Hi! How are you? Where are you?
I'm fine, looking forward to a holiday. Currently waiting for a flight in Prague airport.
What’s on your schedule right now?
I have just done my last concert this season, so have a break now until September.
If you hadn’t chosen for music, what do you think you would do right now?
I Haven't thought about that. Paint maybe... something to do with the arts in any case.
What or who was your biggest influence as an artist?
There have been many influences from my teachers, from people I meet, whoever they may be. I think I change a little bit every timeIi meet someone new
What’s the hardest part about being a musician and what’s the best?
I guess the hardest is being away a lot and the best is that my work is what I love the most.
What’s your view on the classical music scene at present? Is there a crisis?
I wouldn't say so. But then, I am surrounded by people who love classical music. Though, I am sure there is a way of bringing music to wider audiences without having to dumb it down. We just have to be a little more creative sometimes.
Some feel there is no need to record classical music any more, that it’s all been done before. What do you tell them?
There will always be new projects, new ways of approaching classical music and if everybody is open enough to accept them, everything will be fine.
What constitutes a good live performance in your opinion? What’s your approach to performing on stage?
I think it's to do with energies of the musicians, of the audiences and a general wish to create something very special. I don't have an approach as such, other than try to care about every note I play and never use 'autopilot'
What does the word “interpretation” mean to you?
Interpretation to me is the most natural thing in the world. No two people can play a phrase in the same way, therefore there is no point in trying consciously to do something different just for the sake of it.
How do you balance the need to to put your personal emotions into the music you play and the intentions of the composer?
I try to follow the score as much as I can and work out composer's intentions from the given clues. But there are times when one has to make his/her own decisions. after all it's impossible to write everything on a five-line stave...
True or false: People need to be educated about classical music, before they can really appreciate it.
False
You are given the position of artistic director of a concert hall. What would be on your program for this season?
I would have a lot of Beethoven's orchestral music, Schubert chamber music. A production of Debussy's 'Pelleas and Melisande'. and then definitely have some jazz, some very contemporary music, some commisions too (a few for choir), and probably a very good Georgian folk group.
How would you describe the relationship with your instrument?
There are times when I can't separate the two and other times when it's a sort of game to see how the violin reacts to what I do and vice versa.
Have you ever tried playing a different instrument? If yes, how good were you at it?
I played piano at school, pretty well when I was about nine, but it all went downhill from there.
Picture by Sussie Ahlburg
Homepage: Alina Ibragimova
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