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THE STAGE TURNS OUT TO BE A SACRED PLACE FOR ARA MALIKIAN, ONE OF THE STARS TO PERFORM IN THE HABANO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL’S GALA

There is no human way to categorize Ara Malikian, one of the world’s greatest violinists, who views stages are sacred places and that’s exactly what he is going to do during the 2017 Habano Festival. Perhaps this belief is related to the fact that he left his country when he was a teenager and became some sort of citizen of the universe, always ready to take in the culture and traditions of the places that housed him, as a sign of everlasting gratitude. Nobody knows better than him that “music, culture have the power to bind people together. There is no better antidote to stave off hatred and foster respect”, he underscores.
Malikian was born in Lebanon back in 1968. His father, an instrumentalist in the band of a famous singer at the time, unleashed the passion in him when he was a little boy by putting a violin in his little hands, but it wasn’t just any violin. It was the one carried by his grandfather when he escaped from Turkey, in 1915, and it has accompanied his outstanding career. Ara began a rigorous learning process and his father always demanded the very best from him. Sometimes, the boy couldn’t hold up his tears because he wanted to do other things, but he was always happy. He was so happy that he barely noticed the complex civil conflict taking place in his country.
He recalls: “War broke out when I was eight years old. We used to spend a lot of time in bomb shelters, where life went on. My father and I used to play the violin, a neighbor had a guitar, there was a singer… Even in such tragedy as war, human beings always try to have a good time”.
At the age of 15, he was granted a scholarship in Hannover, Germany, to keep on studying music -he later tuned his technical skills in England. This brilliant artist has recorded over 40 successful albums, he directs his own orchestra and has been revered by demanding audiences at the Carnegie Hall (New York), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Musikverein (Vienna), Ford Center (Toronto), National Auditorium and Royal Theater (Madrid), Zürich (Tonhalle), Barbican Center (London)... “Yes, without my parents, my friends, without knowing the language and culture, the first years in Germany were very hard. But it was a “beast-like” learning. I mainly learned to feel comfortable everywhere”.
Although he highly values the opportunity to have been in contact with the academic world, Malikian realized that this type of teaching doesn’t support the development of the personality of those who dream about becoming great artists. “The professors want their students to learn some pieces, play them, but they don’t teach you how to be different. I could actually begin to grow once I was free, by meeting friends from other countries, other cultures, musicians from other genres”.
With his own style, a versatile and innovative Malikian wrote his name among the greatest violinists of his generation. That’s the reason why nobody is surprised when he performs concerts in sold-out theaters, where he plays classic pieces and original versions of representative works of popular music from the 20th century. The Spain-based composer plans nearly 500 performances a year with over different shows in dozens of countries. He always sheds positive energy and extraordinary music on stage.
“Hyperactive, electric, full-charged battery all the time”. That’s how he enjoys his fans and critics during his shows. It doesn’t matter if it is marathon tour or he hasn’t taken a break because he is promoting his latest album entitled The Incredible Story of the Violin, Malikian is always ready to do his best and awe everybody by putting out all the stops with the instrument that seems to come out of his body. “The violin gets its life from you.”