quintets by W.A. Mozart and J. Brahms ", "The 24 Caprices by Niccolo Paganini", "Flamenco Violin" and "The Three Sonatas for Violin and Piano" by Robert Schumann. He has an indie production on Malkrafon called "Miniatures" of music by Armenian composers and many collaborations on CDs such as "500 Motivaciones" with the Ensamble Nuevo Tango on Ceyba (world music) and "Sin Querer" on Auvidis, among others. In 2002 he plans to record the works of Pablo Sarasate for the Spanish label Ensayo.
"I was born in Beirut in 1968. I am second generation Lebanese-Armenian. It is a distinct nationality, neither Lebanese nor Armenian. We were Armenians outside of Armenia. My father was a violinist. My mother was the principle of an Armenian school. I have two older sisters.
The war in Lebanon started when I was young, about 7. I moved to Paris with my mother and my sisters during the first two years of the war. My father stayed in Lebanon. We lived very well in Paris but after two years there we were stupid enough to think that the war was over and we returned home. What a mistake!
There were hard times, but everyone was living in the same situations. So I really didn't notice. Now when I think about it, I realize how difficult it really was. We spent days in the bomb shelters. There was a scarcity of water, food and electricity.
I began to play the violin when I was seven. My parents were happy about it because the school system during the war was very irregular. Right away I started with formal classical studies but I also learned popular folk songs. For this reason I believe I have a very tuned ear for oriental music and when I play flamenco or jazz, I adapt quickly."
"I played my first concert when I was 12 years old, a piece by Mozart. The advantage of playing in Lebanon at this age was that there wasn't a lot of violin tradition and even though I wasn't the best violinist in the world, in Lebanon I was a star. When I was 14 a German conductor came to Beirut. I played for him and received a scholarship to study in Germany. At age 15 I left Lebanon.
When I think about the successes I have had in my professional life, I always think of the Sarasate Prize in Bilbao. I began to participate in competitions when I was 17. I won the first three competitions I participated in and many teachers began to approach me offering classes. I thought that with the help of great teachers I would become an extraordinary violinist. Later I realized that the teachers could not help me. I had to learn by mistakes. Three years before the Sarasate I quit studying with teachers. I was proud that I was able to win a great competition like the Sarasate in those conditions. In the musical world there are a lot of prejudices and conservatism. Some people believe that the Lebanese can't be classical musicians. I try to prove that the Lebanese people are not all belly dancers or terrorists. I don't know how to shoot a gun, but I know how to play the violin. Competitions have changed but they are still a way for violinists to project themselves publicly which is necessary for somebody who doesn't have connections, for somebody whose uncle is not Yehudi Menuhin or whose father isn't the owner of a record company. Unless you can spend at least four hours every morning writing here and there, which also demands a special kind of talent, competitions are the only way you can make yourself known to people that might be useful to you and your career. However, this isn't the only reason people participate in competitions. Some people do them just to motivate themselves to practice and prepare a program without really thinking about winning. If they do win something, so much the better, but that is not necessarily their goal. I think this is a very healthy but is seen less and less now days. When I started doing competitions fifteen years ago this was the prevalent attitude. We went to a competition and we played but we also had fun, we were friends and we used to go out, we went to the swimming pool and we did fun things. At the last competitions I did, the last one was around five years ago, it was unbearable. Nobody would talk to each other, people were younger and younger. It is rare to see anybody over 24. At 25 you are considered old. All the competitors were there with their families, with their parents or grandparents who looked at you like the enemy. The atmosphere was horrible. In the last 4 or 5 years I haven't followed who won what just because of the sheer number of prizewinners. You introduce yourself to a management firm saying you've won this competition or that and you're one among so many others. I think the key is in how you think about it. One should set ones own goals without thinking about who will be supporting who on the jury.
"I believe that there are as many styles of playing the violin as there are violinists in the world. I began accepting violin students two or three years ago. I teach everyone in the same way. It is the way I would have liked my maestros to have taught me. Many teachers don't want to teach how to play the violin. They only hope that some day their student will become famous and that the student's fame will reach them. I try to awaken the imagination and help the students find their own style. I help them find their way. Imitation is no good. Apart from forming their own style, I teach them rigorous technique and I try to define the musical personality in every pupil."
"If I have to define myself musically, of course I am classical. I have played classical music all my life, but presently there is a movement from classical to world music. The mixture of classical music with other types of music is still not very accepted. For example, it is very difficult to sell a concert like "Nuevos Tangos" to a typical classical concert series. But world music can have a lot of classical influence. Then, there are pieces like the Ox on the Roof written by Milhaud in the 1920's which I enjoyed playing with the Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid in June of 2001 in the Auditorio Nacional and also in Hannover, Germany.
The Ox on the Roof is not played often, probably 80% of the reason being that it is technically very demanding and very long for a one movement piece. It lasts around 20 minutes. It is also not very well known but its fantastic music, a crazy piece, saucy, spirited, and jazzy. He had heard black jazz in Harlem and then he went to Brazil during Carnival. First, The Ox on the Roof synthesizes jazz with the classical tradition. Milhaud also borrowed heavily from South American popular music styles like tangos, rumbas, sambas and street marches. It launched Milhaud into the public eye and caused a scandal when it was written. There was a project with a French film director to use it in a film, I think, that never materialized. Its a great piece, perfect for a silent film like a Charles Chaplin comedy, because it is peppy and syncopated and a lot of fun. One hears crazy harmonies that nobody was using then, even though it is not an atonal piece. I think he also wrote a version for orchestra, as well as the arrangement for violin and piano.
