Dutch Air Guitar Championships

Tonight, an impressive documentary about the Russian master violinplayer Maxim Vengerov was shown on the Dutch television program ‘Het uur van de wolf’. It showed the enthusiasm of a young but already world famous violin player for his work, his musicianship as well his search for new ways during his one year long sabbatical. One of the new challenges he tried to explore was to work on a new composition by the Isrealian composer Joesoenov, including a tango sequence. The tango sequence was introduced by the master himself by playing air violin! Read more about the Maxim Vengerov, air violin and the documentary by clicking on ‘Lees de rest van dit item’.
Herhaling/repeated on Dutch television on Friday, 30th of March.

Maxim Vengerov, now around 30 years old, has been on stage since he was 5 years old, a child prodigy at an age only masters like Yehudi Menuhin and W.A. Mozart have matched. In the documentary, the violinist is seen during concerts and preparing for his sabbatical.

Vengerov had been playing all major stages in the world, and I once saw him in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam around 1992, in a series which also included violinists like Isaac Stern and Itzak Perlman. A super technician and showman, it was Vengerov who stuck to my mind. The documentary shows his other side and talent, that of a man in search of redefining violinplaying and reinventing himself, in a very positive and stimulating way. We see him take masterclasses in jazzviolin playing, in the way Stephane Grapelli did in the fifties. and we see him take dancing lessons in order to be able to dance the sequences in the composition by Joesoenov.

During the worldpremiere of the composition in Hannover, Germany, we see Vengerov play the air violin on two seperate occasions, in order to show the viewers his struggle betwen the dancing companion and the violin. In the end…the violin wins and he loses the girl. Bad luck for Vengerov, but a blessing for the future of classical music and music lovers all around the world.