When we were coming back he told me: „You see, this is what I told you before – you will get the thing you want always in a different way you have thought.” The security didn’t let the double bass to come in, but agreed for Ivry’s violin. He really wanted to play with one double bass player on the track of Auschwitz. „I was here before but this time is the last one.” And we have managed. His big dream was to go to Auschwitz one more time. „And they are all here to study violin? What for? Idiots.” When we were at the patio in the Academy, we heard students practicing. Who is Ivry Gitlis?… Ah, it used to be a good violinist, but who is he now?” Sometimes he was sitting quietly and a bit grumpy… then suddenly saying something „in the air”. And one more thing I can tell you: even if you think you know what you want – it will come but always in a different way you’ve expected.” He was pretending that he is not hearing, but one day during the lunch, he started to talk. I was keeping asking him what the life thought him. In the elevator he looked at me with the sight of the little boy and asked me gently: „Ania, do you still love me?” When the day came to the end, I was accompanying him to the room. Just before going on stage he wanted sandwich and shouted: „Ania, where is my sandwich ?!” What’s wrong with you?! At the same time he was answering phone calls on the backstage just before playing. He had bad humour and was shouting on me all the day. „Laziness is nowadays „being busy”, which doesn’t mean anything – it’s covering your real activity.”Īt the day of his concert he got nervous. Freedom is not chaos, is difficult thing. Going on stage you go for a meeting with the people – you have smoothing to tell.” You are entering the stage and you need to describe it. „The greatest drug is the air at the top of the mountain. „While playing instrument you need to be constantly surprised. „Life can take whole life and it can take 1 sec to live the life. The bike, when is not moving is falling.”
„If you will know how to enjoy pleasure – you will know the timing in music.” „When you’re playing forget that you were practicing. He was talking about playing – but in the fact it was all about the Art of living. As a violinist I should have been focused on some „violinists tips” but I couldn’t resist the impression that he gave us a masterclass about life. Maybe the thing that I hadn’t chose made me to be closer now.ĭifficult beginning sometimes is better than the love from the first sight” He was reluctant to talk about music, although he told me once about his beginnings with violin: I really wanted to learn from him, but not especially about the violin – about his lessons of life.
In the meantime we were just hanging at the main hall of Academy. His duty was to give masterclasses and to play one concert (!). Loved fish soup accompanied by bread with a thick slice of butter. He loved to be recorded and photographed, he was waking up very late. After two days we became good buddies (our friendship included even marriage proposal at the end – „Ania, would you marry me?” – of course as a joke ). However, after one day together, I realised that he was memorising all things I have told him. He was rather moody and made impression that was not listening to me at all.
I spent with him few days – starting the day with making his shoe lances, finding his casket, keeping his superb violin, eating together and talking. In 2014 I had the chance to be personal assistant of Ivry for the Festival at Music Academy in Katowice (Poland).