Interview with Alexander Markov

Alexander Markov, one of the best violin virtuosi, left a mark on Cyprus audiences with two amazing performances in the scope of the 4th International North Cyprus Music Festival. Markov says, he considers Cyprus visits as pleasant trips instead of professional ones...

You have been to Cyprus several times before. How do you feel in Cyprus?

Cyprus is a very peaceful island, indeed. I am also very happy about the annual music festival that promotes the kind of musical activities this country longs for. I am happy to contribute on my behalf as an artist to these cultural activities in Cyprus.

You have been to this part of the world several times...

Yes. Cyprus is a wonderful place to relax and take a deep breath to slow down. However, this time we had a different kind of excitement and a fast rhythm due to a very special event to me. This year, we performed the rock concerto, and a few days later was my recital comprising a strict classical repertory. These required hard work; but it was a sweet rush because I was very pleased and excited that the festival was open to new ideas instead of adopting a strict attitude. The director of the festival, Halil Kalgay

has put his heart to not only continue but also to develop the festival and thus he is open to different musical styles. I am very impressed of the hard work he has put in the organisation of the festival over the years. If it were not for him, surely all these wonderful activities would not be happening on this island. Kalgay is a praiseworthy person doing an extremely difficult job.

You participated in this annual music festival consecutively throughout the years. Can you compare the first years of the festival and the point it stands today?

I can say the festival has developed a lot and I am sure will be developing more in the forthcoming years.

What are your impressions of the audience in Cyprus?

I think it is a very enthusiastic audience. They are open-minded people. I like to be here with these people. That’s why I come back every year.

How does it feel like performing at the Bellapais Abbey? Does the historical atmosphere have an effect on you?

First of all, Bellapais Abbey is a beautiful place, very romantic. The reverberation is so perfect for solo instrum

ents or maybe a chamber orchestra only composed of a few instruments. Apart from its historical importance and beauty, the musical sense of the abbey is extraordinary and gives me delight while playing solo violin.

Among the places you have been to give concerts, which places can you list as your favourites?

Well honestly, I really love Turkey and North Cyprus. The people are very friendly, they like coming to the concerts. They are very enthusiastic and open-minded, which is very important. I, myself, learned a lot from the audiences in Turkey and North Cyprus. Everything is so natural here. Accordingly, you feel relaxed as an artist.

You give importance to listening to the performances of young musicians. Did you meet any talents in Cyprus?

Unfortunately, not this year. But last year we had a master class with EMU students. Students in this part of the world are enthusiastic musicians. They are very hungry for some new ideas and opportunities. I believe, in order to develop and take ambition in something, one should be hungry for something. If everything is given, then

there will be nothing to explore or seek. In the west, there are a lot of good teachers, but in this part of the world, it is different. I am very glad to offer these people the ideas or opportunities they seek for.

Together with hundreds of people, we watched your amazing rock concerto performance the previous night. Can you please first give us some information about it?

When we moved to America, I fell in love with two things; the rock’n’roll and girls. I loved rock’n’roll so much that I did not just want to listen to it but I wanted to become a part of it. I wanted to do something special. Eventually I approached my musical partner, James Remington, and he designed the marvelous electric violin with 6 strings for me. If I am a violinist, why not developing the violin, I thought. And we adapted it to the rock’n’roll music. It is the only one of its kind in the world and we had a patent on this. Then the idea came to combine my classical experience with rock’n’roll. In this aspect, the rock concerto is about my life. It is partially classical, and partially hard rock or heavy metal. Then, I met with some extraordinary musicians from New York; Gregg Gerson the drummer, Ivan Bodley, the bassist.

What was your objective in composing a rock concerto? Does it claim a message?

I wanted to do something special to attract the younger audience to the world of classical music; something ultimately different that would create an effect, shake and awake the audience. Musically, the rock concerto has a revolutionary aspect. When playing classical music, you have to follow the traditions of hundreds of years. You have only a limited independent area to play interpretation. You have to follow the intention of the composer. But in the rock concerto, the music is original. You can do whatever you want as long as it sounds well. You can express yourself a hundred percent as you are. The rock concerto offers a musical journey. People do not just come to listen 50 minutes of music, but to enter a different world. I want to grasp their attention at the first minute and take them to a different world. That is basically the idea behind it.

Which countries have you performed the rock concerto so far, and where did you get the most crowded audience? And, why, do you think?

Well, actually rock concerto is quite a new project. The premiere was held in America only two months ago. Apart from that, we mainly performed it in Turkey. We played in Izmir, Bursa, İstanbul and Eskişehir. We also played once in Israel. The most crowded we got was in İstanbul at AKM. But in Cyprus, we had an unfortunate shift of places. Because of the rain, we moved the stage and all the equipment to the EMU Sports Hall, from the Antique Theatre of Salamis. I think it is why we could not get many spectators.

You are among the very few virtuosi able to perform Paganini’s 24 Caprices at one recital. Is this extraordinary performance the result of long hours of study, or a deep love of the composer?

Both actually. Ever since I was very little, I was always fascinated by the image of Paganini. Well, for the 24 Caprices, I had an opportunity to give a recital in New York in the very beginning of my career. My father gave me the idea to do something really striking and challenging, instead of a regular list of sonatas. Thus started a hard marathon and finally the recital attracted attention. Then, we shot this film of my performance with the director Bruno Monsaingeon, which was released worldwide on DVD just a week ago.

You moved to the US from Russia with your family. Do you ever wonder where is home to you?

This is an easy question to answer, because obviously it’s US. Not to forget to mention that there is a wonderful culture in Russia. Actually nowadays, I spend more time in Turkey. Turkey is home to me for now.

Would you like to add something?

I would like to emphasize how much I am impressed with the hard work undertaken in the organisation of the music festival in Cyprus. I am very glad to participate in such a festival. I give a lot of concerts around Europe in the scope of various organisations. One or two years later, these organisations generally end up. But here, it is exactly the opposite. Thanks to the determined attitude of the festival, the interest in the culture is getting bigger and bigger every year, giving me a pleasant hope. I take pleasure in watching this grow, that is why I come back every year.

JETLAGGED!

How do you keep up with long hours of flight spent within the plane?

It is fine. I like travelling. I feel relaxed. I sleep or I can even read. It is better to fly long way than to make connections. Then, you have to spend long hours at a terminal which gives you exact boredom.

Does the long hours of travelling affect your adaptation or performance? Or what do you do to prevent this?

It does not, really. I never had any trouble. Maybe in the case of some organization problems, some times I had difficulties. But it happens very seldom indeed.

You said you enjoy coming here. Have you ever flied with CTA in one of your travels to Cyprus?

Yes, I think last year and the year before, when I was to come to Cyprus for the festival again, I travelled with CTA. It was very good experience. I enjoyed it.

Have you ever encountered something interesting in one of your flights?

Of course, I encounter a lot of interesting things on my journeys. Once, I remember, I was running very late for one of my flights from Cyprus. And, they got me directly on the plane, on the runway a few minutes before the plane takes off. I felt like James Bond.

A living legend

Alexander Markov was born in Moscow and studied violin with his father, concert violinist Albert Markov. By the time he was eight years old, he was already appearing as a soloist with orchestras. At the age of fourteen, he received a rare personal invitation from Jascha Heifetz to study with him. The Gold Medal winner at the Paganini International Violin Competition, Markov is praised by the famous violinist Lord Yehudi Menuhin with these words, “He is without doubt one of the most brilliant and musical of violinists”

***Published in Caretta, 2008.