Deutsche Grammophon signs a Serbian violinist

Deutsche Grammophon signs a Serbian violinist

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norman lebrecht

January 09, 2014

He’s hot in Paris and warming up elsewhere.

Nemanja Radulović, 28, has that showbiz touch of Paganini that makes record labels beat faster.

Who was the last Serb fiddler signed by a major label? Keep thinking… Press release below.

nemanja

 

The brilliant young violinist Nemanja Radulović has signed an exclusive global recording deal with Deutsche Grammophon. Following a triumphant Paris recital, where he performed Paganini, Pugnani-Kreisler, Franck and Mozart for a sell-out crowd at the Salle Gaveau, the musician joined the Yellow Label roster of artists. Radulović has previously released an album on DG in France and, under the new agreement, his first international album will be produced by the hugely successful French composer-producer Yvan Cassar – known for his work with platinum-selling artists such as Roberto Alagna, Jean-Michel Jarre and Céline Dion.

 

Proclaimed the “International Revelation of the Year” in 2005 at France’s prestigious “Victoires de la Musique”, Radulović launched his international career in 2006 when he stood in for Maxim Vengerov at Paris’s Salle Pleyel, playing the Beethoven concerto to great acclaim with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Myung-Whun Chung. The next year he made his Carnegie Hall debut, receiving a “tumultuous ovation”, reported The New York Times reviewer, who noted that Radulović not only “looked the part of a dashing 19th-century Romantic virtuoso … he made every gesture count … His playing was engaging and exactingly articulated.”

 

Since then he has appeared with leading orchestras of Europe, Asia and North America, and most recently undertook a highly successful tour of Japan.

 

Nemanja Radulović was already being described by Le Monde de la Musique in 2009 as “a musician who can set crowds on fire. He offers his heart along with his music”. Le Figaro effused about his “magical singing” on the violin, while MusicWeb International, reviewing his Tchaikovsky Concerto performance with the Royal Philharmonic in 2010, called Radulović “a thoughtful, intelligent and fiery player who never allowed his obviously spectacular technique to get in the way of the music making … A fantastic talent at the start of what, I am sure, will be a towering career.”

 

Ute Fesquet, Vice President Artist & Repertoire of Deutsche Grammophon, said: “The spirit and sheer vitality of Nemanja Radulović’s performances are already making him one of our fastest rising violinists. We look forward to capturing that effervescent energy for an ever-wider public.”

 

The artist himself remarked: “I’m so excited about collaborating with Deutsche Grammophon, a company that appreciates my ideals of musical communication. The most important thing for me is to try to make people happy with my music and to move my audience, for them to be able to feel the energy and emotions in the music I’m playing. That’s just as true in recordings as it is in live performances, and I know DG is the label that best understands and supports my passion.”

 

Born in Serbia in 1985, Radulović began his musical studies in 1992 and was winning national prizes in Serbia by the time he was 12. He studied with Joshua Epstein in Saarbrücken in 1998 and Dejan Mihailović in Belgrade in 1999. At the age of 14, he moved to France and studied with Patrice Fontanarosa at the Paris Conservatoire. He also took part in masterclasses given by Yehudi Menuhin and Salvatore Accardo.

 

Nemanja Radulović represents a boldly innovative young generation of classical artists. Not only profoundly gifted and possessing enormous stage presence, he is also constantly seeking new ways to communicate his fiery and innately musical performances to audiences.

 

Comments

  • David Boxwell says:

    He’s the “Ivo Pogorelich of the Violin”!

  • Doug says:

    He could be either the Miley Cyrus or Pet Rock of marketing. My money is on the Pet Rock.

  • David Boxwell says:

    1. Who is Ivo Pogorelich?

    2. Who is this Ivo Pogorelich?

    3. Get me Ivo Pogorelich!

    4. Get me the next Ivo Pogorelich! But a fiddler with the pizzazz of Andre Rieu!

    5. Who was Ivo Pogorelich?

  • Sarah says:

    Nemanja is not half as eccentric as Ivo Pogorelich. He is a very nice and natural guy despite his crazy looks! And a great musician, which in my opinion counts most…

  • Nikola Todor Atanasov says:

    to answer the ‘who’s the last big serb fiddler…’ question,

    Stefan Milenković. A Serbian concert violinist and a member of the faculty at the Juilliard School and the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

    Milenković began studying the violin with his father when he was three. Three years later, he made his debut as a soloist with an orchestra, and started touring extensively in 1984. In 1987, he performed for U.S. President Ronald Reagan at a Christmas concert in Washington, DC, United States. The following year, he played for Mikhail Gorbachev in Belgrade. In 1991, he played for Pope John Paul II, and in 1993, Milenković gave his 1000th concert in Monterrey, Mexico.

    In 1994 he was invited to study with Dorothy DeLay at Juilliard. He continued to tour with major orchestras and was named a faculty member of the Perlman Music Program in 2000. In 2003, he was named a faculty member of Juilliard’s College and Pre-College Divisions, where he also serves as Itzhak Perlman’s teaching assistant. One of his notable students there was Ryu Goto, now an internationally recognized violinist.

    Jaroslav Kozian International Violin Competition (former Czechoslovakia) – First Prize
    Rodolfo Lipizer Competition (Italy) – First Prize
    Ludwig Spohr International Violin Competition (Germany) – First Prize
    International Paganini Competition (Italy) – Second Prize
    Tibor Varga Competition (Switzerland) – Second Prize
    Yehudi Menuhin Competition (United Kingdom) – Third Prize

    Discography

    Paganini “In Cuor Piu Non Mi Sento” (1995)
    J.S. Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo (1999)
    Paganini Recital (1999)
    Paganini Complete Music For Violin Solo (2004)

    • Nikola Todor Atanasov says:

      Also, Nemanja is a great musician and a fantastic violinist. Congratulations on the DG deal!

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