Virtuoso brothers set for new musical heights

Arts Week with Judy Murphy

Classical and folk music will get all ‘shook up’ when Slovakian brothers Vladimir and Anton Jablokov showcase their new album at the Black Box Theatre on Saturday, October 8.

Vladimir and Anton Live, which was recorded over three sold-out nights at the Wexford Arts Centre earlier this year, features old Russian folk tunes alongside classical music by the likes of Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov and Shostakovich. All compositions are performed in the brothers’ unique style, which focuses strongly on improvisation and makes for a lively listening experience.

Their Galway visit is as part of an Irish tour to promote the album and it comes hot on the heels of their appearance at the BBC Proms in the Park in Belfast, where they joined the likes of Lesley Garrett and Broadway sensation John Owen-Jones at the Titanic Centre.

Before that, the brothers were touring the UK as special guests of soprano Katherine Jenkins – and they recently guested at the prestigious Isle of Wight festival.

Their new album was inspired by their paternal grandfather, Nikolaj, who was born in Moscow in 1925, explains Vladimir, who moved to Ireland 12 years ago and has slowly carved out a career in the music business here. His younger brother Anton, who has a Master’s degree in classical music from the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Switzerland, is currently studying for a solo diploma there.

The boys grew up in a musical family in Bratislava, with four other musical siblings – five out of the six now make a living as musicians.

Their father Alexander was a violinist who met their mother Katarina while both were studying at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Katarina was from Slovakia and the couple settled in her home city, Bratislava.

Vladimir and Anton were middle children and close in age, with a particularly strong musical bond. Both studied violin, piano voice and music theory at the Conservatoire in Bratislava. However, while Anton always knew he wanted to be a professional musician, Vladimir rebelled.

As a teenager, he knew he didn’t want to become an orchestral musician, but the chances of becoming a soloist in the world of classical music were slim. Only the top five per cent of classical musicians have that option, he says.

“Being an orchestral musician just wasn’t my thing. I always wanted to do something else.

“Coming to Ireland was just a mad idea about going as far away as possible and doing other work,” he recalls with a laugh. “Obviously the whole family was against it.”

Vladimir had dreamed of salmon fishing in Kerry, but it was not to be and being broke in Dublin was no fun. So he joined a group of like-minded musicians from mainland Europe and took to Grafton Street.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.