In February, the Latvian violinist celebrated his 75th birthday. In conversation with Charlotte Smith, he talks about his dedication to modern composers, especially Weinberg
‘As interpreters we are obliged to serve the music, regardless of how tempting it is to dazzle large audiences’
Gidon Kremer hasn’t always been an advocate for Mieczyslaw Weinberg. Despite dedicating much of his time and energy to performing and recording the Polish composer’s works in recent years, the celebrated Latvian violinist wasn’t entirely convinced of Weinberg’s genius initially. ‘I recognised the power and weight of his music much too late,’ he admits ruefully. ‘I attended some of his performances and was presented with the possibility of speaking to him while I was studying in Moscow, but I didn’t use that opportunity, as at the time I was more interested in exploring the avantgarde. Weinberg’s music seemed to me too classic, too Soviet.’
It was with a very different attitude that Kremer celebrated his 75th birthday earlier this year, however – with a new album
