Warm, folksy, gossipy and fun

Warm, folksy, gossipy and fun

Vladimir Jablokov

Theatre Royal: Vladimir Yablokov

Vladimir’s in existential mode tonight. 

He’s been wondering a lot lately…”who am I?...how did I get here?…what am I doing?…where am I going?…is it all worthwhile?

Ireland’s favourite Sovakian fiddler is here to reflect on his journey as a violinist and on just how exactly he landed in the Emerald Isle. 

And he’s got an interesting story to tell and he breaks his narrative with some dazzling and exciting fiddle work on Brahms’s 'Hungarian Dance No 5' and a Monti Czardas that has everything bar James Bond’s knife-flashing, duelling gypsy wenches and leppin’ Cossacks.

Born into a family of professional classical musicians, there’s inevitability around his life-choices. 

Well…sort of, really. 

He did everything it said on the tin of wannabe professional musicians until the age of eighteen when he decided to head off on his own. 

His destinations bucket list boiled down to two – Ireland or Siberia – brrrrr!

He landed here with two hundred euro in the back póca, a fiddle and the address of a friend of a cousin. 

A claustrophobic bed-sit’s rent and deposit left him broke with no option but to busk on Grafton St. 

His dreams of becoming a success sit easily with a singalong 'If I were a biddy-biddy rich, eidel-deedel, eidel-deedel man', that tonight’s audience loves.

His busking draws crowds and offers of weddings and corporate gigs if he can find a band. 

Others in the same boat to get a quartet together. 

A gig for a tango convention poses a problem – they only know one tango in Por Una Cabeza. 

Pretty soon, their entire repertoire acquires a tango beat and they’re off.

Vladimir constantly reinvents himself and overcomes the challenges that life throws at him.

Like when Covid came along just as his orchestra was taking off and a successful solo gig in Carnegie Hall. 

He plays requests on Zoom links like…Pachelbel’s Canon…Jealousy…Life on Mars and finds a life-partner in Nicola. 

Now they’ve got two kids together. 

Nicola’s got a fine soprano and joins him onstage, in an inky-black cloak and deep wine diva’s gown for Phantom and Carmen.

“I’ve never stopped trying,” he explains.

He’s now on concert no. 11 of his 17 night concert tour of Ireland and his family have sell out Christmas concerts in the Three Arena.

Vladimir has that common touch that Irish people warms to. 

He loves to gossip and talks easily about his life’s journey. 

He mixes his music too as he’s comfortable with all genres. 

When he plays the Elvis classic 'I Can’t Help Falling In Love', the entire audience sings along. That’s just the type of night this is.

Warm, folksy, gossipy and fun.

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