Gidon Kremer: Portrait of one of the world’s most esteemed violinists

Gidon Kremer – one of the most unusual violinists of our time – has been performing on the world's great stages for many years. He’s won countless awards, released over 100 albums… and is quite a departure from the other violin stars.

Amongst the violinists, Gidon Kremer is the introvert. He has never sought the limelight, the rapid rise to success, or the quick fix. Rather, he appears to grapple each time anew when interpreting well-known works. At the same time, Kremer has a commitment to lesser-known and contemporary composers, cares about younger musicians, and has founded festivals and a string orchestra. In books and interviews he has also expressed himself with political awareness and philosophical depth. As such, Kremer occupies a unique place in the classical music scene. In this interview, Gidon Kremer talks about his music, and his attitude towards the issues that move the world. In the process, the insightful portrait of an artist of great depth gradually emerges.

Gidon Kremer was born in 1947 into a German-Swedish-Russian family, the son of Jewish-born violinist Markus Kremer, in Soviet-era Riga. In 1965 he entered the Moscow Conservatory, where he became a student of David Oistrakh. As a soloist and member of the Leningrad Chamber Orchestra, Kremer became celebrated not only in the Soviet Union but around the world. In 1978 he traveled to the West and stayed there, where he founded the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival in Burgenland, Austria in 1981, and the Kremerata Baltica Orchestra in 1997 – with which he still performs and travels the world.

At a glance:
(00:00) Intro
(01:13) Gidon Kremer's family history, and difficult relationship with his father.
(03:29) Gidon Kremer's desire to pass on his knowledge to young people, and the founding of the Kremerata Baltica
(05:19) Gidon Kremer: Crossing boundaries, seeking extremes, and questioning one's own work
(06:35) Where does Gidon Kremer feel at home? Where does he find peace?
(08:06) Gidon Kremer as a defender of human rights
(09:52) Gidon Kremer and the power of music
(11:14) Gidon Kremer on contemporary composers
(13:03) Gidon Kremer's fascination with Astor Piazzolla
(14:47) Gidon Kremer's critical view of the music industry
(17:12) Why Gidon Kremer the artist is much more than a violinist

Report by Gero Schließ

The video features excerpts from works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gustav Mahler, Dmitri Shostakovich, Valentin Sylvestrov, Alfred Schnittke, Astor Piazzolla and Johann Sebastian Bach.

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