Artist Profile: Classical Guitarist Irina Kulikova

By: Dr. Matt Warnock

Courtesy of Irinakulikova.com

Irina Kulikova is a young classical guitarist with a bright future ahead of her. Even though her career is still in its infancy, she has already made a strong name for herself by traveling the world and performing in some of the most renowned concert halls around. She has also won or placed in many of the top classical guitar competitions, a testament to her masterful technique and the deep emotional quality her playing possesses.

She has also recorded one CD for the prestigious Naxos label, and is currently working on two more records that will be out in the coming years. Not a bad start to a career that is sure to be full of future successes and accomplishments for the gifted performer.

Guitar International recently sat down with Irina to talk about her musical upbringing, her recordings for the famed Naxos label, and how she views competitions and formal education as having a role in a guitarist’s development.

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Matt Warnock: You come from a musical family, did that inspire you to become a guitarist and because music was such a big part of your home life, did you ever feel you would become anything else besides a professional musician?

Irina Kulikova: My mother plays the cello. I always went with her when she played in her string quartet. So you could say that I was living with music from my earliest years. It was like learning to speak or walk. I learnt a lot about music from my mother. About technique, phrasing, colors and about how string instruments can sing. She has been very important in my development as a professional musician.

The question about becoming a professional musician came quite early. When I was twelve, after some successes at competitions in Russia, I was invited to give concerts all over the country. Of course these are impressive experiences at that age. Then I met José María Gallardo del Rey in Russia. He heard me play at a competition.

Apparently he believed in my potential and told people that this girl needed a professional guitar to continue her development. So he brought me a Manuel Contreras guitar, the year after! It was a wonderful instrument. It really gave me the inspiration to discover all possibilities of a guitar.

So a great Spanish master gave me the last bit of encouragement to become a professional musician myself. And I’m still grateful for that to this day.

Matt: You are currently putting together two albums for Naxos, one is on Russian composers, can you tell us a bit about the composers and pieces involved in this recording?

Irina: At the moment, I am fully focused on the first recording for Naxos. That has different repertoire. Right after that, I will start focusing on the Russian program. I have some very nice ideas for that record and I hope it will turn out as I am envisioning.

Matt: Will you be touring with the material from this album, performing concerts of all Russian music from Russian composers?

Irina: I definitely will. But that will be the 2011-2012 season. First, I’m looking forward to performing in Canada, USA and Europe with this new program I’m recording now.

Courtesy of Irina Kulikova.com

Matt: Can you tell us about your other album for Naxos, what pieces and composers it will feature, and how it will differ from your Russian album?

Irina: This new album will feature pieces of Bach, Sor, Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Gallardo del Rey. It’s really a beautiful program, I’m very happy with it. On my first Naxos CD, Irina Kulikova: Guitar Recital, I recorded a Sonata and a Sonatina by Ponce, variations by Tansman and Brouwer and the Sonata by Antonio José.

True master pieces for the guitar, aficionados love it. But how would this program sound in the ears of people that don’t really know about classical guitar? I would like to build a bridge to a broader audience of music lovers, to show how much the guitar has to offer. This new CD will hopefully contribute to that.

Matt: You have won, or placed, in many different international guitar competitions. How important are competitions to the development of a guitarist’s career in today’s musical climate?

Irina: Competitions are very important. Through competitions, you get to know the guitar world and vice versa. I have been very fortunate with prizes over the years, which of course has given quite an impulse to my career. But also, guitarists that are less fortunate still build up a global network of fellow guitarists through participation in competitions. I’m sure competitions contribute to organizing future concerts, and gain friendships for life.

Apart from that, competitions help to really focus on a program and to bring it to the highest level of musical interpretation. To study a piece from all kinds of perspectives, to polish every note, to find all kinds of characters and images in it, then you can really make a difference when you perform the piece.

I sometimes hear that competitions are only supposed to measure the technical skills of the participants. That would be a sad misunderstanding. Competitions really should bring out the artist as a whole. That’s what I am paying attention to now when I’m invited as a jury member.

Matt: You have studied at some of the most prestigious conservatories in the world. Do you feel that it is essential for any performing guitarist to attend a university or conservatory, or is it possible to develop a career without a formal education these days?

Irina: Of course it is very important for any performing guitarist to attend a university or conservatory. It’s not only about the guitar teacher you choose, it’s about the whole environment. To attend the lessons of other students, to listen to violinist, or pianists, to use the library, to feel the spirit of music all around, the way you shape your own education is very important for your development as an artist.

The same goes for the way you shape your whole life, in everything you do. That goes far beyond the university. It all comes back in the quality of music you bring to the audience.

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