Pure harmonies

Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos hates crossover music and says re-interpretations of great composers is like mixing the clashing contents of a cocktail cupboard. Zhang Kun chats with the maestro about songs, structure, and the special chemistry among great musicians in Shanghai.

Although reluctant to give advice to younger musicians, Leonidas Kavakos believes it is important to understand the music and analyze the structure before learning to play a classical piece.

With this probing and analytical approach, together with exceptional virtuosity, the 47-year-old Greek violinist has become one of the most established violinists of the contemporary time, active in the world music scene since the 1980s, after winning the Sibelius and the Paganini competitions.