by Cecilia Mureanu

What city you feel more like home and what is the meaning of travelling for you?

I feel the best in the city I grew up since I was one year old and that is Timișoara. I have my family there, my closest friends and the most pleasant memories. In general, I travel a lot with the quartet band and, in most cases, it is an interesting experience, a unique opportunity to discover a little bit from the history of the city where we perform if there is time to visit a few places before the concert. Sometimes, we arrive at the hotel, we eat, we rehearse, we give a concert and we leave next morning. Those trips are exhausting and, because most hotels look alike, we could be anywhere in Europe without knowing exactly where we are!

How important is for a musician the appearance on the stage (clothes, look) nowadays? Would it be possible for Clara Haskil to become a star of a great record label in the XXI century?

It depends very much on the label house. Many houses are struggling to survive and they need artists with interesting looks in order to sell records, but generally speaking, the majority tries to hold on to their integrity and to allow artists to present themselves to the public as they are, without any extras. A few years ago, the director of a label house told us that selling the records of one single artist with an out of the ordinary appearance managed to finance the discs of eight young unknown artists with an interesting potential.

Artists like Clara Haskil would never have a competition on the music market because high quality musicians always have their well deserved place.

How do you spend your free time and what are your hobbies?

I like reading, going outdoors (each summer we always go for at least two weeks in the mountains), but generally I spend all my free time with my children. I have two girls – one is eight years old and the other one is one year and a half – and a four months little boy.

If it hadn’t been music, what other professional field would you have chosen?

I have also loved ballet a lot and artistic skating before I started studying the violin. I think I would have chosen ballet after all!

Do you collect anything? Is there any activity where you like “escaping” to?

I do not collect anything, but I love escaping into the world of good books.

How do you succeed in dedicating yourself both to the private life (the family) and to your professional life?

With a lot of help from my parents, parents in law and close friends! We are lucky so far because we can take the children with us on tours, but I think it will be more difficult when we will be constrained by their school activities…

Is classical music addressed to everyone or just to a small group of insiders? Is it an art that belongs to the elite? Do you consider that a special training is needed for ”understanding” the message of this special kind of music?

Classical music is a universal language, but there are many people who are more into other musical genres just because they were not educated in the spirit of classical music. During my student years I used to play with the elementary school`s quartet band and we would explain to the children how a cord quartet works and we would show the capabilities of our instruments. Most of them were fascinated and they were asking the teacher to let them pick out an instrument and learn how to play it. My theory is that, nowadays, when children have so many extracurricular activities to choose from and there are so many temptations, like the internet and the TV, it is a difficult task for those parents who are not classical music lovers to find the time and initiate the children in this art. Also, due to the lack of time (or because the priorities are different), there are just few young people in most concert halls. Music lovers that we often meet at concerts have a certain age and they can also afford - financially speaking - to spend hours at an opera play or at a concert. Our most fierce competition is the pop music that is everywhere and is very catchy – easy to remember words and a general simple music that anyone can hum. A Beethoven symphony requires a bit more focus and a certain state of the mind.

What would you recommend to a young man who wants to get closer to classical music?

I would recommend getting starting with Haydn symphonies. They are full of energy and humor; a bit from each genre, orchestras, chamber music and opera. Mozart is such a versatile composer that anyone is able to find something to enjoy in his works. I believe that Mozart and the opera are the most extraordinary combination for someone who appreciates theater and who wants to discover how the two can be perfectly combined.

Whose disciple would you have liked to have been?

I would have loved to have Beethoven as my professor. He was a genius and I believe that in his presence any musician would feel fulfilled. As a violinist, I would have been ecstatic to have Arthur Grumiaux as my mentor – his sound is always music to my soul.

Do you have any superstitions before a concert?

My greatest superstition is when I happen to drop the notes down on the floor. After such an incident I have performed a concert below my capacity. I believe there is a powerful psychological connection between the two! Or, how my professor used to say, this is an easy excuse… But, I have met another violinist player who had the same superstition as I have; she sits on the notes if they happen to fall down, and this helps her! I have tried it too, yet unsuccessfully. If any of my colleagues places the notes on the floor before the concert - unintentionally of course – he is taking a huge risk!

What was the most important musical event of your life?

Many of the musical events of my life are worth mentioning, it is difficult to just pick one. To make a quick summary, I would say that when I was a child I would enjoy and take pride in the recitals played in the small hall of the Athenaeum.

I can never forget the three hour lesson I took with Lord Yehudi Menuhin on Mendelssohn`s concert, followed by a concert performed by the orchestra he conducted.

The first concert I have ever listened to in London when I was 16 years old and a Beethoven concert with Itzhak Perlman – it was a magical moment. Numerous concerts played with the quartet, each of them had some special moment. The first disc I have ever recorded and a recent telephone call from Maestro Barenboim who told me he enjoyed our concerts with the Beethoven quartet series...and the list can go on and on.

Are there pieces that you are passionate about but you don`t think you will ever play?

There are several symphonic pieces that I would like to play, but I don`t think I will ever have the opportunity… Wagner, Beethoven, the Ninth Symphony…

Who is the nowadays musician that you appreciate deeply?

This is a difficult question, because the list is long and I don`t want to forget anyone and offend that person!

Do you also listen to other musical genres?

I love jazz and good pop music.