Where are you based and have you ever performed in Malta before?
I'm currently based in Brussels, and this will be my first visit to Malta, so I'm really looking forward to being there and performing with the MPO!
You will be performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64. Have you previously featured as soloist for this piece, and what can you tell me about it?
I learned the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto when I was very little and haven't played it since. It's refreshing to return to this concerto after so many years, during which my playing has evolved a great deal. It's one of the core pieces in the violin repertoire and thus, there are also varied stylistic approaches. I'm enjoying the process of finding my own voice in this piece.
Conductor Sergey Smbatyan will be directing the orchestra in this concert. Have you ever worked with him before?
I will be meeting Maestro Smbatyan for the first time as I haven’t yet had the opportunity to work with him. My colleagues have spoken only positively about him, and we have many mutual friends, so I'm excited to finally meet him in person.
You play the 1704 'Prince Obolensky' Stradivarius, which has been loaned to you by a private collector. How did you get hold of it? What's behind the name/sobriquet, and could you tell us some interesting facts about the violin?
I feel very fortunate to be playing this Strad, which has generously been loaned to me by a collector who has been my supporter since the early days in my career. It was previously owned by a Russian prince and played in his royal courts, hence the name, Prince Obolensky. Playing on this instrument of remarkable quality and working on the sound has really shaped my musicianship and helped me develop in many ways. The wood of such old Italian instruments is very much alive in a sense, as the sound has changed with me over the past few years, and now I see it as my musical voice.
What do you aim to achieve from your upcoming performance in Malta?
I am looking forward to making great music with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and sharing the emotions that this performance will instill in me with my new audience at this special time of year!
Do you want to share any particular message with your audience-to-be? I’ve heard many lovely things about your island, so I can’t wait to experience it at first hand. I promise to delight my audience there with the magical sounds of my violin to heighten their Christmas spirit, and hope that many of you will join us for this concert featuring gorgeous works by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. This will undoubtedly be an enjoyable evening!
Esther Yoo will feature as soloist during the MPO’s tripart Christmas concert – The Nutcracker – that will consist of Felix Mendelssohn’s Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21 and his Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, Op. 71. The concert will take place under a large tent in St George’s Square, Valletta, on December 15 at 8pm. Tickets are available online.