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Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

Baiba Skride has an amazing career in abroad—and in Kansas City. When she performed with the Kansas City Symphony two years ago, she made quite an impression. So much so that Michael Stern invited her back.

Die Zeit states about Latvian-born Skride, "Then a girl enters the hall, walking as if on waves and plays so reflectively and refined, so analytically and forcefully, that all wild things in this arena are tamed."

Among those wild things are a violin concerto written by the Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. All of us know the explosive “Sabre Dance” from his ballet Gayane (whether we connect the name with the music or not, we all know that wild theme).

The first weekend in February, we’ll get to hear the violin concerto, which like the “Sabre Dance,” is a driving, melodic composition. With this in mind, Baiba Skride was asked her thoughts on the Khachaturian, the incredible Stradivarius violin she plays, and Kansas City winters.

David Peironnet: Khachaturian’s violin concerto opens with a very fast theme, then gives us a delightful and lyrical second movement. Khachaturian then goes at full speed in the last movement. Audiences must love this, but how is it for you to play?  

Baiba Skride:  It is a very exciting concerto to play because of its diversity. It has an amazing energy and beauty in it and it fascinates me every time I play it. It’s so much fun!

DP: Are you exhausted when you finish, or are you as excited as your audience, or both?

BS: Kind of both, even though I think more the excitement. In a piece like this you have to be very concentrated, as everything happens so fast and there are so many little twists which are every time different, so you can never just let yourself play.

You have to be "there" all the time. But the music is so energizing that at the end there is definitely more excitement.

DP:  Is the lyrical quality of this music something that particularly appeals to you as a musician?

BS: Every piece of music I play is appealing to me in some way, in some it is the tragic, in some sarcasm, in some it is the virtuosic parts. Khachaturian is probably one of the most lyrical violin concertos, and one of the most harmonic, so I do love it also because of those characteristics. But it’s just all in all a very interesting concerto which is so much fun to play.

DP: You perform on a Stradivarius violin. Do you get a sense of excitement every time you pick it up to perform?

BS: It is very special to be able to play such an instrument. You feel that it has so much history which you cannot really grasp, but it is there. It helps you realize what you want to say in music. It is so important to find an instrument with which you can have this very intimate connection, in a way like in a partnership. And when you have found it, then it truly is every time special to play on it.

DP: You are from Latvia. Our winters might be as cold as yours. Are you looking forward to visiting Kansas City, anyway?

BS: I am very much looking forward to be back in Kansas City, I have very nice memories of my last visit, when I was playing with the Symphony and Mr. Grant Llewellyn [guest conductor when Skride was in Kansas City two years ago] and I am very much looking forward of playing with this great orchestra again [...] even if it will be very cold outside.

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Michael Stern, music director, will conduct the Kansas City Symphony with guest artist Baiba Skride, violinist on Friday evening, February 4 and Saturday evening, February 5 at the Lyric Theatre, 8 PM both nights; and at Yardley Hall on Sunday afternoon, February 6 at 2 PM. In addition to Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto, the Symphony will perform Messiaen’s Un sourire, Hommage à Mozart, Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D Major "Prague", and Smetana’s The Moldau.

By David Peironnet

Special to KCM

David Peironnet has been a concert-goer for more years than he would care to admit, and can clearly recall hearing the Kansas City Philharmonic under the baton of Hans Schweiger. This comes from someone who admits to be only 24 years old though acknowleges that his undergraduate degree was not in math but rather political science -- a group of people who are notoriously able to see only those facts they want to see in statistical data.

David has churned out the newsletter for the Friends of the Symphony - Kansas City for six or seven years. He doesn't recall and really doesn't care how many years it has been because the only thing that's important is the next deadline -- and the one after that.

This is one of a series of interviews he runs periodically usually consisting of five open-ended questions which reveal answers which can give information to the person walking into a concert hall for the first time, or like himself have been enjoying concerts for many years.

David and Kathy Peironnet frequently work at the Friends of the Symphony gift shop which is located in the lobby of the Lyric Theatre. The next time you come to a concert, stop by and say, "hello." Ask for a copy of the current FoS newsletter. If a copy isn't available, just ask and one will be mailed to you.

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