L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2015 www.italoamericano.com L'Italo-Americano 5 A conversation with L.A. Opera concertmaster Roberto Cani Roberto Salvatore Cani was b o r n t o S i c i l i a n p a r e n t s o n October 17, 1967 in Milan. His masterly technique as a violinist is corroborated by numerous awards won in prestigious inter- national competitions: from the Paganini Competition (Genoa, 1 9 9 0 ) t o t h e J e u n e s s e s Musicales (Belgrade, 1990, first prize and Best Performance of a Contemporary Work), and the Chateau de Courcillon (France, 1991, first prize and Gingold award). He also received top h o n o r s i n t h e T c h a i k o v s k y I n t e r n a t i o n a l C o m p e t i t i o n (Moscow, 1994). After his debut with conduc- tor Daniele Gatti on January 16, 1987 at the historical Gaveau Hall in Paris, the violinist per- formed in renowned musical venues across the globe, the likes of the Los Angeles' Royce Hall, Moscow's Bolshoi Zal and Tchaikovsky Zal, Belgrade's L i s i n s k i H a l l , B r i s t o l ' s S t . G e o r g e s - B r a n d o n H i l l , T o k y o ' s S u n t o r y H a l l , a n d Milan's La Scala. Currently, Roberto Cani is c o n c e r t m a s t e r a t t h e L o s Angeles Opera Orchestra and has just formed the Glendale T r i o , t o g e t h e r w i t h p i a n i s t Armen Guzelimian and cellist Ruslan Biryukov. Their first concert, honoring the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, will take place on March 28 at the F i r s t B a p t i s t C h u r c h i n Glendale. Besides playing the instru- ment, Roberto Cani is also pas- sionate about the art of violin making and masters the basics o f w o o d c r a f t , p a r t i c u l a r l y regarding to the bows. As a mat- ter of fact, his interest emerged d u r i n g c h i l d h o o d , w h e n a M i l a n e s e l u t h i e r r e f u s e d t o teach him for the boy was meant to be a violinist. Yet in the past, these two careers could be pur- sued simultaneously: luthier Pietro Guarneri of Venice was a l s o t h e f i r s t v i o l i n o f t h e o r c h e s t r a a t S a i n t M a r k ' s Basilica in Venice, and even Antonio Stradivari was a talent- ed violinist in Cremona. What are your first child- h o o d m e m o r i e s r e l a t i n g t o m u s i c ? D i d y o u t r y o t h e r i n s t r u m e n t s o r w e r e y o u instantly drawn by the violin? As a child, I was drawn by t h e v i o l i n a f t e r m y f a t h e r brought me to one of Uto Ughi's concerts in Milan, Italy. Ughi performed Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major, and I was enthralled by that amazing piece of music, played on such a little instrument with a great sound. I was so inspired that I decided to play violin and to perform the s a m e C o n c e r t o o n e d a y . Eventually I had the chance to play that wonderful piece, and it was the happiest day of all. Have you ever experienced a p a r t i c u l a r l y c h a l l e n g i n g m o m e n t , w h i c h m a d e y o u think to give up the violin? When I was twenty, I moved to Moscow to perfect my tech- nique, practicing ten hours a day with teacher Miroslav Roussin in order to prepare for several competitions. It was a tour de f o r c e , a s w e p e r f o r m e d a l l across Europe with a view to the Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poland. Without good connections, it can be very difficult to stand out in violin competitions, unless you already are a superstar. Yet I was feeling confident, after winning the con- t e s t i n B e l g r a d e a n d t h e P a g a n i n i C o m p e t i t i o n . However, despite a great perfor- mance in Poland, I didn't pass the first round. After that, I felt disheartened and didn't touch the violin for a month. H o w d o y o u m a n a g e between chamber music and your position as L.A. Opera concertmaster? And can you t e l l u s m o r e a b o u t t h e Glendale Trio? The opera season is not very long. It can be pretty intense, like now that we are working on t h r e e d i f f e r e n t o p e r a s . A s a m u s i c i a n , I l i k e t o t h i n k o f myself as a sort of "gipsy", con- s t a n t l y t r a v e l i n g a r o u n d t h e world. I love to perform in solo chamber music concerts. In regards to the trio, I've known cellist Ruslan since we s t u d i e d t o g e t h e r a t U S C . H o w e v e r , w e n e v e r t h o u g h t a b o u t p l a y i n g t o g e t h e r u n t i l recently. I met Armen at the Music Center in L.A. The three of us shared collaborations with the same musicians, and eventu- ally decided to form a trio. So far, the rehearsals are going great and we are looking for- ward to get more opportunities to perform together. Some critics have compared you to Niccolò Paganini. For you is that just an honor or also a responsibility? I r e m e m b e r p l a y i n g Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 in the 1991 concert in Zagreb: it was a huge success. At some point, my violin shoulder rest fell off and among the excited audience. Somebody from the public offered to hand it back to me, but I didn't stop playing. The critics commented on that by comparing me to Paganini. It was a real honor. A r m e n G u z e l i m i a n h a s p l a y e d i n R o b e r t A l t m a n ' s Short Cuts (1993). Do you have a n y s i m i l a r e x p e r i e n c e s , recording film scores? Yes, I've been recording film music for over fifteen years. My favorite film composer is John Williams, one of the very few musicians whose memorable tunes can be hummed by people everywhere. It was wonderful to work with him. And I also had the opportunity to meet his long- standing artistic partner Steven Spielberg, who showed a gen- uine interest towards musicians. W h e n y o u f i r s t c a m e t o L.A., did you find it difficult to adapt? Is there anything you miss about Italy? I m o v e d t o L . A . i n 1 9 9 2 , which means that I've spent h e r e h a l f o f m y l i f e . I n t h e beginning, it was really hard to adapt in such a different city, even if I had traveled a lot previ- ously and lived in Moscow for some time. I moved to the U.S. following m y m e n t o r , t h e l a t e R u s s i a n pedagogue Abram Shtern, who used to give master classes in Italy. Los Angeles has changed a lot in twenty years. The cultural progress creates more opportu- nities and quality food products are now available: two essential aspects of Italian life. VALERIO VIALE Violinist Roberto Cani - Photo courtesy of Positive Motions Concert Series

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