Prolific violinist Violeta Vicc is forced to be reckoned with in the classical world. She released her debut album Autovia in 2019 and she has an impressive CV to boot, collaborating with a stunning roster of talent, such as Thom Yorke of Radiohead on his solo project Anima, indie darlings Elbow, ambient royalty Jonsi of Sigur Rós and ‘Africa’s premier diva’ Angelique Kidjo. She has also featured on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour as well as Jools Holland, Graham Norton.
During the Covid-19 pandemic London-based Violeta began broadcasting incredible live streams from different outdoor locations via her social media channels.
Her she chats to about creating something unique for her fans, her musical inspirations and future music releases.
LM: What inspired the live streams and the locations?
VV: Livestreams became the new norm quickly once lockdown started. It was clear that there was now a huge underserved need in terms of consuming live Music and that the future of live performance was tremendously uncertain! So, my partner Dan and I saw it as an opportunity for reinvention, to create something truly unique that is exciting to watch as well as listen to! I also saw it as a chance to bring the listener closer to my inspiration when writing the music! With that in mind, it was super important to ensure the choice of location matched the mood of the music, and so a lot of thought went into how we do that.
It’s very exciting to be working together on this and finding new ways to be inspired every week.
LM: What can viewers expect from them?
VV: We are constantly reinventing the series, finding ways to keep the episodes fresh and engaging. The primary focus was to perform music from my latest album, Autovia, though I have now performed improvisations, collaborations, arrangements and even a remix I recently created for world renowned electronic, ambient group, The Orb - not to mention the exciting plans for upcoming episodes.
Viewers can expect a stunning scene that really encapsulates my music’s inspiration, where I play violin, viola and voice whilst recording loops and triggering samples on location, building up textures to give the listener an immersive studio-produced sound.
LM: How do you choose the outdoor locations?
VV: Location scouting can be incredibly challenging, especially when trying to come up with something new each week.
Primarily we need to consider does the scene fit the music and is it technically possible to stream from that location. Depending on the mood of the music, we consider factors such as the position of the sun, or on two occasions whether it’s high or low tide - and of course, the ever-uncertain UK weather. One particular livestream was lined up towards a beautiful sunset, though right on go-live a band of clouds on the horizon blocked the sun and I was left in the dark. Overall, the outdoor location needs to be beautiful and be a pleasure to look at, even without music. The great thing is - both Dan and myself are enthusiastic motorbike riders and we use this to our advantage to travel around the country to find the perfect locations.
LM: How would you describe the sound of your album?
VV: It is music that bridges the gap between classical and ambient electronica. Philipp Glass meets Pink Floyd.
LM: Who are your biggest inspirations for your music?
VV: Music has always been there, for as long as I can remember. My parents are classical music lovers, and the main influence on why I pursued a career in music! If I look at artists who have inspired me, I’d have to start by mentioning the incredibly broad classical music world I grew up in, and maybe more specifically, the post modern minimalism of Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt and John Luther Adams as well as contemporary artists such as Sigur Rós and Brian Eno.
LM: Will you be releasing any new music soon?
VV: I’m literally waiting for the release date on album number two, called “Mirror Images” to be released with German label Aldilà and distributed by Naxos. My new album focuses on the intimate expression of the instruments on their own. Traditional works and premières for solo violin, viola and voice, interlaced with live improvisations from the studio. Releasing new music is also something I’ve been working on lately, especially during lockdown , I’ve had more time to write and collaborate with like minded artists than before. A new album of my own music is not too far away.
LM: Who would you love to collaborate with?
VV: I would love to have my music synced to a film by Pedro Almodovar or Paolo Sorrentino.
Similarly, working closely with Brian Eno, Nils Frahm or Nitin Sawhney, would be an honour. I must admit, purely as a violinist, I’ve been extremely lucky to have collaborated with quite a few of my hero’s already . Last year I already had the honour to play a concert at the Paris Philharmonie with the LCO and Jonsi, lead singer from Sigur Rós. Similarly playing on Thom Yorke’s new album “Tomorrow’s modern boxes” , sharing the stage with Jonny Greenwood and meeting Philip Glass, touring with Elbow and most recently being featured on their album “Giants of All sizes” have been very special moments for me.
LM: What is your career highlight to date?
VV: I’m not quite sure how to answer that, there have certainly been many different milestones and really exciting experiences I’ve had throughout my career to date .
Travelling to Papua New Guinea and climbing a volcano during a concert tour with my duo was an adventure to say the least! Signing my first record and publishing deal last year with Big Life Music, was definitely a big milestone. Performing at British Summer Time with the band Elbow in front of 80.000 people was quite spectacular and humbling because of the sheer number of people united in one place to enjoy music together. Another highlight for me was playing the 50th anniversary concert with folk rock group “Steeleye Span” at the Barbican last year.
