Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica is coming to Australia this September for his debut tour. A world renowned live performer, Maksim is an exciting performer..
Maksim started to play piano when he was nine and held his first concert by age 11.
“I pushed my parents to enrol me in music school – in most cases it’s the other way around.”
“Especially because of the fact that neither of my parents, my brothers, my friends ever had any contact with classical music. They never listened to classical music.
“And I come from a very small city of 30,000 where classical music is not that popular. But as soon as I started I knew that I was going to be a pianist.”
Maksim was in his mid-teens when the conflict in Yugoslavia broke out.
“We were hiding in basements for most of the time.”
“But eventually – because it was for four years – you have to keep on living, you have to do something. And I think the piano was the escape which I found, an oasis.”
“That’s why I practice for hours and hours – I would forget what’s happening around me.” Despite harsh conditions during wartime Croatia, he later won first prize at the Rubinstein Piano Competition in Paris.
Today, Maksim is the world’s bestselling crossover pianist with albums sold over 4 million copies in 57 countries, winning numerous awards including MTV music award for the best debutant of the year in Asia.
“I always tried to present classical music in a different way. Because I’m very aware that there is no interest in classical music among young people, among my friends.”
Maksim’s ground-breaking live performance showcases classical music reimagined with electronic elements,
“I have separate careers, classical music and crossover.”
“Classical music is a constant in my life. I can’t leave it and I can’t live without it.”
Maksim has toured successfully around the world. Some of his tours includes the 2004 South East Asian tour and the 2008 China tour where he was invited to perform at the iconic Three Gorges Dam as part of the Beijing Olympic Celebrations. In 2016 he performed in 20 Japanese cities and was considered one of the largest tours by any international artist in Japan. His fans say:
Maksim Mvrica’s Australian tour is being presented by Castiglione Arts and Culture. His Australian tour starts in Brisbane at the Brisbane Hall on Wednesday September 26, then he moves on to play Melbourne at the Palais Theatre on Thursday September 27 followed by the Perth Concert Hall on Friday 28th September, and then his final concert will be the Concert Hall at the Sydney Opera House on Sunday September 30.