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
it captures his, um. like, tragic sadness. and he had so much humour and so much positivity and so much love to give people. brahms, for me, isjust one of the most heartbreaking, um. expressions of that complex human emotion that i ve ever come across. when did you first play brahms violin concerto? i came to brahms violin concerto pretty late, actually. it was probably, um.about seven years ago. um.so i got through all my teenage years without playing that violin concerto. it was one, alongside beethoven, that was really hyped up to be something that you shouldn t really attack or address until you re, i don t know, 60 years old. not quite, but, you know, mature to a certain degree. it has a kind of patience and gravitas and drama and, um. . . maturity to it that i think is probably better, um.
and he had so much humour and so much positivity and so much love to give people. brahms, for me, isjust one of the most heartbreaking, um. expressions of that complex human emotion that i ve ever come across. when did you first play brahms violin concerto? i came to brahms violin concerto pretty late, actually. it was probably, um.about seven years ago. um.so i got through all my teenage years without playing that violin concerto. it was one, alongside beethoven, that was really hyped up to be something that you shouldn t really attack or address until you re, i don t know, 60 years old. not quite, but, you know, mature to a certain degree. it has a kind of patience and gravitas and drama and, um. . . maturity to it that i think is probably better, um. better addressed later in life. and yet, you had become the leader of the national children s orchestra
when did you first play brahms violin concerto? i came to brahms violin concerto pretty late, actually. it was probably, um.about seven years ago. um.so i got through all my teenage years without playing that violin concerto. it was one, alongside beethoven, that was really hyped up to be something that you shouldn t really attack or address until you re, i don t know, 60 years old. not quite, but, you know, mature to a certain degree. it has a kind of patience and gravitas and drama and, um. . . maturity to it that i think is probably better, um. better addressed later in life. and yet, you had become the leader of the national children s orchestra at the age of eight, i think. that must have felt like. and the youngest person to lead the orchestra. the youngest is eight year old nicola benedetti, who will lead the orchestra. i ve been playing for four- years and i decided to take it