Just about everyone would agree that German-born violinist Julia Fischer is an unusually attractive young woman.
And it’s a sure bet that the flattering photos of the 22-year-old on posters and compact discs have helped sell recordings and concert tickets.
But make no mistake: Fischer, who makes her second appearance in Colorado tonight, considers herself more than a pretty face. And she does not mince words about anyone who might pay attention to her just because of her appearance.
“It should be irrelevant,” she said in virtually perfect English from her home in Munich. “And if it’s not, then I’m sorry. I’m not willing to get people into a concert hall with my looks. And I’m not trying to get people to buy my CD over a certain picture. I think that’s stupid.
“It should be about the composer, about the interpretation and what you have to say with music, and it shouldn’t be about anything else, because it’s art and it’s not entertainment.”
Another young violinist infamously posed nude on the cover of a 1996 disc, with her instrument covering her breasts. And Fischer says that public-relations firms have asked how far she would be willing to go.
“As a young musician at some point,” she said, “you have to ask yourself where do you want to go, why are you actually making music. And you have to decide whether you want to be an artist or an entertainer.
“And I don’t want to judge this, now – the world also needs entertainment, it does – but it also needs art, and I’m pretty sure that my place is in the art and not entertainment.”
Although barely into her 20s, Fischer already has performed with many of the world’s top orchestras. She recently released her second compact disc on the PentaTone label – Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin.
As recently as four years ago, the emerging artist had to accept a mix of desirable and less desirable engagements, but she has reached a point where she can pick and choose.
“I still have to get used to the fact that I get many interesting projects now and to accept that I can’t do all the interesting projects I’m being offered,” she said. “I’m now more strict about with whom to play, what to play and if I want to go the United States for one concert or not. I did that, but I’m not doing that anymore.”
The fast-rising violinist makes her Aspen Music Festival debut at 6 tonight, when she joins conductor David Zinman and the Aspen Chamber Symphony for her first performance anywhere of Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
Fischer has collaborated with Zinman several times in Zurich, Switzerland, where he serves as chief director of the Tonhalle Orchestra. She has plenty of praise for him.
“He’s a wonderful person,” she said, “a wonderful conductor and, of course, a great violinist, which is very interesting for me always. And the same with (conductor) Lorin Maazel.
“They also sometimes tell you violinistic ideas, which is really helpful, like fingerings or certain kinds of vibrato, certain techniques with the left hand.”
Fischer began her violin studies a little before her fourth birthday. When she was just 9 years old, she made her debut with the Slovak Philharmonic in a town in eastern Slovakia where her mother is from.
She caught the classical music world’s attention two years later in 1995, when she won the International Yehudi Menuhin Competition and received a special prize for best performance of a solo work by Bach.
But the violinist cites her 1997 performance with Maazel and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as perhaps the most important to her developing career, since it led to regular engagements with Maazel, one of the world’s most respected conductors.
That connection also landed her a January 2003 debut with the famed New York Philharmonic, where Maazel is music director, and her appearance later that year with him and orchestra at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
“I knew about that debut already in 2000,” Fischer said. “So from the year 2000, I felt really secure. I didn’t care about any other concerts. I knew that in January ’03 I would perform with the New York Philharmonic, and that’s all that counts. And that gave me a certain security about my life.”
Unusually successful as Fischer is, she is by no means the only hot young violinist vying for attention. But Fischer says she feels no competitive pressure.
“When you reach a certain level in music, there is no competition,” she said. “It’s a subjective thing. I can play the violin. I don’t have to prove that to anyone.
“The question now is about interpretation and about music, and there will be people who like this violinist and there will be people who prefer the other violinist. And that’s OK. That’s the nice thing about the music.
“And every musician also has his speciality. Some people prefer to play just baroque. Others go into 20th century. Everybody can find his place.”
Fischer certainly has found hers.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
Julia Fischer, violinist;
David Zinman, conductor
Aspen Chamber Symphony|Benedict Music Tent, Aspen Music Festival; 6 tonight|$63 |970-925-9042 or aspenmusicfestival.com
