I was able to do a phone interview with Dmitri Berlinsky. He will be performing the Glazunov Violin
Concerto during the Music of Russia Masterworks concert with Lansing Symphony
Orchestra. You can watch the show Saturday,
March 4 at 8PM at The Wharton Center.
Eden: How did you become involved with the Lansing Symphony?
Dimitri: I’ve been the professor of violin at MSU college of music 16
years. I’ve played with this orchestra a
few times in the past. Several of my
colleagues and students are a part of it.
EK: Your bio mentions that your intention is to bring music's spirit to the
audience, reaching levels above mere entertainment. Can you explain how you do that?
DB: I think this is intentional for composers. They try to share something very enlightening
in their classical music. Our
responsibility as performers and interpreters of this of this music it to try
to find the shining light in a piece which can really enrich lives of anyone
who can experience the concert setting. It’s
important to hear music in your home and on the radio, but it’s a different
experience in a live concert.
EK: At what age did you start
playing violin and how old were you when you won the international competition
in Italy?
DB: I started at the age of six.
That was a very common age for performers in the Soviet Union. I won the competition when I was sixteen and
I was the youngest to ever win.
EK: Do you have other musicians in
your family?
DB: Yes, both of my parents are musicians. They play piano and violin. They immigrated to New York City twenty years
ago. I brought them to this
country. I came first, then I was able
to bring them as well. They have been
very active in terms of the teaching and performance as well.
EK: What are some of the major venues where you have performed?
DB: Carnegie and Avery Fisher Halls in New York, The Kennedy Center in
Washington DC, Tokyo's Suntory Hall, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory,
the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, the Munich Herkulessaal,
the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, the Bonn Beethoven Hall, Le Place des
Arts in Montreal, and the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires among others.
EK: How far have you travelled and do you have a favorite city or venue?
DB: I still love to go back to Russia.
That’s where I grew up. One of
the most important halls is the one I grew up in. Its special because I attended my first
classical concert there around the age of seven. I would go there every time there was a
concert. I grew up in the hall and had a
chance to perform there when I as around ten years old. It was a very special moment. It holds all the memories and my upcoming
comes back. There are also incredible
concert halls in Europe. There are some
very good halls in the United States.
Sometimes you get a surprise, because perhaps you have a wonderful
experience even in a small town. I have
to say, I’m quite proud of local audiences over the past sixteen years. Lansing has become very, very
supportive. They come to our classical
concerts at the College of Music in the Fairchild Theatre. When I perform there with my colleagues we
have a full house audience. It’s an
incredible change over the last decade.
I remember there were just a few people when I started working at
MSU. Now it’s a real joy to see people
coming back and bringing new people. I
feel very fortunate and proud in the way I am helping to build the audience
here.
EK Are you noticing in the audience there is a broad range of ages?
DB: Yes, it’s good to see young people.
I see very young musicians who already play instruments, or they are
curious and their parents bring them. Of
course, we have many students attend.
EK: With your teaching schedule, are you on the road often?
DB: I go quite a lot. I’m very
busy with travelling back and forth. It’s
a challenge. I spend lots of time here
with a huge studio of students, that are very demanding. I’m here most of the time during the calendar
year. I travel, but never for more than
a week if I leave during the semester.
EK: What are the challenges to being on the road so much?
DB: There are challenges of nature, the weather. Plane delays are challenges. The rest of it I enjoy very much.
EK: What can we expect from the show this weekend?
DB: The concerto I am going to perform is not very well known. At some point it was one of the most popular
concertos, not only in Russia, but in Europe.
There a great history to it. This
piece really demands an incredible amount for the entire orchestra. The wind instruments have wonderful solo
parts. There’s a harp. This is a real collaboration
of the orchestra and I think it’s one of the most exciting concertos. It’s one of my favorites.
EK: Do you have any preshow rituals?
DB: It depends on the occasion.
Certainly everyone has a ritual to get focused on what’s going to happen
and mentally be ready. I try not to be exhausted
before I go on the stage, because it’s very demanding to play the
concerto. Every live performance is a
surprise because it has to happen there on that stage no matter how well we are
prepared.
EK: Do you have any advice for children learning music today that would
like to continue as a career?
DB: The only advice I have is they have to be patient. They have to really love the music and their
instrument. They have to know that
sometimes it takes several years before they can achieve the results and sound
and the ability to play well. Be
persistent. There will be frustrations
along the way. It’s a challenging profession,
but once they know they love it, or if they feel they can express themselves
with the music I think it’s one of the greatest way to spend your life. It will make you feel very complete. You will have a gift of making other people
aware of this incredible artistry. Music
brings people, different nations, different political affiliations together for
the moment in appreciation. This is a
magical, magical process.
EK: What do you do when you’re not teaching or performing?
DB: When I’m on the road I have plenty of time so I can read and listen
to music. I even practice in my
head. This is actually the advantage of
spending hours and hours on the plane. That’s
a time I can do things. When I have a
chance I love to go fishing, so its great that I live in Michigan.
EK: How can people follow you
online?
Dmitri Berlinsky Homepage: http://dmitriberlinsky.com/
Check out the Lansing Symphony
Online: http://www.lansingsymphony.org/
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