"Crossover" - this word is often used when it comes to the art of the German-American virtuoso violinist David Garrett, because distinctive feature his is a synthesis of various musical directions.
The musician's birthplace is the German city of Aachen, where he was born in 1980 in the family of a successful lawyer Georg Peter Bongartz, but later the musician took the more sonorous and easily pronounced surname of his mother - ballet dancer Dove Garrett - as a pseudonym. The boy was only four years old at the time when the violin appeared in the house - it was purchased for his brother, but David became interested in the instrument, and he also began to study. The successes were so great that after a year the little musician won the children's competition, at the age of seven he began to study at the conservatory in Lübeck, where he was mentored by Zakhar Bron, at the age of ten he performed at the Hamburg Philharmonic. A year later, the young musician performed at the residence of Richard von Weizsäcker, the President of Germany, after which the boy was awarded the most valuable gift - a Stradivarius violin. At the age of twelve, Garrett began taking lessons from renowned violinist Ida.
His first discs with works, and Garrett recorded when he was only thirteen years old, becoming the most young musician who ever collaborated with Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Soon the violinist appeared on television. At the age of sixteen, after performing with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Garrett received an offer to perform on a BBC show.
In 1997, a talented seventeen-year-old young man, who already had a very solid performing experience, went to the British capital and entered the Royal College of Music. Studying at this illustrious institution was short-lived - David left him after the first semester. One of the reasons was the frequent absence of classes due to regular performances. The young musician did not feel any particular regrets about this, perceiving what happened not so much as an expulsion, but as a mutual agreement. In his opinion, he and his college mentors were walking different ways in the performing arts, and the further activity of the musician confirmed this.
However, the young man feels the need to continue music education. Now he turns his eyes to the famous Juilliard School in New York. Here his mentor in the art of playing the violin becomes famous musician Itzhak Perlman - Garrett was one of his first students. But David is not only improving his performing skills - he is also learning to compose. The years of study became a difficult time for him - he had to earn a livelihood on his own, and could not always help in this. performing activity. The musician was forced to earn money not only on the concert stage, but also on ... the podium as a model - since his attractive appearance was conducive to this.
Financial difficulties did not prevent professional success. In 2003, the musician won the composer's competition, creating a fugue in the style.
But now the study is over, independent begins creative way, and on this path, Garrett sets himself a difficult goal - to instill in young people an interest in academic music. But how to do that? Of course, presenting it in combination with something that is close and understood by young people. Accompanied by the group he created, which includes drums, keyboards and guitar, the violinist performs both classical melodies in his own arrangements and rock-style compositions. However, the musician does not ignore the academic direction, performing with symphony orchestras. It is noteworthy that Garrett often performs samples of rock and pop music in an academic manner. The synthesis of various directions is reflected in Garrett's albums - "Free", "Encore" and others.
The synthesis of academic music practiced by David Garrett with such styles as rock, jazz, rhythm and blues is not understood by all musicians, but the violinist considers such wariness unreasonable. He gives examples from the history of music: Franz Liszt, Fryderyk Chopin, Niccolò Paganini - weren't they for people XIX centuries, as amazing idols as rock stars become for the modern public? Hasn't the "Turkish Rondo" from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's A Major Sonata become as popular a "hit" as many modern pop compositions? The musician is convinced that there are no insurmountable boundaries between styles and trends.
The versatile talent of David Garrett also manifested itself in cinematic art. In 2013, the musician played the title role in Bernard Rose's film Paganini: The Devil's Violinist. The film contains not only the works of the great Italian violinist, but also Garrett's own compositions.
Music Seasons
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Tall, stately, confident blonde with a beaming smile, violinist David Garrett chooses loneliness in his personal life. Yes, can you believe it? Minsk residents still know little about the world-famous virtuoso, so on the eve of his concert in Minsk on December 11, we share the most interesting stories from interviews over the years.
“I have not seen how ordinary families live”
Little David Garrett very rarely communicated with peers: "My parents took me from elementary school when I was eight or nine years old and until the age of 17 I studied at home. Most time I spent traveling and flying, visiting foreign teachers or giving concerts - the first "adult" concert with symphony orchestra David started playing at the age of 11. So I didn't have any friends. I didn't see how they live ordinary families and I had nothing to compare with.
“I felt that my father hated me when I did not live up to his expectations”
The father recognized his son's talent very early and did everything so that little David had best tools and the best teachers. In addition, he personally studied music with him every day: “Since childhood, my father has put a lot of pressure on me. There were times when I felt his love, but at the same time ... hatred. Perhaps this sounds strange. I felt that he hated me when he was unhappy with me, when I did not live up to his expectations. There were moments when he was angry with me, and obviously, as a child, you do not understand these emotions and take them for hatred. But it was very hard."
It's good that in the end everything worked out, otherwise my childhood would have been even more depressing: it had everything, a lot of suffering, tears, rehearsals until the morning."
David was only thirteen when his parents entered into a contract with the prestigious Deutschen Grammophon record label on his behalf. “I remember how my father came to a meeting at Deutschen Grammophon and offered to record a disc - all twenty-four caprices of Paganini. It was his ambitious idea, no one consulted with me either on the repertoire or on other terms of the contract. I sit there and think: not a bad idea, but I only know two caprices ... We recorded everything, but at that time it was the most powerful pressure that I have ever experienced.
"It's terrible when what you love hurts"
Diligence and perseverance backfired tragically: due to intense rehearsals until late at night, or even until morning, obligations to recording studio, father pressure and own desire to play everything as best as possible, at the age of fifteen he “outplayed” the hand and suffered from pain for several years.
“I didn’t even want to talk about it. It seemed to me that these were all my problems, and I should keep a secret. I now understand that it was stupid. When you have problems, you need to talk about them. But then I was very afraid. For three years I gave concerts and rehearsed, experiencing unbearable pain in my arm. And it's terrible when what you love hurts. I felt like I couldn't find a way out, that everything around me was collapsing."
"The Biggest Compliment Ever"
“My teacher Isaac Stern was always very hard on me, I was thirteen or fourteen years old. I couldn't tell if he liked me as a performer or if he thought I wasn't good enough for him. I somehow made up my mind and asked him after the lesson: why do you always criticize me so sharply? With others, you are the sweetest person... He replied, "I don't care about others." It was the biggest compliment I've ever received in my entire life."
"We won't sell five copies"
Now, when David Garrett's crossover concerts gather hundreds of thousands of halls, it's hard to believe that at first no one supported his stylistic idea:
“A lot of people said it would never work. The head of Universal Germany was damn hard to convince, he said: “We have no idea where to put it. It's completely unclaimed, we won't sell five copies, I guarantee." And this is just one example out of ten thousand people have told me it won't work! Including my parents who kept repeating: this is a waste of time, a waste of energy, you will ruin your classical music career.”
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The pursuit of perfection forces David Garrett to rehearse and hone his technique constantly, not only for classical concerts: “My playing at any crossover tour concert is based on the classics. And I'm not cheating: one would think that I only play easy material, because the Beethoven concerto is beyond my power. Everything I play in a crossover concert is on the same technical level as a Beethoven concerto. So I keep myself in shape."
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"If I didn't feel lonely, I wouldn't be a good musician"
Thousands of fans look at him with loving eyes. Was David himself truly in love, did anyone break his heart? “Of course, many times,” the violinist replies. - But very difficult to meet true love when I'm on the road all the time."
“I think the feeling of loneliness is one of the most beautiful things. Especially when the profession allows you to use this emotion. If I didn't feel lonely, I wouldn't be a good musician. I live music even in my sleep.
Producer Peter Shvenkov, organizer of crossover tours, confirms Garrett's point: “I think it's important that people like him. Women love him, men tolerate him. I don't think you would ever be jealous if your wife loved David Garrett. You can live with it easily."
- American violin virtuoso German descent. Guinness World Record holder as the fastest violinist in the world, no one playsRimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" is faster than him (65 seconds). An exceptional artist and just a handsome man. An extravagant musician who wants not only to listen, but also to see. Single :)
My acquaintance with the musician happened in 2013, when I accidentally got into the cinema to see the film: “Paganini: The Devil's Violinist”, in which, as it turned out later, David Garrett played the main role. To be honest, at first I was attracted by the masculine charm and crazy devils in David's eyes. I didn't even know that I was facing the modern genius of classical music. We can say that I fell in love, absolutely my type: a long-haired musician, fire in his eyes, charisma even knocks out of his ears (and this is just a movie!) And an instrument in his hands :) talented person
- talented in everything andDavid did not limit himself to acting work, he also became the composer of the film. On my own behalf, I would like to advise everyone who has not yet watched this colorful story about the legendary violinist Niccolo Paganini, whose life has always been shrouded in various mystical rumors.
I was just amazed and hurried home to somehow satisfy my curiosity and google, google, google. When I'm under great impression, and this happens often, then first of all, friends suffer from a huge amount of spam on my part, and then the turn comes to colleagues. In general, back in 2013, many people learned about the existence of the incomparable handsome David Garrett.
And on the eve of the concerts of this genius in Russia, namely:
- September 8 in Moscow
- September 9 in St. Petersburg
I want to tell and tell, but for someone else, this guy with a hurricane-crazy energy and an outstanding artist can still be discovered.
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In short, I still don't want to clutter up biographical facts, because just the emotions and impression from the artist are much more interesting and colorful. So just a little bit of information: David Garrett was born on September 4, 1980 in Aachen (Germany), according to the Virgo horoscope, which means—
David is obsessed with cleanliness (Virgo—
they are), and he himself admitted in an interview that cleaning is a kind of meditative process for him, when you can think about a lot and scroll through various thoughts in your head. So David is very close to the people and even washes the floors.
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According to a common legend, the father gave the violin to his eldest son, but as they say— we assume, but God disposes, and the gift, as it turned out in the end, was intended for the future genius violinist, who grabbed the instrument and to this day does not let go, delighting us with his virtuoso playing. David's childhood was peculiar, if it was at all, because having started playing the violin at the age of 4 and winning his first competition a year later, then all subsequent years were filled with hard work, a series of various competitions, performances and exclusive contracts. It's not at all childish. It is worth noting that the President of Germany gave him the first Stradivarius violin at the age of 11Richard von Weizsäcker after David's speech at the President's residence at the Hammerschmidt Villa by personal invitation. In fact, David's enchanting performances and merits can be listed endlessly, but I see no reason to retell Wikipedia, and true fans already know everything. I was struck by the fact in his biography that at the age of 17 David took a bold independent solution that determined the rest of his life. Against the will of his parents, because all the decisions then were made for him by others and having broken all contracts,- send moved to New York, to the Juilliard School, one of the largest American universities educational institutions in art and music. He tried to pay for his education on his own - grabbing any job from washing toilets to modeling business. Such actions, in fact, say a lot, for example, about the maturity and awareness of a person, and this is at the age of 17. Do not be afraid not just to live, but to change your life- worthy of respect.
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Special thanks to David for the album "Rock Symphonies", for such an incredible arrangement classic rock for violin and orchestra. Hear the songs of such worldstrongholds like: Metallica, U2, Guns N "roses, Nirvana ... in such an original and divine presentation— it's just a treat for the ears, well, for mine, for sure. I really love Nirvana, and when I first heard, or rather saw (after all, David is even better in dynamics!) "Smells like Teen Spirit", I just blew up, how is this possible? He is simply incomparable, so talented and handsome that watching one video, you hang out on the Internet for a couple of hours. You can't just stop enjoying watching performances.
David Garrett- Smells like Teen Spirit
For fans of Michael Jackson, one of his immortal songs transcribed to the violin.
David Garrett - Smooth Criminal
And my favorite performance from David— Tomaso Albinoni "Adagio" I remember that I have whole year this composition stood on the call of the old phone until it was stolen. Someone, apparently, was also drawn to the beautiful at one time.
Seriously, such music is like a panacea and acts like a pill, relaxes and takes you somewhere far away, it is impossible to resist these magical sounds, and is it worth it? Better trust and enjoy.
David Garrett
David his appearance absolutely broke the mold. Classical music- This not necessarily strict attire and stiffness. There are rock stars in the classics too! For this look, many women would give their last dress.
Long blond hair, three-day stubble, ripped jeans, heavy boots, a velvet tuxedo orloose jacket, under it a simple T-shirt with a skull, hair carelessly tied with an elastic band and in the hands of an old Stradivarius violin, which stands millions of dollars, how wild and in the same time everything is so natural in this look. It's just a natural world of contrastsDavid Garrett.
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David, as a traveler and at the same time a guide between different musical worlds, who dressed even in a bag of potatoes, delights his audience, exciting and warming up interest and curiosity to classical music even for those who had no idea about this world before, like me. He attracts more and more people to concerts and convinces that classical musicIt's very modern and trendy.
As David himself says:"Music is the expression of life. Music can never be hate. Music is always positive emotions. They can be sad, but they are always hope. Music changes thoughts for the better."
Amazing violinist David Garrett is unique in everything! He absolutely does not care where to perform, whether it be the privileged audience of the London Royal or under open sky on the street, in front of ordinary passers-by. He feels comfortable in an exquisitely expensive tailcoat, as well as in ripped jeans and a simple T-shirt. “The main thing is the opportunity to play and give people music,” as David Garrett himself said. The biography of the musician, the first years of his life and the events that mainly influenced him are described below.
Nickname
The future violinist was born in 1980 in the town of Aachen, a place where three countries meet: Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. His mother is a famous American ballerina, and his father is a lawyer who also sells violins at auction. Father's occupations mainly influenced the hobby younger son music. By the way, Garrett real name musician, or rather, for his pseudonym, he chose maiden name mother and became internationally known as David Garrett. The family of the musician bears the surname of his father - Bongarts.
fateful gift
There are several versions that reveal the case in which the violin first fell into the hands of little David. According to one, the violin was presented to the boy's older brother, who did not show to her special interest. While the four-year-old boy looked at this instrument with admiration, and showed particular interest in it, and after a while he learned to play excellently.
Another story tells that a little boy grabbed the violin as soon as he saw it and did not allow it to be given to his brother. However, it does not matter how the violin fell into the hands of the future legend, the only important thing is that he ended up with it, and to this day he does not part with it.
As David Garrett himself said, his biography was rather complicated. The father raised the children in a harsh environment. He was very authoritative in the family. Everything that was connected with human emotions or their manifestation was omitted. Only conversations about business and music were important. Because of this, David's relationship with his parents was strained. But it concerns adolescence, now they have become warmer and more trusting.
Difficult childhood
David's childhood was peculiar, in the best traditions of the 18th century. Until the age of 17, he practically did not leave the house. Lived in his soap bubble”, and his acquaintance with peers was reduced only to communication with his sister and brother. The boy did not attend school, studied with tutors at home and that's it. free time dedicated to playing the violin. talent little boy showed up very early. And when David was 10 years old, he was hired by the best violin teacher, who at that time was Professor of the Cologne Conservatory Zakhar Nukhimovich Bron.
The career of a professional violinist began very early for the boy. As soon as he was eight years old, he played in the world famous symphony orchestra, and at thirteen he performed with Yehudi Menuhin. Even then, honored masters called David Garrett of their generation.
Little boy's adult career
After enchanting performances young talent noticed and began to invite to television. He appeared on Dutch and German broadcasts.
Perhaps the most important proof of the great professionalism of the little boy was the invitation of the President of Germany, Richard von Weizsacker, to give a concert in presidential residence at Villa Hammerschmidt. As a sign of respect and recognition of his professionalism, the head of state presented David with a unique
This is not the only exclusive violin in the virtuoso violinist's collection. He now plays a Stradivari created in 1703, but he likes to change his instruments, as everyone has their own unique sound, voice and soul, according to David Garrett. The biography of a teenager was so colorful and filled with events that few people experienced at such an early age.
Already at the age of 14, the boy signed a contract, unique for that time, with Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft as the youngest soloist in the history of the company. In Delhi and Bombay, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of India's independence, he played with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta.
When he turned 19, he got mass positive feedback from music critics after playing under Rafael Frübeck de Burgos with the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra in Berlin. After such success, he was invited to speak at a very prestigious and worldwide famous exhibition in Hannover Expo-2000.
To this day, the fastest virtuoso violinist to play "Flight of the Bumblebee" in one minute remains David Garrett. His record was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
"Other" music
In his family, the arc of music, except for classical, did not know. David grew up exclusively on Shostakovich, Beethoven and Bach. When he got a little older, he started discovering rock bands like Queen, Metallica and AC/DC. By the way, the first rock album Garrett bought was A Night at the Opera.
fateful decision
The conclusion of a contract with a recording studio soon paid off, and the world knew who David Garrett was. The albums released at that time consisted of classical music.
At that time, his father decided everything for him, and, tired of humility, he took his first independent step, which turned out to be crucial for David and his future career as a musician. As soon as he was 17 years old, he moved to New York to enter the Juilliard School (Juilliard School). It was the most famous musical conservatory in the world.
The parents did not like such a radical decision, and he was forced to break off all contacts with them, which also affected the financial security of the boy. David paid for his education on his own, literally “clinging” to any job that came across, not shunning anything. He washed dishes, worked in a store women's clothing model, in clubs even washed toilets. Considerable success brought him a modeling career, he is still called "Beckham". classical scene”, and his image is more suitable for a rock musician than a classical music performer.
The time of study at the academy is associated with numerous works and very rich life- only David Garrett himself talks about this, the personal life of a real legend remains a mystery.
Plans for the future family
Due to the harsh nature of his father and the atmosphere in which David grew up, he decided to become the exact opposite of his father for his future children. More than once in an interview, he said that he did not want to raise children in the atmosphere in which he himself grew up.
However, about how his mother raised him, he responds very warmly and with gratitude. Mom was able to instill in the boy thriftiness and taught him to order. David learned to manage the housework on his own very early. He still tries to do everything himself, does not like chaos and disorder, and is very strict about this. He's just obsessed with cleanliness. It will not be difficult for him to wash the floors. Cleaning process worldwide famous violinist David Garrett compares to meditation.
In those moments when the musician is at home, he is mainly engaged in preparing for concerts. But in order to concentrate, he must first establish a certain order around himself. Interestingly, in the conversation about the conduct household the violinist never mentions his life partner. David Garrett, whose personal life is hidden under seven locks, has not yet introduced his life partner to the world.
Heritage
The creative activity of the musician is amazing. By the age of 36, he is very popular in musical circles, but not only as a musician, but also as a screenwriter, director and even actor David Garrett. His albums are sold in millions of copies and amaze with a combination of classical music and the image of a rock musician.
David is quite productive, in some years he managed to release two albums. So, in 2007 he released two albums: Free and Virtuoso. 2008 was less productive - Encore, but already in 2009 two collections of masterpieces were again created under the name David Garrett and Classic Romance. The last album, Rock Symphonies, released in 2010, was unique. This, according to the author, best job, created in the style of crossover, which combines different musical directions.
Brought him fame in the cinema the main role in the film Paganini: The Devil's Violinist, released in 2013. Later, he starred in one episode of the famous television series Quantico.
It is worth noting that today he has achieved everything he wanted, and the world has learned who David Garrett is. His biography is striking in the large number of successes that he achieved as a teenager.
As for Serious relationships, then he himself says that he is still free, but this is not entirely true. There were rumors, and photos surfaced on the Web of David Garrett and his girlfriend Tatyana Gellert cooing cutely at a fashion show in New York.
( David Garrett )
David Garrett is a world-famous violin virtuoso of German origin.
David was born on September 4, 1980 in Germany, his mother was an American ballerina, and his father was a German lawyer and lawyer named Bongartz.
Garrett later chose his mother's surname as more sonorous and suitable for his career. According to legend, when the boy was 4 years old, his father bought a violin for his older brother, but David became very interested in music and soon began to play too. Then he began to take part in competitions, win, studied at the conservatory and at the Royal College of Music in London.
At the age of 11, David received a Stradivarius violin as a token of respect from the President of Germany for his performances.
At the age of 13, Garrett recorded two CDs and was shown for the first time on federal German television.
At the age of 19, David Garrett moved to live in New York, and in 2003 won the competition of composers of the Juilliard School, writing a fugue in the style of Johann-Sebastian Bach, in 2004 he received a diploma.
During his studies, he occasionally worked as a fashion model.
David took part in paramount musical concerts and world festivals, played other rare Stradivari violins and received awards and prizes.
With his work, Garrett, according to him, wants to arouse the interest of young people in classical music. In his albums, he includes his own arrangements, adds rock, jazz to the classics, with his own musical group he gives concerts, where, along with classical sonatas accompanied by a piano, arrangements and compositions, rock songs are performed and musical themes from movies.
