In subscription Philharmonic classical concerts will be on Thursday and Friday on two consecutive evenings For young people with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time in two years the violinist played Patricija Avšič. The 17-year-old, who was predicted to have a brilliant international career years ago, recently got a “Stradivarka” on the post. Such an honor comes to only a handful, there are few of these violins in the world and they are very valuable. The “rare beauty of tone and deep sound expressiveness” of Stradivarius Figueroa will sound in Cankarjev dom.
Antonio Stradivariwhose poster once hung in Patricia’s home practice room, made this instrument in 1686 in Cremona. As her father explained Matej Avšičwho taught her the violin until the age of 12, Stradivarius Figueroa was owned by one of the most important musical families from Puerto Rico, in the 20th century it was also played by the famous Pepito Figueroa. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017, the family decided to sell it; It was lent to Patricia by the Berlin institution Stretton Society, “which works only with above-average carefully selected young artists”.
Something new every day
“When I found out that I would be able to play a Stradivarius violin, I was honestly speechless. This is something that almost every violinist dreams of. In the beginning, it took me some time to get used to it, because it is very special and extremely responsive. Every day I discover a new color of sound or a possibility that I didn’t know before. It seems to me that we are still getting to know each other, but already I feel that he can offer me a lot of inspiration and freedom in creating music,” Work Patricija Avšič explained. When we spoke with her years ago (2022, when she was already enrolled in the department for gifted students at the universities of music and performing arts in Graz and Vienna at the age of thirteen), she said that she named her largest (continental) violin Ginette, after a French violinist Ginette Neveu. Figueroa didn’t put a name on it – he calls her my old lady. “I think I progressed mainly in maturity and understanding of music,” she summed up this period.
Her professor also plays the Stradivarius violin Boris Kuschnirwho repeatedly emphasizes “that Stradivari’s violin is not a magic wand that does everything for the violinist. But it allows an incredible number of different sound options. He taught me to really listen to the instrument and let it show its character. Each such violin is completely different.” What surprised her the most was how quickly he responded. “It feels like you have a lot more different shades and colors to paint the music with,” she explained. This means that you have to be very collected, but at the same time it allows a lot of freedom in the design of the sound.
She remembers how, as a little girl at home, she looked at the poster with the image of Antonio Stradivari in the studio and imagined the world of the greatest violinists. For her, the famous violin maker was “something almost unattainable, a symbol of the highest level of violin art. That’s why the feeling today is even more special. If someone had told me back then that one day I would play a Stradivarius violin, I probably wouldn’t have believed them.” This story shows her again and again that dreams can sometimes really come true, she added.
Her professor Boris Kuschnir repeatedly points out that Stradivari’s violin is not a magic wand that does everything for the violinist. PHOTO: Janez Marolt
But with the realization of dreams comes responsibility. The exact value of Stradivarius Figueroa is unknown, but it is estimated at several million euros. “The responsibility is huge,” emphasizes Patricija Avšič. “A violin like this is not only a valuable instrument, but also a piece of musical history. Of course, it is properly insured and subject to special rules regarding transport and storage. You have to be very careful all the time. But I think the biggest responsibility is to justify the trust of the people who allowed you to play such an instrument.”
On the program FKK: For young people, part 2 they are Concertino for small orchestra Pavlet Merkù, Concerto for violin and orchestra in D minor, Op. 47 Jan Sibelius and Symphony no. 7 in A major, Op. 92 Ludwig van Beethoven. The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted by its chief conductor Kahi Solomnishvili. The young violinist is very happy to perform in Cankarjev dom, because “it’s always something special to play in front of a home audience. The repertoire is very close to me and I think it allows for a lot of expression and different moods. Cooperation with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra is a great honor. They are top musicians from whom I can learn a lot, so I can’t wait to get on stage together and share music with the audience.”
