A classical twist on contemporary music

Slovakian musician Vladimir Jabukov has found his niche in Ireland, writes Nicki ffrench Davis.

AS HE embarks on a 12 date national tour with his show Classical Twist, Vladimir Jabukov may seem a somewhat unlikely rebel. Born into a family steeped in the classical music tradition — his father is an esteemed violinist — it was perhaps inevitable that Vladimir and his five music-making siblings would become musicians too.

The Slovakian’s flair for performance and playful irreverence have won him many Irish fans and he seems the kind of son any parent would be very proud of. But just seven years ago, Vladimir came to Ireland to escape fate as a violinist, and to turn his back on music. When the music in him won out, it was in a way that shocked his father, whose sensibilities were strictly classical.

“We had a family show when I was young, very classical,” explains Vladimir, whose debut album, also called Classical Twist, was released last week. “When I was 13 I said I won’t continue playing unless I can have a Viennese solo, so I was allowed just one, a polka. When I was 15 we had a break in the family shows. Seven years ago I basically wanted to stop playing, I was sick of it.” His disinterest in devoting himself to a music scene that he felt was stagnant drove him to Ireland.

While deciding his next move he busked in Dublin as a temporary measure, but his untamable flair soon attracted attention and led to engagements directing music for shows at the National Concert Hall.

Vladimir then formed the Slovak Festival Ensemble, a collection of old friends who could be called on to form chamber ensembles or small orchestras as the engagement required, making them a regular at events which called for top notch light classical music.

Vladimir’s first album, Classical Twist, was recorded with his six-piece band and marries the high energy of rock with the finesse of classical playing.

Mixing Viennese classical, gypsy music, jazz and rock, often with a full drum kit, it’s a far cry from the world of music he grew up with. He is determined with Classical Twist to “really rock out.”

“When I started the shows here my father was saying, ‘You’re not serious, how can you?’” he laughs. “But when after two or three years I was able to fly 50 players to Marlay Park he realised it was maybe not so bad. Then when I started to jam on classical music my father thought it was a terrible thing to do, saying that everything that was necessary was already in the music.

“But these days when my father listens to Bach he hears improvisations himself. I was already playing some covers with the band but when we got on board with the Rubyworks record label they suggested some others.

“We chose a few that I had never heard before but really excited us, like Lynard Skynard’s Freebird and David Bowie’s Life on Mars, and that one’s my father’s favourite track on the album,”

The album release is fast gaining attention. It helps that Rubyworks, a Dublin label, has vast experience in shining a spotlight on great music that might otherwise fall between stools. The label discovered Rodrigo y Gabriela and currently has Gavin Friday and Sinéad O’Connor on its books.

“We make the musical arrangements as a band — it’s not all of it written down, there is a lot improvised, so every show is different, that’s what live performance is all about.

“We have two original pieces on the album,” says Vladimir. “Mrs Dumpkin came from an idea of how music can show someone’s personality.

“We wanted to write something funny so I said let’s imagine an old English lady with that funny walk like you see in the Charlie Chaplin films. The second we just called Variations In A. That one starts with a nice soft melody and then from nothing it gets really heavy, then down again to a soft pizzicato.”

The album has been in development for two years. “We re-recorded a lot. We kept changing things, especially the positions of microphones to get the sounds we wanted and balance the drums.

“Sometimes when we listened back we realised that we were really sounding like a rock band and losing the whole Classical Twist thing, so then we would go back and rethink. We are very happy with how it’s turned out.”

Tour dates

October 19, Glor, Ennis, Co Clare; October 20, The Set Theatre, Kilkenny; October 21, Royal Theatre, Waterford; October 26, National Concert Hall, Dublin; October 27, with guest star tenor Seán Costello, The Opera House, Cork; November 3, Moat Theatre, Naas; November 4, The Venue Theatre, Ratoath; November 11, George Bernard Shaw Theatre, Carlow; November 12, University Concert Hall, Limerick.