Ode to a Violin On a Competitive Basis

How can one combine classical and pop music? Vanessa Mae provides an excellent example. Indeed, although innovating experimenting with the violin dates from the early twentieth century, we people of the millennium epoch, are probably familiar only with that woman’s original creative heritage. No. Not only her. Ukraine is lucky. We have our own female musical prodigy, a violinist named Asiya Akhat. Her start in show business was not easy, as critics were after her almost from the outset. Why perform in the same style, knowing that the niche is occupied and you can only play a second fiddle? Nevertheless, Asiya Akhat’s appearance in the concert called Ode to a Violin at the Ukraine National Palace drew a capacity audience.

The range of Asiya Akhat’s musical interest is quite extensive, from arrangements of Bach’s “Joke” and Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances” to the Indian “Mataritva” and Ukrainian shchedryk carols (the latter being her pet theme). However, most compositions performed that night belonged to her producer and director Serhiy Kurtsenko.

Her creativeness cannot be assessed unambiguously. Aesthetically, her show was certainly a success, yet many in the audience must have experienced deja vu for understandable reasons. Still, Asiya Akhat will have another reason to try to outdo Vanessa. As for technical merits, they are indisputable. Many still remember Vanessa Mae’s recent concert on the same stage and her performance that was, to put it mildly, not her best.

She certainly played the first fiddle that time, but there were other performers whose renditions deserved all possible praise.

Oleh Skrypka livened up the audience (which was quite enthusiastic anyway). He began by greeting Asiya Akhat with her birthday with his song titled for the musician and then did one of their old hits, “Dances,” which, loud and heavy, proved in amazing harmony with the concept of the entire concert. And his well practiced jumps on pieces of audio equipment and off the stage, running through the audience, showed dynamism matching that of the A-6 ballet group.

The concert ended with Valery Meladze performing several hits. Igor Sarukhanov was the only formal figure at the show.