BY CELINE CHONG, LEAD WRITER (QLD)
Oh, so you’re a pianist. What repertoire do you play?
For Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica, one of the most prominent crossover musicians today, the answers are endless. Stretching the limits of genre wouldn’t even begin to describe his practice.
Maksim was 11 years old when he performed his first concert. But a few years later, he was hiding in a basement as civil war and conflict broke out. All he could do to forget the turmoil was practice piano, and he built his passion and eventually went on to perform to acclaim around the world. Now, Maksim’s recordings have been sold 4 million times – and Australia wants to hear his art, too.
Ahead of his Australian tour, we sat down with him to find out exactly what it is that shapes his career today.
Hi Maksim, we’re so excited that you’re coming to Australia for your debut tour! Tell us a bit about your career so far.
I started playing the piano when I was nine, where I enrolled at a music school in my hometown in Sibenik. After I won first prize at a national piano competition in Zagreb, I enrolled at the music academy there. I then met my manager, Mel Bush, with whom I started doing some crossover music. Since then, I’ve been doing both classical performances and concerts with my band performing crossover music.
As you were growing up, you experienced the conflict that broke out in Yugoslavia. How has this war influenced your own musicianship?
The war was a very difficult time in my childhood. I was 15 when it began, and we spent most of our time in shelters during the first year. However, my piano teacher and I decided to continue having lessons, despite the fact that it was very dangerous at the time. The war definitely influenced me as a person, making me even more determined to become a successful pianist.
You’re often described as a “crossover pianist“. What does this term mean to you?
Crossover music is a fusion of classical music with other modern styles. I love film music and lots of other styles that are ‘easier’ to listen to. Although I do a variety of styles, for me, I most often fuse classical with electro pop.
Great classical pianists were still my main sources of inspiration when I was growing up, though – Martha Argerich, Sviatoslav Richter, Ivo Pogorelich, Vladimir Horowitz, and Arthur Rubinstein are a few that come to mind.
Evidently, what you do is by no means mainstream. But how has your classical training in Budapest and France influenced you, or lead you along this path?
After I graduated from the Academy in Zagreb, I wanted to learn even more. I’ve always thought that, for a young musician, it’s important to work with many different teachers and mentors. Because each person you meet will have a different method or approach, which could add to your own artistry. These are also the people that can help you along the path to your future career.
On your tour, you’ll play a wide range of styles in a single concert – from Game of Thrones to Liszt. What considerations go into the programming and the ordering of the pieces you choose? Is there a thread that audiences can follow throughout?
Since this will be my first Australian tour, I’ve chosen the most popular pieces from my 11 albums so far. I’ll also be presenting my latest album New Silk Road, which features piano and orchestra, without the electronics.
As always, I’ll also be performing traditional classical repertoire – one of which is Liszt’s Ballade in B minor. I hope that the concerto will be a kind of musical journey through many different styles.
Finally, what what are you most looking forward to doing/seeing/eating here in Australia while on your tour?
I am very much looking forward to this tour. Australia is a beautiful country with breathtaking nature and I plan to explore this as much as possible if time allows. I’m coming a few days early just to get some sightseeing in!
I’m also looking forward to meeting the people, and I hope that my audiences will enjoy my music. Hopefully I will be returning again in the future!
Maksim will tour to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney from September 23-30. Find out more on his website.
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