Something old, something new

German violinist Antje Weithaas believes in marrying classical and contemporary music.

By MAXIM REIDER
Something old, something new (photo credit: courtesy)
Something old, something new
(photo credit: courtesy)
Renowned German violinist Antje Weithaas returns to Israel to perform with the Tel Aviv Soloists Ensemble. The program features Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 11, Serioso, arranged for string orchestra; Haydn’s Concerto No. 3 for Violin and Orchestra; Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge; and a few contemporary pieces.
Weithaas, who has played the violin since the age of four and graduated from the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin, has won several prestigious competitions and has been performing throughout the world with leading orchestras, as well as performing chamber music. Teaching is among her other activities.
Speaking from her Berlin home, she says, “In a way, the violin is my voice, and for me the most important thing is communication between the musicians. That is why I like chamber music so much and why I am so looking forward to playing with the Tel Aviv Soloists. It is about creating together, with a clear idea of what you are doing and with a lot of spontaneity on stage.”
Weithaas also performs a lot of contemporary music. “I believe that music is always an expression of the time we are living in, and that is why it is important to play contemporary music,” she says. “Granted, there are better pieces and worse pieces, but contemporary music has so many different styles, there are so many different views – from very conservative to very experimental. Listening to contemporary music is not always easy for the audience, but it depends on the public, which is very different in many ways. As a musician, I try not to play only contemporary music in a concert but to combine classical and modern pieces in one program. Amazingly enough, these pieces help each other because after hearing contemporary music, you listen and hear Mozart differently. We are used to listening to Mozart in a specific way, but when you play a contemporary piece first, people’s ears are more open.”Antje Weithaas performs at the Rapaport Auditorium in Haifa on February 9 and at the Israeli Music Conservatory in Tel Aviv on February 10.