<<  -- 2 --  Tess Crebbin    UNITING EUROPE

With the new expansion of the European Union, the Europamusicale brings us a very important gift: to make the music of our new European neighbours more accessible to us, allow us to attend live performances of works by their local composers, even those composers who are not very well known outside their own countries, and give us a taste of the best musical talents that these countries have to offer. So, as we are supposed to become a united Europe, not just on paper but in our hearts as well, this particular organisation may well be the one to lay the foundation in making this quest a reality -- at least on the artistic side. That this can be quite rewarding was proven during the Europamusicale concert series earlier this year when Pauli brought the Sinfonietta Cracovia to Germany and cellist Thomasz Wyorba gave an unforgettable performance of Lutoslawski (see the Music & Vision review).

And as for the immensely talented and capable Mr Scholl: he stands for what it means to be a European without boundaries because he has travelled so extensively that he is truly cosmopolitan. He can come across as an Englishman very believably, not just because he is capable of impeccably imitating an English accent but it is also in his mannerism. But when one sees him perform Italian Handel on stage, animatedly gesticulating with his hands as the Italians love to do, he could just as easily be an Italian especially because Scholl is such a warm and engaging performer. Although he is not yet forty years old, he was born in 1967, he is already something of a legend: the Andreas Scholl society, one reads on their website, has active members in countries all over the world.

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