Nemanja Radulovic

"You have to play them with your heart, your emotions, and try to get back to when you were a child." Nemanja remembers the first time he performed The Four Seasons, with the ensemble Double Sens, composed, half and half, of French and Serbian musicians. That was three years ago, at the promenade concerts in Reims, the Flâneries Musicales d'Eté. The idea of recording the concertos came to him after a concert at Auvers-sur-Oise the following year. "The more I played these pieces, the more I wanted to record them. This is an exceptional work, in which I take enormous pleasure." And so the question of interpretation arose. Nemanja wanted a version in keeping with his feelings about the work, "one that is quite young, with new sounds". He admits that - like Mozart's - Vivaldi's music is more complicated than it seems - and also richer, offering interpreters a huge range of possibilities. With Double Sens, he was able to give free rein to his imagination: "They are receptive, always open to suggestions. You can do things with them that wouldn't be possible with other ensembles." The fact that the ensemble is made up of musicians of two nationalities made no difference to its approach to the work. Their playing styles may have different roots, but they all shared the same desire, "to delve more deeply into the score". This is Nemanja's first studio recording. "The Devil's Trills" and the CD of Beethoven Sonatas were both recorded live. In these new circumstances - before the microphones, without an audience - he sometimes questioned his interpretation. "That's how I am. We record; we listen. Is it okay? You have to work with people you trust, who can guide you in such moments." As a complement to The Four Seasons, Nemanja recorded Spring in Japan 2011, written by his compatriot Aleksandar Sedlar. Nemanja was in Japan in March 2011, at the time of the tsunami. When he saw the pictures on CNN, he telephoned Aleksandar. "I was powerless. I wanted to do something. I feel very close to Japan, the people are marvellous." The
result was Spring in Japan 2011, which also conveys his concerns about climate change. "A first part showing Japanese influences, with a love song. Then quite a lively theme with the sirens, heard on the violin, before the tsunami." After that, complete calm, "like the calm that follows a great disaster"; then a very virtuosic finale, announcing hopes of future happiness. For Nemanja, Aleksandar Sedlar's great quality lies in his ability to write music of universal appeal - like this finale, which once heard is never forgotten.

Cast :
Nemanja Radulovic, violin
Double Sens, chamber orchestra
The Devil's Trills, string quintet