HYDERABAD: “Oh! you are from The Hindu . I know about the newspaper; it is the oldest paper in India,” exults Elmira Darvarova as she walks across the auditorium at Hotel Taj Krishna. She was here in the city for the collaborative concert ‘Soul Strings’ which also featured sarod musicians Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali.
She says ‘namaskar’ in Hindi and excitedly points out how she has already come four times to India since February 2015. “India has been a great discovery for me.” She speaks of the love and affection given by Indian music lovers. “At the Bangalore concert, I was approached by some audience members who told me that I have huge following in India! I was pleasantly surprised, I don’t know if I should believe it. I was just so touched, this must have happened since we have recorded cds and people have heard them and have popularised our collaborations.” This vegetarian also enjoys the food in India (‘Indian food suits me but not the spice’).
For Elmira, the enriching aspect of this collaboration has been the discovery of Indian music. “What is fascinating is this immersion that I am going through into the Indian musical culture which is a rich and complex tradition. I have been collaborating with the sarod maestros Amjad Ali Khan and his two sons Amaan and Ayaan,” she shares. The collaborative concerts have already been held at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore and also in New York, New Jersey and Arizona.
“All these performances and conversations have happened and the wonderful ensemble and repertoire we have developed as musicians and human beings. This whole project that we’ve embraced is fascinating because of the discoveries that I have been making about traditions, music and the complexities and the level to which eastern classical music particularly the Indian classical music elevates, heals, accomplishes and brings beauty is just astonishing to me,” she smiles and quips, “I have embarked this journey late in life and my career. I wish I had started when I was a child but I am grateful for the opportunities.”
Elmira was three when she began learning violin from her father, her guru and also his birthday gift, a small violin. “I thought it was a toy and wanted to go to bed and sleep with it. At first, it was special but when he started making me practice it was a little harder,” she reminisces. When she was just a four-year-old, she gave her first concert. “Since then I have done a lots of things with concerts all over the world and genres,” she laughs.
Elmira has been eclectic as a violinist and not confined herself to western music. “It makes me proud that I could be an interpreter of many genres and styles and that I don’t specialise in one just narrow direction. I get this enrichment and fulfilment from different directions and dimensions,” she explains.
Is there a difference for an artiste while performing in collaborations or solo? “There is not much difference because performing as a solo artiste I still strive to be an artiste on my own and achieve harmony even when I am with myself and on my chords. When you perform solo, you also strive to sound equivalent to the ensemble so that we are in sync with accompanying artistes. One always dreams of achieving that ideal situation, so they are related. Whether it is a solo or chamber music with two or other people, the concept is the same and one is looking for the same result.”
