Preview: HK Phil and Nicola Benedetti
Nicola Benedetti may not be a household name, but that doesn't bother the 25-year-old violinist.
Nicola Benedetti may not be a household name, but that doesn't bother the 25-year-old violinist.
"I've never had the desire for fame, necessarily," says the musician who's been branded a "classical babe" by the tabloids. "But for me personally to become more 'pop'? I don't feel excited about that prospect in isolation."
Nonetheless, she is one of the rapidly rising stars of the classical music scene and this week she joins maestro Jaap van Zweden in her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. The programme includes Wagner's , Prelude to Act I, Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto.
"Tchaikovsky's concerto is one of the most tiring and all-consuming concertos out there," says Benedetti, who will be playing a borrowed 10M Stradivarius. "It's relentless, tragic, wild, crazy and so, so beautiful. Tchaikovsky's melodies are, after all, some of the best in the world."
Benedetti is passionate about music and she wants to share that passion with the audience, to bring them to a higher place. "I want people to feel the piece, feel they've become closer to Tchaikovsky, to his message, his soul and his music," says the player, who was born in Scotland to a Scottish mother and Italian father. "And I want people to feel my love for it and to share the love I have for his music."
As much as she's devoted to her art, the young violinist is aware of the barriers that prevent classical music from reaching a mass audience. Her dream is for the art to be accessible to all. Meaning that in an ideal world, classical music would have a stronger foothold in schools, immersing students in classical music at a very young age. At the same time, promoters and concert halls needed to establish a more open and welcoming environment for people to experience the wonders of classical music.
Benedetti also understands that as a classical musician she must play a role in spreading the art to the public. Her mastery of the violin is not enough to fill concert halls, she says. There needs to be a systematic process to change people's perceptions of the music - and the perceived audience.
For newbies, Benedetti encourages patience and openness when listening, which, she says, will be rewarded with "the most human, easily felt and shared experience in the world", and that will ultimately open up a whole new dimension to the music.
