“Balanced lyricism and fire” – that’s how The New York Times described your music, adding that you are one of the leading violinists in the world. What is the story behind your getting to this high level, as a musician?
Arabella Steinbacher: It is a general attitude for me to continue learning, no matter how successful you are and be grateful for what is happening. I was very lucky to have such wonderful people accompanying my musical and personal path as my teacher Ana Chumachenco, who took me in her class when I was 8 years old. Those years are extremely important for young musicians and even with a great talent as a child it is possible to destroy it easily, if one starts too early with a career. Ana was always protecting me from that: I studied a big repertoire and played regularly concertos with student orchestras in smaller halls. Accordingly, I had time to build up my personality as a musician and when I was 18, I felt "strong" enough to jump into the music business world. Beside of that I just always loved making music even in difficult times.
Is there an idol for you whom you wanted to follow?
A.S.: My idols are violinists of the past century like Milstein, Grumiaux or also singers like Fritz Wunderlich. They have such purity in their sound. Music is like the mirror of the soul and if a musician is able to bring that out, it reaches the listener.
Do you have any favorite pieces you are always happy to play?
A.S.: It is a mixture of works from different epochs. Beethoven's violin concerto always feels like meditation and has something healing for me when I play it.
Alban Berg's "in memory to an angel" is also one of the most special works to me.
But I generally love the 20th century repertoire especially Prokofiev, Hindemith and Britten.
How do you relate to the Oscar winner Erich Korngold’s romantic violin concerto which you are going to play in Budapest?
A.S.: I found out about this concerto when I was 16 by a wonderful recording of Ulf Hoelscher and fell in love with this music immediately, it made me always so happy and I listened to it over and over again. It reminds me of a fairytale and brings me into another world.
You played together with Marek Janowski at several concerts. What are your impressions about him as a conductor?
A.S.: Marek Janowski invited me for the first time in 2003 to play a Brahms concerto together with his orchestra in Berlin. Since then we worked many times together and made also several recordings. Beside that he is a dear friend of mine, he is also a very important person in my life, who supported me very much over all the years.
We learned about your wonderful actions for supporting people in need. How do you decide whom to help?
A.S.: I had concerts in Tokyo in March 2011, a few weeks after the tsunami catastrophe. My mother is Japanese and I felt that I wanted to help at least with something I am able to do. I cannot help in a physical way like a doctor of course, but I wanted to offer some support through music, which is in a way healing on a different level. So in December 2011, I went together with four friends from Germany to the destroyed areas north from Sendai to play for the people at emergency shelters. This was a very deep experience for me. I met wonderful supporters of the organization "CARE" and realized how important it is as a human being to help.
We would be happy to know more about your Stradivari! How did you get it and how does it “behave”?
A.S.: I am extremely lucky to play the beautiful "Booth" Strad from 1716, which is a loan by Nippon Music Foundation. We "know each other" since 13 years and like in a relationship, we learn something new from each other day by day. There are good and worse days
