Vasko Vassilev and the overwhelming ease of independence

Like most instrumental musicians, the violinist Vasko Vassilev is not particularly talkative. Fate met us many times over the years in various situations and various surroundings, but he was always quiet, unobtrusive and always smiling. Somehow childishly focused on the words of others, observant and absorbed. His virtuosity and indisputable talent not only did not cripple his personality but on the contrary - kept it romantically pure, reaching us as if from another time and another space...

by Maria Kasimova-Moase / photos SY11

Vasko Vasilev's career resembles a success story. It all started when he was only seven years old and played as a soloist of the Bulgarian Chamber Orchestra in the capital's "Bulgaria" Hall under the baton of Dina Schneiderman. At the age of nine, he recorded his first long-playing record with the Sofia Philharmonic and its chief conductor Konstantin Iliev. This was followed by a scholarship and studies in Moscow, a diploma from the Plovdiv Academy of Music, countless world competition wins, and the position of the youngest concertmaster of the orchestra at the Royal Opera House in London when he was only twenty-four years old. From then until today Vasko Vasilev has a full schedule of concerts, teaching sessions, and recordings for several years to come. He has dozens of recorded albums behind him. It plays both classics and music with a more modern sound. He is not afraid to experiment, using electronic means to enrich or change the sound of his violin. He loves to play with friends, and therefore his large-scale performances on stage are always musical meetings with a lot of moods and improvisational spirit. The public loves him and follows him unreservedly, and proof of this is his successful acoustic tour that has just ended on the stages of fourteen Bulgarian cities. In September, another violin virtuoso, Ara Malikyan, will once again perform on the Bulgarian stage, this time at the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv. In announcing his concert, the world-famous musician did not fail to mention his forty-year friendship and collaboration with Vasko Vasilev. The love of music and the rich musical taste connect Vasco with another famous person - the British King Charles III. His coronation on May 6 this year had its own specially selected orchestra to play a 45-minute compilation of classical and contemporary music. The selection was personally approved by the monarch, and the concertmaster of the Royal Opera, Vasko Vasilev, became the personal royal concertmaster of the special Coronation Orchestra. An honor that inscribes Vasko Vassilev's name on the pages not only of musicals but also of world history. On the following pages, however, you will meet the violinist Vasko Vasilev, as few people have seen him. With a sense of humor, self-deprecating, completely far from the general idea of fame and success. Demanding more of himself than of others. Free. And in a still childish way wise, positive, and good.

Who is Vasko Vassilev today? What has changed for you in recent years and how do you assess this change?

The only difference I see is the gray hairs... It would probably be nice to say something wise, but I don't know what - I still look at the world through the eyes of a Lyulin kid from the block to the field. Somehow, that's how I see myself.

Have you thought about what else you could be doing if you weren't a musician?

Oh yeah. Definitely - either a 20-something Whatman or a porter in a hotel with a coat, hat, and gloves.

If your violin were a person, how would you describe it? What is your relationship with this "personality" off-stage?

This is my wife! And we would have, i.e. we still have a wonderful harmonious relationship.

Is there a place where you feel most yourself, and what makes it so for you?

For good or for not so good, I am always myself... I try to live and behave in such a way that I do not violate the freedom of my loved ones, but also that they know that I am always nearby and they can count on me. I am approachable and easy to communicate with all people, I don't pretend and everywhere I find some reason to feel good.

With such a successful career, what is the one thing you feel you haven't achieved yet?

The point of view toward a successful career is different. Mine is that I have a lot more to do to put myself in that category. Artists such as Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Sting, and the Rolling Stones have successful careers. I'm far from that moment, but I'm not ungrateful of course – I still have a job I love and it's enough to live the life I want.

What did you exchange with the music, what did you give and take away from each other?

I live in it… if I'm not playing, I'm listening. I like old albums, new tracks, familiar artists, and the unknown. Music has nothing to take from me, that is. I willingly give her what I have through my violin.

Do the spaces you live in - your home, the hotel room, the dressing room, the rehearsal room, the hall... matter to you?

At the risk of disappointing you, it hardly matters... I adapt very quickly to any situation and condition.

Do you have any attachments and addictions – to objects, to people, to situations, to places, or musical works?

None. Even after the covid pandemic, I have no attachment to anything or anyone except my violin. This period was quite sobering for all humanity, and somehow I happily rediscovered the overwhelming ease of independence from everything and everyone :)

What does it mean for an artist to be free?

To do what you want in music and have it appreciated by the audience. Then the feeling of freedom is extremely fulfilling. For example, I don't mind the fact that my life comes together to a large extent in an Excel spreadsheet of commitments and logistics, it has nothing to do with freedom. However, when I play something that has moved me and I like it and the audience accepts it with the same joy, then the effect of cosmic pleasure and freedom comes.

What is one thing you would never forgive yourself or your friends for?

There is no such thing… it's too divine a job for me :) I'm easy to forgive…

What is the biggest sacrifice you would make for the stage and music?

Being on a diet… the stage requires you to be in shape and I love delicious food.

What is the unseen side of traveling/touring for a musician like you?

I know… maybe the mover job. I always have a suitcase, a backpack, and a violin, which I constantly take somewhere - subway, taxi, rental car, train, plane, hotel, hall... During the tour, we joke that the time we play is a break from carrying something from point A to point B.

If you were starting your career over now, what would you never do and what would you do?

I would play more piano. Otherwise, there is nothing I regret and want to change.

Let's play association! I tell you a word, and you give me the first association it evokes:

clef G - violin
sky - plane
silence - bed
curtain – Royal Opera House
happiness - tour
childhood - "rogcheta"
sea - Kiten
dream - a house in the Rhodopes
future - the house in the Rhodopes, but with many animals
sadness - my brother
watch – Cartier

If you could describe your life with a few pieces of music, what would they be?

Fantasy in F minor by Franz Schubert, D.940, for piano four hands.

What is the last happy day you remember?

The moment now that I am giving this interview.

What's in store for you tomorrow?

An EasyJet flight from Valencia to London and an evening performance at the Royal Opera House.