Question of Taste: Dublin-based violinist Lidia Jewloszewicz-Clarke picks her favourites 

As she plays at Triskel's Mozart Festival this weekend in Cork, it isn't surprising that the great composer features strongly in Lidia's selections  

Lidia Jewloszewicz-Clarke: performing at the Triskel's Mozart Festival this weekend

Originally from Poland, violinist Lidia Jewloszewicz-Clarke currently lives in Dublin. 

She will perform in the streamed Mozart Festival at Triskel in Cork on Friday and Saturday (April 2-3). Lidia will also appear with the Banbha Quartet at Triskel on Saturday, April 9. 

Tickets from https://www.triskelartscentre.ie

Best recent book you've read and what you liked about it:

I have recently finished Paul Auster's most recent novel 4321. It's about one person and four versions of their life, tightly set against historical detail of the 20th century. I simply love Paul Auster's captivating writing style and his New York Trilogy was the first book I ever read in English.

Best recent film:

Winnie the Pooh, the original Disney movie. We watched it with my daughter the other day and everything about it is perfect!

Best recent show/gig you’ve seen:

Last year changed the way we access performances and we have been taking an advantage of it in my household, often tuning in to live streams from concert halls and theatres around the globe. It was incredible to be able to watch Nutcracker from the New York City Ballet back in December. However, One World: Together at home concert organized by Lady Gaga in April last year brought so many incredible artists together in such unusual way that this will have to be the most memorable and moving recent performance for me.

Best piece of music you’ve been listening to lately (new or old):

I have been recording some live streams recently with works by Mozart, Haydn, Tchaikovsky and Feery. Most of my listening has been based around those composers and the music I have been preparing. I like to immerse myself in the repertoire and its historical context fully before performing. As a result my current repertoire becomes my first and favourite choice of the moment.

First ever piece of music that really moved you:

With my dad being a musician and sister studying flute, our house was always full of all kinds of music even though it was not necessarily as broadly and easily available in 1980s Poland. Since I can remember I found all kinds of music moving in some ways and even very early childhood is filled with many musical memories. I loved big band swing, my dad playing standards on the piano (Charlie Chaplin's Smile has a very special place in my musical memory). I also had a selection of children’s audiobooks on LPs that were set to some fabulous modernist scores. I listened to them over and over and over...

Your favourite piece of Mozart's music and why?

All of his works are of sheer beauty and perfection. His string quartets are magnificent, symphonies, concertos... I played all his violin concertos but maybe the Violin Concerto No. 3 in G-Major has a special place in my heart. As a winner of the Mozart Prize I had an opportunity to perform it as a soloist with an orchestra a number of times. It was quite a formative experience.

The best gig or show you've ever seen (if you had to pick one!):

Stevie Wonder in Hyde Park in 2016. He must have been enjoying it too because he just kept on playing! Best. Gig. Ever.

Tell us about your TV viewing:

I am a keen gardener making attempts at sustainable living from my back garden, so I tend to favour gardening and nature programmes. I love a good interview too.    

Radio listening and/or podcasts:

I usually have RTÉ Lyric FM on while driving but at home I tend to surf around radio stations around the world on Tune in app and often go back to my favourite radio stations from when I lived in Poland.

You're curating your dream festival – which three musicians are on the bill, living or dead?

So difficult to narrow down to only three!  I'd love to hear Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi and American violinist Hilary Hahn, perhaps in some collaboration? I would also love to invite Mozart as a composer in residence.

Your best celebrity encounter:

I had a pleasure of performing with Sinéad O'Connor and the Irish Chamber Orchestra on The Late Late Show in 2019. She has so much charisma and I found her performance very moving.

You can portal back to any cultural event or music era – where, when, and why?

I would like to travel forward! Many of the big changes in music and arts are neatly tied with historical changes and turmoils in humanity. We have lived through a very difficult year and probably have some time to go before things will settle. However, you can already see how the music and arts scene is reinventing itself and there is so much potential and creativity going on right now. I'm really excited to see what that will bring and I'm looking forward to being part of it.

You are queen of the Irish arts/culture scene for a day – what's your first decree?

Free entry to children with accompanying adult to all cultural events. They are the future audience for the arts and I find exposure at such tender age invaluable.