From Maksim Mrvica’s appearance, few would believe he is a classical musician: he stands two meters tall, has a charming Eastern European face and sports a ouple of earrings. The 30-year-old Croatian pianist could be more easily mistaken for a pop star or fashion model.
Black or white suits is the traditional attire at classical music concerts, but Mrvica stopped wearing them about 10 years ago. “I really don’t like suits. Whenever I did classical concerts in my country, I always tried to do something different. So I incorporated multimedia elements like a laser show before concerts or aifferent lighting method, or I dressed differently,” he said.Mrvica, dubbed the “Giant Pianist” because of his height, will come to China next month for his first concert tour on the mainland. Beijing will be the firsof his four stops, with a show on November 10 at the Poly Theater.
Born in Sibenik, a small, scenic medieval city on Croatia’s Adriatic Coast, Mrvica decided to become a pianist at age eight,when he caught a glimpse of the instrument at his best friend’s house. Two decades later, he has become one of the world’s most famous pianists, but his path to success has not been one straight lineHe began learning the piano at age nine, and dreamed of making a career out of his passion for music. His parents knew nothing about classical music and even now, still prefer to listen to pop songs on the radio. But they gladly paid for their son’s piano lessons.It was not long before it became obvious to Mrvica’s teachers that the boy was a rare talent. They encouraged his parents to enroll him at the state music school in Sibenik.When he was 15, civil war broke out. His devotion to the piano kept him going: despite the fighting, he would practice in the basement of the music conservatory. “I remember a few times we had to run from my city to the islands. We were refugees. But I couldn’t stanmore than five days without the piano, so on my own, I’d go back to Sibenik, to my house, to practice the piano. Two days later I’d rejoin the others,” Mrvica saiHe entered his first piano competition in 1993, practicing feverishly to meet people’s expectations. War still raged in Sibenik, but there was peace in Zagreb, where the contest was held. The 18-year-old Mrvica charmed the judge and spectators just by turning up; after hisperformance, the judge halted the competition and immediately declared him the winner.
