Francophile's Musical Journey

January 25, 2012 at 11:16 PM

As a concert violinist, hedonist, and a sports buff, I try to find correlations of my three passions. Recently, I did a live national radio interview and performance, where I discussed this topic. To me, this insight makes for a much deeper understanding of the art. Being a Francophile, I chose some of my favorite French music of Ravel, Saint- Saens, and Massenet. Also, I discussed my ‘best of’ experiences in France, which to me, translates to crème de la crème. As an oenophile, I discovered some of the best wines produced on this earth, such as Chateau Branaire-Ducru, Brane-Cantenac, Smith Haut-Lafitte, and Margaux. Furthermore, my culinary palate came under a spell at the luxurious ambience of Epicure Restaurant, which is nestled in one of the landmarks of Paris, Le Bristol Hotel. For last few years, I’ve been holding back on my annual pilgrimage to Barney’s for taste of these Francais extravagance.

When I performed at the world renowned Chateau Branaire-Ducru, I took a Stradivarius that had French lineage. It was at one point, owned by the great French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint- Exupery, the author of ‘Little Prince’, whose ancestor was an important figure in Bordeaux wine society. In early 19th century, his great-grand father, Count Jean-Baptiste de Saint- Exupery, was the owner of the Grand Cru Classe wine, Chateau Malescot St Exupery.

One of the perks of being a concert violinist is that I get to travel to different parts of the world, where I can do the things I love. My next destination is New York, where I will make my debut at the Merkin Hall performing, of course, French music. My only concern at this point- rather than being anxious about the concert, I’m focusing too much on my hedonistic tour. Well, c’est la vie!