His music:
Yesterday, I went to a concert given by Ara Malikian, a violinist of Armenian origin. His superb virtuosity is comparable to Yehudi Menuhin. He has broken the barriers between classical, rock and folk music. His repertoire includes pieces by Led Zeppelin and David Bowie as well as Paganini and Bach, with an Armenian folk dance to boot.
His commentary:
Besides, he gave a commentary between pieces, hardly credible at times and pure fantasy at others. His humorous exaggerations captivated the public. Music is not my thing. I prefer words. His commentary was not writing but it did make me think. Entertainment does not need to be truthful, as long as it is so exaggerated that we know it is fantasy. We might compare Game of Thrones, which is pure fantasy, to a historical series. This pretends to portray facts but can mislead us if we are not aware of the distortions. It annoys us if we are. However, we can enjoy fantasy with no inhibitions.
Humour is based on our sense of the ridiculous. Ara called us all “guapísimos” (beautiful)! His guitar was made by Ravioli! Funny fibs which put the public in his pocket!
His New CD:
On the way out I bought the new CD. The box has an ‘old world’ look which is quite decorative. The tracks are mostly the same as the concert varying from Mozart to Pulp Fiction. His violin is backed by his band of drums, strings and piano. The CD is varied enough not to get boring.
My conclusion:
Ara Malikian is a genius with the violin. He could play anything he wanted with no apparent effort. I place the experience of this concert together with two others. I once saw violinist Yehudi Menuhin and also guitarist Andrés Segovia. There are moments when you hold your breath. You are unable to believe that such virtuosity is possible. Unlike the others who stood or sat, Ara jumps, dances and falls on his knees without skipping a note! If he comes your way, do not miss him!