“The music. Music is my life. I dedicated my life to him. Through him I express my emotions, my thoughts…” These words belong to a child. About ten years old, big brown eyes. Archive images open documentary Return to Belgrade, that Stéphanie Argerich and Jörg Brockmann filmed for France 2 around the violinist Nemanja Radulovic, in 2009, in his native Serbia, where he was born, on October 18, 1985, in Niš. “the second most important city after the capital”specifies the 39-year-old young man met in Paris on October 24 at the Radio Classique studios.
A few days before, the musician held a concert at the Salle Gaveau in Paris to benefit the Enfance Majuscule association, which works against child abuse. In the program, the demanding Violin Sonata, by César Franck, the frantic romanian dances, by Béla Bartok, in a duet with pianist Stéphanie Fontanarosa. On the one hand, a gem of French music, performed with emotion, economy of means and notable sound work. On the other, the mastery of the savage virtuoso whose energy transcends every bow stroke, every note. In total, a charisma, generosity and charm that have turned Nemanja Radulovic into a media figure.
Attacks in Belgrade
“The man from the north” (translation of his Serbian name) comes from a music-loving middle-class family, with a doctor mother and a computer scientist father. “My mother’s was in Austro-Hungarian territory, my father’s was under Ottoman rule. My two older sisters and I were raised to believe that the world belongs to everyone. I still don’t understand why these ideas aren’t shared more. » Jelisaveta and Danica play the cello, he is interested in the piano, but it is the violin that is assigned to him by the jury in charge of examining the musical abilities of the 7-year-old boy. First concerts two years later. “I always liked playing in public, I didn’t have stage fright. Even today I love seeing the joy on people’s faces.”confess.
With Dejan Mihailovic (1932-2016), a former student of David Oïstrakh (1908-1974) in Moscow, the young man trained at the prestigious Russian (Soviet) violin school. First in Saarbrücken, Germany, then in Belgrade. A journey quickly marked by competitions and rewards. Nemanja Radulovic was 13 years old when NATO planes dropped their bombs on March 24, 1999 on the Serbian capital. Music is an antidote to fear. “There was no school anymore, so my sisters and I had fun deciphering sheet music. » The following autumn, after seventy-eight days of war, the Radulovics decided to go into exile. Germany has suspended visas, it will be France.
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