American virtuoso was released from prison to perform in the capital

American virtuoso was released from prison to perform in the capital

American violin star Rachel Barton Pine was released from a correctional facility in Nowa Huta last week despite the objections of the inmates. Her performance delighted the residents of Krakow, and on Saturday, February 11, she will unleash the sound of violins worth millions of dollars in the capital. At 19:30 in the Main Building of the Warsaw University of Technology, the multiple award-winning virtuoso of Polish descent will perform, among others, 'The Four Seasons' by Vivaldi.

– My mission is to play not only in great concert halls. I want to present my music to people everywhere: in hospitals, schools, churches, and also in a correctional facility – says Rachel Barton Pine. The virtuoso is fulfilling this mission in February in the land of her ancestors. The organizer of her concerts, the Bielecki Art Foundation, has ensured that the virtuoso will perform not only in the Krakow and Wroclaw Philharmonics but also in the correctional facility in Nowa Huta and the Krakow University Children's Hospital. On February 9, she delighted young patients with, among others, Piazzolla's tango. A day earlier, on the Day of the Prison Service, the Krakow inmates rewarded her masterful performance of Black Sabbath and Metallica numbers with a standing ovation. Rachel Barton Pine has played with Zubin Mehta and Placido Domingo and has won awards in the most important violin competitions in the world, is known for her passion for heavy metal classics, and her favorite non-classical style is speed metal and thrash metal.

On February 11, in the Small Hall of the Warsaw University of Technology, the virtuoso will perform, among others, 'The Four Seasons'. She will be accompanied by the Beethoven Academy Orchestra, composed of the most outstanding students and graduates of European music schools, under the baton of Michal Nesterowicz, the director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Santiago de Chile. On February 9, during her first concert with a classical repertoire in Poland, the Krakow audience rewarded not only the joint performance of Rachel with Polish musicians but also her solo displays of the highest virtuosity with thunderous applause. – Her mastery of the instrument, musical imagination, ability to engage in dialogue, and ultimately her beautifully bright sound are just a few traits that distinguish her among other remarkable artists – says Nesterowicz.

Sound worth millions

Born in 1974, Rachel Barton Pine began playing the violin at the age of three, shortly after falling in love with its sound. She was quickly recognized as a 'wonder child'. At the age of 10, she debuted with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. At 17, she became the youngest and first American to win the J.S. Bach competition in Leipzig. As a teenager, she also won important awards in Budapest, Montreal, Genoa, and Brussels. She has performed as a soloist with the most important orchestras in the world and the most distinguished conductors such as Zubin Mehta, Placido Domingo, and Erich Leinsdorf. She has released 18 albums, including one Grammy-nominated album, one with her heavy metal band Earthen Grave, and many classical ones – including music from the Romantic era with demonic undertones or variations of the New Zealand anthem.

Rachel Barton Pine believes that the technique and spontaneity that every classical musician should strive for are hidden in heavy metal. Due to her ability to assimilate and perform many genres, she is called the musical Pac-Man. Depending on the style she performs, she chooses her violins, but her favorite instruments are considered some of the most important and valuable in the world. They were made in 1742 by Guarneri – the creator of Paganini's favorite instrument. For one of the previous owners of the violin, Rachel was chosen by Brahms himself, and they are currently worth at least several million dollars. The artist has dealt with mastery not only in music. She participated in the Olympic torch relay in 1996 in Atlanta and also performed at the opening of the Paralympics in Atlanta. She performed the national anthem of the USA during Chicago Bulls games, for which she received a whole hug from Michael Jordan.

Determination is in her blood

The uniqueness of her person is complemented by a difficult experience after which she triumphantly returned to music. In 1995, when her career was gaining significant momentum, she suffered a serious accident. The train doors caught her violin case strap, dragging her outside the train, which crushed one of her legs and damaged the other. After a two-year break for multiple surgeries and rehabilitation, she returned to the stage. She showed great determination even before turning 14 when, due to her family's difficult financial situation, she became her family's main breadwinner. She played at weddings and also with orchestras and during other paid performances. – I put on a lot of makeup and pretended to be older than I was – she admits. – I managed thanks to many generous people who supported me – she adds.

She also helps others. She created a charitable foundation whose mission is to promote classical music and support young people with musical genes. She inherited her own from her Polish ancestors. – I am half Polish on my father's side. My great-grandparents emigrated to America when they were still teenagers – she reveals. She adds that her great-grandparents wanted their children to become true Americans and did not allow her grandparents to learn Polish. – That’s why my dad didn’t pass on any family traditions from the Old World that he could have passed on to me – admits Rachel Barton Pine with a smile. – When I think of Poland, I think of my heritage – she emphasizes.

Polish-American dialogue

Musical associations with the land of her ancestors for her are primarily Wieniawski and Szymanowski, but the Warsaw audience will also get to know her in the repertoire of Vivaldi and Sibelius. The violinist admits that her imagination works hard while playing 'The Four Seasons'. – For example, the last part of 'Autumn' is a hunt. My orchestra colleagues are hunters with guns and dogs, and I am a fleeing deer who ultimately dies. It’s a battle between the orchestra and the soloist, in which the orchestra wins! – she describes. She adds that although Vivaldi gives a very specific description of what the music can represent, over the years, he has filled in several gaps in it.

The second piece that Polish music lovers will hear at the Warsaw University of Technology is a work by Sibelius. – The theme of Pelléas and Mélisande, representing a forbidden, doomed love of the titular heroes, has been taken up many times by other great creators, but no one has been able to describe the sadness so naturally and deeply as Sibelius, no one has conveyed the feeling of the inevitable so literally – says Michał Nesterowicz. Will the Polish conductor be able to tame the virtuoso's violin displays? – That’s the whole charm of a joint interpretation, to remain as faithful as possible to the score while also responding to all gestures of the jointly conducted dialogue – replies the director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Santiago de Chile.

***
Photos from Rachel Barton Pine's concert in the correctional facility in Nowa Huta
Photo author: nickram.com

Video report from the concert in the correctional facility (songs by Black Sabbath and Metallica performed by Rachel Barton Pine)

***
Rachel Barton Pine's concert tour includes the following venues:
Krakow Philharmonic – 09.02.2012, 19:30
Wroclaw Philharmonic – 10.02.2012, 19:30
Warsaw University of Technology – 11.02.2012, 19:30.

Concert program:

J. Sibelius – Pelléas and Mélisande, op. 46
A. Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, op. 8.