Maksim Mrvica is in a performance. Photo: Courtesy of Shanghai Gold Typhoon

 

One black earring, tattoos on both wrists, and standing almost 6 feet 5 inches tall – Maksim Mrvica looks like a fashion model at first glance. However, when this good-looking man sits down at the piano, an alternative reality is revealed – that of a highly talented pianist. He is famously remembered as the man who can play 12 notes within a second during one of his signature pieces Flight of the Bumblebee. He is also well known for his rendition of the soundtrack to the film Exodus.

No stranger to Shanghai audiences, the Croatian pianist made an appearance at the Croatia Pavilion during the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. And on Mrvica’s China tour this year, Shanghai will be his last stop. The concert will be held this Saturday night at the Shanghai Grand Stage. The Global Times had an exclusive interview with Mrvica when he was in the city for a Christmas lighting-up event at Shanghai International Financial Center (IFC).

 

Keep on playing

Born in 1975, Mrvica was raised in Šibenik, a small town in Croatia, and he started playing the piano at the age of 9. Just three years later, he performed Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C Major alongside a symphony orchestra.

“My best friend had a piano at his home and a lot of other instruments, which I was really interested in. So I pushed my mother to send me to music school and I started from there,” said Mrvica. “I always knew I would enjoy performing publicly.”

When Mrvica was 15, war broke out in Croatia. Legend tells that Mrvica insisted on carrying on his piano studies every day, and that he held concerts in his war-torn hometown. Recalling this time he said: “It was a tough time, but it was many years ago now, and the wounds are healed.”

Croatian Rhapsody, one of Mrvica’s best-known piano pieces composed by the noted Croatian musician Tonci Huljic, evokes scenes of dilapidated buildings and rubble, but also inspires hopes for a new Croatia. And in Mrvica’s words, “it contains elements of Croatian national music, and it also shows my love for my motherland.”

Though having played Croatian Rhapsody many times, he admits he still enjoys it. “It all depends on where I am, and the audience. There will always be flexibility in my performance on every occasion,” he said.

In Mrvica’s music career, Russian composers like Stravinsky and Prokofiev have influenced him greatly. “I feel so connected to the Russians because I am also a Slavic person,” he said.

Maksim Mrvica. Photo: Lu Yun/GT

Piano on the road

The first piano competition Mrvica took part in was in Zagreb when he was 18 years old, which was a milestone for him in his music career. The next five years saw Mrvica tutored under Vladimir Krpan and later he took top place in the Nikolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition after only a year's study at the Franz Liszt Conservatoire in Budapest. 

Mrvica moved to Paris in 2000, as a student of famed pianist Igor Lazko and the next year he won the first prize at the Pontoise Piano Competition. 

"I consider myself to be a lucky person doing what I do. Playing the piano is my everyday job; it's creative and is always something new and fresh. And I enjoy meeting new people while I'm touring."

After releasing a number of best-selling albums, Mrvica started touring in 2004 and has visited Asia many times. Before every performance Mrvica likes to pause for a moment. "I try to concentrate, and to listen to my heart," he said. "It's just the way I prepare." 

Bond with China

"When I played Yellow River at the Huabiao award ceremony for the first time in 2007, I saw the reaction I got, and how much it meant for my fans in China," he told the Global Times. 

Every year since 2009 Mrvica has played in China. "Generally speaking, Chinese audiences are quite enthusiastic. But no matter how tired you are, and no matter how many concerts you have done, you have to give audiences a great show," he said.

After this Shanghai concert, Mrvica will be back in the city in January next year. He has been invited by a Shanghai television station to appear in a Chinese New Year show. Meanwhile, he is preparing for his next European tour as well as a new album that will be released in Asia. "In future, I may continue my crossover style, and may explore some other different types of music, such as film scores," Mrvica told the Global Times. 

Mrvica believes his youthful appearance helps him relate to audiences but he always remembers the fierce competition that exists in the music world. And he is always mindful of his manager's advice: "Don't take your success for granted."

During each concert tour, Mrvica has to travel extensively - something he enjoys a lot. "When I'm not on tour, I spend a lot of time with family and friends, watching movies. And in spare time I like exploring nature, but I also like clubbing. Yes, hiking and clubbing!" he laughs.