Stay updated with breaking news from Routine ofjust. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Cultural life, the radio four podcast, she reveals her formative influences and experiences, and how her passion for playing was there from the start. I knew very young there was no question i wanted to play the violin. There was no question that that was what i must do and had to do and wanted to do. Have you played here much, nicky . They chuckle nicola benedetti, welcome to this cultural life. Thank you so much for having me. Its an absolute pleasure. You were born and brought up in north ayrshire. What are your earliest musical memories at home . What memories do you have of music being played at home . The bee gees and abba. Later on, good dose of shania twain. That was all my dads taste. My mum definitely had a kenny g record. Um. She laughs saxophone . Theyll kill me for saying all of this quite like this, but its the truth both of your parents were born in italy, werent they . Yes. Was it an italian household culturally growing up . Its a good question. I would say both parents ....
But its the truth both of your parents were born in italy, werent they . Yes. Was it an italian household culturally growing up . Its a good question. I would say both parents assimilated very concretely and quite deliberately with scottishness and scottish culture, but they also came over very young. My mum was three years old. An italian speaking three year old with an italian mother and scottish father. Um. Came over to scotland and, er. Was sort of banned from speaking italian quite quickly. It was considered to be detrimental to her education and all sorts of things. We know better now. So my mum lost most of her italian, um. And it was a very scottish upbringing from that moment forward. And my dad, he came over when he was kind of ten or ii. Came over without his parents. Had a rough time, you know, adjusting to such a different culture. It was a good, healthy mix. But as far as mealtimes go and food, we were italian all the way. You mentioned you started playing the violin at t ....
We started listening to these long works. brahms violin concerto s like, a0 minutes long. so it takes a while, especially for a child of that age, and even for my sister, you know, at 11, i2 years old, um. to.to have the kind of insight and patience. and my mum was learning what she was listening to alongside us. she got us into this routine ofjust kind of listening over and over to certain pieces. and we would do a lot of it in the car. and before long, both me and my sister had worked out the shape of what the story was that was being told by brahms. and, so, we would come to look forward to this moment and to that moment, and we would come to, um.like, be so moved by this moment and then be so excited by this moment. ....
Especially for a child of that age, and even for my sister, you know, at 11, i2 years old, um. to.to have the kind of insight and patience. and my mum was learning what she was listening to alongside us. she got us into this routine ofjust kind of listening over and over to certain pieces. and we would do a lot of it in the car. and before long, both me and my sister had worked out the shape of what the story was that was being told by brahms. and, so, we would come to look forward to this moment and to that moment, and we would come to, um.like, be so moved by this moment and then be so excited by this moment. like, for instance, the end of the first movement, it was like listening to magic for us. but it was like listening to magic of something ....
To.to have the kind of insight and patience. and my mum was learning what she was listening to alongside us. she got us into this routine ofjust kind of listening over and over to certain pieces. and we would do a lot of it in the car. and before long, both me and my sister had worked out the shape of what the story was that was being told by brahms. and, so, we would come to look forward to this moment and to that moment, and we would come to, um.like, be so moved by this moment and then be so excited by this moment. like, for instance, the end of the first movement, it s just like suspended in air, just incredible melody that seems like it never ends. it was like listening to magic for us. but it was like listening to magic of something that we were also trying to do. so the level of sort of ingrained in our mind of, like, it s actually possible, if we do enough work, to do that. that first moment that you experience that never leaves you. why this one in particular? ....