Violinist Ara Malikian Makes London Debut at the Barbican This March
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 19, 2017
ARA MALIKIAN, the virtuoso violinist and dazzling live performer, is to make his UK debut at the Barbican in London on March 12th 2018.
A post-graduate of the Guildhall, Ara Malikian has won numerous awards and performed with the world's best symphony orchestras. And Sting! This year he has already performed 200 shows for more than 270,000 people around the world. London audiences have a treat in store when they come to see this unconventional, dedicated, wild-haired musician who inspires audiences and fellow musicians in equal measures. His phenomenal energy combined with a formidable technique and his irresistible personality has won him thousands of fans worldwide.
Says Ara: "I am very excited about my debut concert at the Barbican; I attended many concerts there when I was studying at the Guildhall next door. It will be fantastic to be onstage with my band; I hope Barbican audiences will enjoy our mix of classical and contemporary music - from Bowie to Bach, Led Zeppelin to Paganini - it's going to be a great evening!"
Ara's band:
Humberto Armas (viola): from Venezuela, former member of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra and teacher.
Hector El Turco (percussion): dynamic, multi-styled performer, Hector has worked with many artists: classical and flamenco, rock and afro-beat.
Cristina López (cello): multi-award winning cellist Cristina is from Valencia.
Jorge Guillén del Castillo (violín): Jorge plays a rare 1776 Mathias Thir (Vienna) violin.
Nantha Kumar (tabla): from Singapore, has been performing on (Indian) tablas and percussion since his stage debut at the age of 10.
Tony Carmona (guitar): one of Spain's best known guitarists, Tony has performed with and produced and arranged for many great artists including Ara Malikian.
Tania Bernaez (double bass): from Spain where she has performed with the Castile and Leon Symphony Orchestras.
Along with a vast repertoire of classical violin pieces and contemporary work, Ara Malikian has deftly assimilated the music of other cultures including gypsy and klezmer from central Europe, tango from Argentina, flamenco from Spain and a range of music from the Middle East.
His Barbican concert will feature a mix of classical music and his own arrangements of favourite rock tracks which include a lyrical version of David Bowie's Life On Mars and a completely re-worked arrangement of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. Ara and his band will also perform Chopin's Prelude No. 4 in E Minor, Bach's Largo/Piano Concerto No. 5 in F minor and Paganini La Campanella (Paganini Violin Concerto No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 7, third movement). Folk and gypsy music will also be on show with the rollicking Seespocken Tanz - La Danza Del Percebe for two violins and guitar and the hypnotic Bourj Hammound.
Ara Malikian - of Lebanese origins and Armenian descent who's now based in Spain - gave his first concert at 12 and at 15 became the youngest violin student at the Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Hannover in Berlin. He is a multi-award winning musician, an in-demand soloist and star performer and has performed with dozens of orchestras including Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Orchestra, London Chamber Orchestra, Armenia Philharmonic and Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid. His recording of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons sold over 80,000 copies in aid of UNICEF. His album 'De La Felicidad', with flamenco guitarist José Luis Montón was nominated by the Spanish Academy of Music for the best New Music CD of the year.
He has collaborated with Lebanese singer Fairuz, flamenco dancers Joaquin Cortes and Belen Maya, Nuevo Tango Ensamble, the Italian tango-jazz trio and the late Spanish jazz pianist/composer Horacio Icasto. He worked with film composer Alberto Iglesias on the soundtrack for Pedro Almodóvar's Hable Con Ella (Talk To Her, 2002) and Pascal Gainge in El Otro Barrio (2000) by the director Salvador García Ruiz.
Ara Malikian has been nominated twice for the best classical performance in the 2007 Music Prizes in Spain given by the Spanish Academy for his recording of the Poema Concertante by Xavier Montsalvatge, along with the Castilla y Leon Symphonic Orchestra; as well as for a piece with Joan Valent, Suso Saiz and Marc Blanes.
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