Betsy's View

In 2007, Music Director and Conductor Lawrence Isaacson recognized a need to bring quality orchestral music to the Massachusetts Neponset Valley area and a year later, the Neponset Valley Philharmonic Orchestra (NVPO) made its debut. With 50 musicians on stage, the NVPO performed its inaugural concert for a sold-out group of classical music patrons at Patriot Place in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Sunday, October 5th.

The 400 guests attending the NVPO premier were treated to familiar pieces and from where I sat, it was obvious that the audience was thrilled to be a part of this great debut.

The three pieces performed by the NVPO were Impressario Overture k. 486 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concerto for Violin in E minor by Felix Mendelssohn with Markus Placci, violin soloist, and Symphony no. 5 in C minor by Ludwig Van Beethoven.

Markus Placci, 27, was the NVPO’s premier soloist for the NVPO’s debut and Placci’s performance was stellar. Lasting nearly 30 minutes, Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin in E minor was performed with precision by Placci, and the audience was entranced.

Shortly after Placci’s performance with the NVPO, I had the great privilege to interview him. Markus Placci’s replies were candid, enlightening, educational and above all passionate.

Markus Placci was born in Bolzano, Italy, and grew up in Bologna. Markus’ parents both worked in the Bologna Symphony where his father played trumpet and his mother cello. Growing up in a world of music, it is no surprise that Markus would become a gifted and talented violinist himself, attending some of the best schools, earning scholarships and accolades, and performing with the world’s finest symphonies.

Betsy: Markus, do you currently live in the US or abroad?
Markus: I guess I have been living 50% here and 50% in Italy-Europe for the past few years...

Betsy: Did you choose to do the Mendelssohn piece or did Lawrence Isaacson approach you about it specifically?
Markus: I was asked specifically to play the Mendelssohn for their inaugural concert, and of course I was very happy to say yes, since I love the piece and I was happy to be part of this orchestra's "first time".

Betsy: Does this piece have any special significance for you?
Markus: Well, the Mendelssohn (I guess it's the same for most violinists), is probably the first violin concerto I heard when I was a kid, and I was just starting to enter the "violin world". So, to me, it kind of represents everything that has to do with that period of my violinistic life...its joyful spirit, its melodies that stick with you from the first hearing for the rest of your life…really bring back the image I have of myself as a kid with my half size violin in my room. I remember I even used to play the CD at night before going to sleep, and sometimes I would fall asleep listening to the incredibly beautiful 2nd movement.

Betsy: Do you have any personal thoughts about this piece?
Markus: Of course, growing up, you start learning the concerto, you get to know the history of the piece, and it kind of strikes you for even more reasons that go beyond its obvious beauty and perfection. What amazes me most about the Mendelssohn Concerto is the amount of innovation it brought to the repertoire; the solo violin starts to play already in the second bar, instead of waiting for the orchestra to present the first theme as it had always been done before.

Mendelssohn himself wrote the cadenza, while up to that point it was common use for the soloist to improvise it on the spot; the three movements are all linked together, to avoid the once common practice of audiences clapping between movements... and so on...

I think one really has to admire Mendelssohn for bringing so many new things into the repertoire -- features that have since been incorporated by most composers -- thus one encounters over and over in concertos…not even only violin concertos, but piano concertos and so on, through this one piece! A true revolution of the genre, in a sense.

One more thing that really fascinates me about the Mendelssohn is the fact that no matter how many times you hear it, play it, and although it took him 6 years to compose it, it always feels "fresh"…written on the spot... It's a quality that I believe only great masterpieces have.

Betsy: Why do you think it was a good piece for the inaugural performance for the NVPO?
Markus: It was for exactly the reasons I mentioned above; what can be a better choice for an inaugural concert of a new orchestra than a concerto that was so "new" and innovative in its own time, and still brings feelings of joy and freshness to the audience?

Betsy: How did you feel about being the first soloist for the inaugural performance of the NVPO?
Markus: First of all it has been a fun experience! I have known Maestro Isaacson for a few years now, and also many members of the orchestra are my good friends from the time of my studies at the Conservatory. Playing with friends is always very special, and I think it brings that extra feeling that, added up with the love for music, makes a performance fun.

Betsy: Do you have any preference for styles, composers or periods?
Markus:  I guess, as musicians, we tend to switch our preferences as we, as persons, change as well.  The repertoire is endless and I try to explore it the most I can.  In general, I think I tend to love the most the pieces I am playing at a specific moment….but of course I have evergreen loves.

I love all Brahms.  Somehow, I feel a strong connection to Russian music (there was a period when I was 13 or so, when I wouldn’t listen to anything else!).  Through my girlfriend, pianist Roxana Bajdechi, is is from Romania, I started discovering more and more Eastern European composers like Bartok, Janacek etc….an fell deeply in love with them a well. 

I think the Beethoven violin Concerto is the Emperor of all violin concertos...Bach, the master of all... and so on... but again, just mentioning a few feels odd, given the amount of great music is so vast.

Betsy: Have you performed any current/contemporary works and can you tell me a little about those?
Markus: Actually, I was very lucky that Maestro Jordi Cervello', a noted composer from Spain, asked me to premiere his Violin Concerto in Madrid in 2005, at Teatro Monumental with Maestro Uwe Mund and the Orchestra of the Radio-Television of Spain. Since then, I have played the concerto a few times, and will play it again very soon in Barcelona (the composer's hometown), with Maestro Ros Marba' and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.

A few months ago Maestro Cervello' sent me a piece for violin and piano called "Tre Pensieri" ("Three Thoughts" -- so, it's actually formed by 3 pieces), which he wrote and dedicated to me. It has been a very special feeling for me, and I am very honored.

Besides this connection with Cervello', I did play some contemporary music by J. Adams, E. Rautavaara, and H. Gorecki, and I also had the chance while at the Boston Conservatory, to play some student composers’ music, which has been a great experience as well.

Betsy: Markus, do any specific composers particularly inspire you? What is it about their work or a specific piece that moves you?

Markus: Since I premiered the Cervello' Concerto, I really understand how important it is to actually know the composer and make him close to you, as if he lived now and he was your friend. So I try to do that as much as possible, and I try to see compositions that were written sometimes centuries ago, as if the composer just handed them to me.

So, as persons move you with what they say, or sometimes by simply being the person they are, so do lives of composers and their music, which is nothing else than their words.

To give an example, a year ago I had the privilege of living a month in Brahms' house in Baden-Baden. While there, I read a lot about him. I sometimes passed minutes looking at the stairs and thinking that he once stepped there... and I really felt I "met him" and became friends with him. So, of course, now every time I play his music, it is as if I was playing my friend's music. It's as if through his music I could talk for him, and that is what moves me.

Betsy: Are there any composers or pieces that you feel you really connect with?
Markus: I guess I already kind of answered that, but the Brahms Sonata op.78, the Beethoven, Brahms and Bartok Concertos, the Bach solo Sonatas and Partitas, and, again, so many other incredible pieces.

Betsy: Are there any contemporary composers you would love to work with?
Markus: I would have truly loved to have had the chance even only to meet and talk to G. Ligeti, but unfortunately he passed away just 2 years ago. I really think his music is pure genius.

Betsy: Are there any specific artists/musicians you would love to collaborate with?
Markus: The list would be too long!

Betsy: Which contemporary violinists do you look up to and why?
Markus: I think everyone has something specific and beautiful to be appreciated for. I really admire F. P. Zimmerman's thoroughness, Gil Shaham's refinement and elegance and Leonidas Kavakos’ control and musical intelligence.

Betsy: What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
Markus: I am rediscovering Italian songwriters/poets like De Gregori and De Andre'. Seriously, their lyrics are poetry.

I also enjoy listening to Sigur Ros -- they're really different from anything else, and I think their music really portrays their land (Iceland). Even though I have never been to Iceland, somehow I really picture it through some of their songs. A bit like I used to see Russia through the music of Shostakovich, and when I then went to play there, it was exactly how his music had described it.

In general I tend to like a bit of everything, sometimes I just get stuck on a song by a group or so, without necessarily knowing their whole discography.

Betsy: What has been your most memorable performance and why?
Markus: I don't know, it's not up to me to say!

Betsy: What is a piece you would love to perform?
Markus: Again, many...there are just so many great pieces! Right now, maybe the Shostakovich Violin Concerto 1, and I would love to start learning the Elgar Concerto as well.

I’d like to thank Markus Placci for generously giving his time and thoughtful replies throughout the interview. Markus is a beautiful violinist and I look forward to seeing and hearing more of his performances.

Markus Placci can be found on Facebook. Markus can also be reached via email at: placcimk@yahoo.com.

Markus Placci Bio:

MARKUS PLACCI, violin

Praised for having “a magnificent personality, a superb energy, a total command and an extremely convincing taste” (La Libre Belgique), young Italian violinist Markus Placci is enjoying a growing international reputation. After a recent performance in Germany, the critics stated “as for depth and musical fantasy, he is second to no one”(Badener Tagblatt), and hailed his playing for its “verve that takes your breath away”, and its “fabulous, singing-like, romantic tone” (Badische Neueste Nachrichten).

Winner of the prestigious “XXVI Vittorio Veneto Competition” on a unanimous vote of the Jury presided by Maestro Bruno Giuranna, Mr. Placci was also nominated "Best Graduate of the Year" and was the winner of the "Festival of Arts".

In Germany, Placci was awarded the “Brahms Preis” and “Baden-Baden Philarmonie Foundation-Carl Flesch Preis”, while in the United States he was awarded the “Jules C. Reiner Violin Prize” at Tanglewood (along being Concertmaster on many occasions of the Tanglewood Music Centre Orchestra), and was a Top Prize Winner of the “Washington International Competition 2006”.

Since his solo debut at age 13 with the Bologna Symphony, Mr. Placci has performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States in venues such as the Great Philharmonic Hall, the Sheremetyev Palace and the Glinka Philarmonic Hall in St. Petersburg (Russia), the Kursaal in Baden-Baden, the Teatro Monumental in Madrid, the Auditorium Pollini in Padova, the Teatro Comunale and Mozart Hall in Bologna, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Seully Hall in Boston, the Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood, and the Richardson Auditorium in Princeton.

In September 2005, collaborating with conductor Uwe Mund and the ORTVE Orchestra (Orchestra of the Radio-Television of Spain), Mr. Placci world premiered with great acclaim the Violin Concerto written by Catalan composer Jordi Cervello’. The concert was broadcasted live from Teatro Monumental in Madrid both on the radio and the national television (Tve2).

In 2007, Cervello' composed and dedicated to him his “Tre Pensieri” for violin and piano.

Mr. Placci is a regular guest of many of the most prestigious concert seasons in Italy, in cities like Milano (Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali - Societa’ Umanitaria), Roma (Radio3 Suite), Bologna (Emilia-Romagna Festival-Kaleidos-Accademia Filarmonica Mozart), Asolo (Asolo Musica), Padova (Amici della Musica di Padova-Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto), Vicenza (Societa’ del Quartetto), Trieste (Orchestra da Camera Busoni – Museo Revoltella), Mestre, Bari, Pavia, Torino, Napoli ecc...

In the past years Placci performed Maestro A. Trovajoli's Violin Concerto "Puppets" with the Bologna Symphony at the presence of the Maestro in occasion of the Gala in his honour; had his debut with the FIlarmonici del Comunale di Bologna; played in Romania for the entry of the country in the European Union of 2007 and opened the Baden-Baden Philarmonie 2006-07 Concert Season with the Brahms Concerto Op. 77, performance which was followed by the invitation by the Brahms Society to spend a honorary period in Brahms' house.

He also had his debut with the Orchestra dei Pomeriggi Musicali of Milan in the K. Weill Violin Concerto under the baton of Maestro H. Schellenberger, performed the Brahms Concerto in the Great Philharmonic Hall (Shostakovich Hall) in St. Petersburg, played the Dvorak Concerto with Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto and the Cervello' at the Festival du Perpignan in France.

Recently he was invited to play at the Opening Gala of the Mravinsky International Competition and performed recitals at the Glinka Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg, at the Steinway Hall in Boston and for Musica Insieme (MICO) and Mozart Hall (Accademia Filarmonica Mozart) in Italy.

Future engagements include performances in Spain with the Barcelona Symphony and Maestro Ros Marba, in the US with the Neponset Valley Symphony and in Italy with the Teatro S. Carlo Orchestra of Napoli, Orchestra del Friuli Venezia Giulia, Orchestra Haydn in Bolzano and Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, along a tour in South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay) with the Fortuna Piano Trio, of which he is a founding member along with K. Lee and M. Carbonara.

Mr. Placci attended various Master classes with artists such as P. Frank, M. Quarta, E. Ax, I. Kaler, L.Ciulei, C. Tetzlaff, N. Fischer, R. Kussmaul, E. Tchugajeva,.

His formal education started at the age of 10, when he entered the Bologna Conservatory. Here he was awarded the “Plata Award”, and graduated with top grades, “Summa cum laude” and a “Special mention of Honour”. Later on he studied in Lübeck (Germany) with Zakhar Bron, and consequently moved to Boston, after being offered a full scholarship, in order to study with the late Zinaida Gilels. At The Boston Conservatory, Mr. Placci was also awarded the “Michael A. Alaura Scholarship” and, with the joint support of L. Stoltzman, I. Muresanu, and L. Chang, he graduated with both a Graduate Performance Diploma and, in May 2006, with the prestigious Artist Diploma.

He has been recently invited to come back to give a Master class, and consequently to take on a position.

Mr. Placci follows the precious ethical and musical advises of Mela Tenenbaum in New York.

The son of two musicians, Markus Placci plays on a 1871 J.B. Vuillaume violin, copy of the “Alard” Stradivari.

Photos courtesy of Markus Placci

Tagged as: Concerts, Interviews, Music