You’re from Montenegro but your style has a Spanish flair. Why?
When I was a child my father played me an old record by the Spanish modern classical guitarist, Andrés Segovia. I thought it was the most amazing thing I’d ever heard. I dreamt one day of playing something similar.
Where did you train?
I started entering competitions and once I’d decided I wanted to become a musician I knew I had to be the best, because there isn’t enough space for us all. I dreamt of studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London because it was regarded as the best; I applied in 2000 and won a scholarship so I moved to the city. I’ve lived there ever since.
What happened next?
I continued to dream of playing for the whole world; I want to excite a young audience. I signed with the German classical record label, Deutsche Grammophon, and released my first album, The Guitar, in 2011. The first track, ‘Asturias’, is named after a Spanish town.The album topped classical charts around the world – spending 26 weeks at number one in the UK – earning me Grammophon’s Young Artist of the Year Award.
My second album, Latino Gold, was an exploration of my style, with tango and samba-influenced pieces and new recordings of works by Piazzola and Villa-Lobos. My third album will be released in March 2014.
What can we expect from your performance at Emirates Palace?
I sing, but not professionally, so my recital will be just me and my guitar. I like to present alone when I am performing somewhere new, then I have all the time in the world. I will play a combination of tracks from all my albums. My performance will begin with Bach. The second half will be dedicated to Latino guitar so I’ll play some Spanish and South American-themed pieces from Latino Gold. I’ll finish with a Turkish folk song, ‘Koyunbaba,’ which is inspired by Arabic culture.
The performance will be my Arab world premiere. The rest of 2014 will see me performing throughout the US – in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami, across Europe, China and Korea and in 10 cities in Japan.
www.abudhabifestival.ae (02 333 6400).
