What would it take for you to really get excited about classical music? How about a rock star with a life story of wartime drama who performs in sexy music videos? You got it.
Maksim, the popular Croatian crossover pianist who blew away the classical world with his debut album The Piano Player in 2003, will perform at Taipei Arena on Sunday afternoon.
Born Maksim Mrvica in Sibenik, Maksim started playing the piano and performing publicly when he was 9 years old. At 15, war broke out in Croatia and bombs rained down constantly. Maksim’s family once spent a week straight in the basement for during a bomb attack.
Photo Courtesy Of Kuang Hong Arts Management
“You need to continue to live your life and piano was the only thing I wanted to do,” Maksim told the Taipei Times in an e-mail interview last week.
Even during air raids, the music prodigy practiced in the basement of Sibenik music school, losing himself in music for hours at a time. That diligence enabled him to win first prize in the Piano Campus competition in Pontoise, France, in 2001.
EMI Classics spotted the potential of Maksim and orchestrated his debut CD The Piano Player, a groundbreaking crossover album that blends piano concerto, rock star bravado and fashion model glamour all into one. The album went platinum in Taiwan, staying at No. 1 on the classical charts for 13 weeks, and became a bestseller in Malaysia, China, Singapore, Hong Kong and his home country of Croatia. The first single, Flight of The Bumblebee, which features the rakish pianist flaunting his virtuosic techniques at lightning speed, became his signature hit.
“It is one of the fastest pieces ever written for the instrument; I wanted to do it in a crossover version,” Maksim said. “It enjoyed huge success worldwide and is very meaningful to me.”
As an unconventional classical music star, Maksim wows fans with suavely coiffed hair, trendy outfits and concerts with extravagant lighting effects and video images.
“I think classical music should be more open and tuned to the younger generation,” he said. “I always liked to experiment with my clothes and my hairstyles, since I was very young.”
The hip classical star pushed the envelope further by tackling electronica and dance remixes on the 2006 album Electrik, then went on to flirt with tango and lounge music on his latest album, Appassionata. “Music should not have boundaries,” he said. “That’s why I like to experiment with the fusion of different musical styles.”
The charismatic star is known to play both crossover concerts with his band and classical concerts with orchestras. He will greet Taiwanese fans with a crossover concert this Sunday. Expect plenty of teenage screaming and adrenaline-pumping showmanship.
“I love a crossover concert because it’s so dynamic and colorful,” he said.
Asked if he is really 200cm in person, as media have reported, Maksim confirmed it.
“In the part of my country where I come from we are all very tall,” he said. “It was always dangerous for me to play ball because I could hurt my arms and I am not very good at it.”
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