What I Like About Modern Violin

May 5, 2012 at 8:41 AM

According to some research, violin is considered to be the most popular instrument among children. From my own experience I can say with certainty that it’s completely true! School children simply love to amuse themselves with this gorgeous music tool. And luckily today there is enough of music material for violin that is easy to play and is as well quite easy on ear. It would be good to mention here such easy fun violin pieces as Little ballad by Diego Minoia or La cucaracha by Yuri Pronin.

I respect style and tradition in music but recently I have found myself quite interested in exploring more of contemporary music: composers, performers, arrangers, and everything related to modern days and not distant past. Despite many saying that modern music has not much to offer I stick to an opposite point view – modern violin CAN be breath-taking and competitive. To take only outstanding performer Brazilian violinist and composer Zoltan Paulinyi.

But my true ‘find’ in recent modernity was a distinguished Swiss composer Ernst Levy whose music does not fall under any trend, school or tradition. He deceased at the beginning of the 80-ies but the heritage lives. Himself being a pianist, he’s got a few lovely pieces for violin too - Suite for Violin Alone and Sonata accompagnata for Violin and Piano, I found both with composer’s original manuscripts!

I don’t try to say that there are living composers to surpass the great classics – I simply don’t know – but I can definitely say that some of today’s musicians have such a unique style that it’s time for a new line comparison to be drawn.