I once asked a violist, “How would you feel if someone told you that you played like a violinist? Would you see it as a compliment or otherwise?” He chuckled and thought for a while, before replying, “if that person meant the freedom in playing, then yes, but otherwise perhaps…
Described by The New York Times as “the greatest viola player of modern times” and by The Times of London as “the world’s best living musician”, Yuri Bashmet has carved out a unique reputation in a field where few violists have been able to sustain successful solo careers. The Moscow…
The great violist Yuri Bashmet comes to Singapore as part of a 20th anniversary World Tour with the Moscow Soloist. Plink, Plonk, Plunk catches up with him in an exclusive email interview before his concert on the 25th of May at the Esplanade Concert Hall. Hello Maestro Bashmet, and thank…
“The viola is commonly (with rare exceptions) played by infirm violinists, or by decrepit players of wind instruments who happen to have been acquainted with a string instrument once upon a time.” Richard Wagner, in 1869, quoted in Gattey Peacocks on the Podium (1982) Violists have long been considered to be second-class…