Lara St. John: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

May 9, 2016 by TOM HUIZENGA • Violinist Lara St. John has attitude in spades. It's in the sound of her playing and in the arc of her career.
Her first album cover sparked controversy, prompting many classical-music observers to wonder about her motivations until they heard the passionate Bach performances that accompanied it. Willing to take risks, St. John was among the first to start her own record label in the 1990s. It's allowed her to call the shots on her recorded repertoire, which has been satisfyingly broad, from Piazzolla to polkas to Mozart.
St. John's recent album Shiksa - recorded with pianist Matt Herskowitz, who joins her for this Tiny Desk concert - collects new arrangements of old tunes from Armenia, Romania and the Jewish diaspora.
The two know how to start off a show. The incendiary "Czardashian Rhapsody" mashes up two Hungarian tunes with some extra hot sauce. St. John's fiddle is at turns coy and cocky, racy, raw and just plain outrageous. Herskowitz dispatches his considerably hefty role with equal abandon. Her hair flying as if she were a glam-rock guitarist, St. John nails the big rock 'n' roll ending.
The two slow it all down for "Sari Siroun Yar," a bittersweet Armenian troubadour song that opens with pearly, Asian-colored trills from Herskowitz and some sleight-of-hand magic from St. John. Bowing across the fingerboard, she captures the muted, breathy sound of the duduk, Armenia's ancient double-reed instrument.
The barnstorming grit is back for a final round of pyrotechnics in the "Oltenian Hora." The piece plays off a catalog of violin tricks, St. John explains, practiced by traditional Romanian gypsy fiddlers. After rapid-fire whistles, bird calls and slithery harmonics, all in a variety of off-kilter rhythms, St. John ratchets up the intensity. Practically brawling with her instrument, she saws away faster and faster, leaving her, and many of us in the room, breathless.
Shiksa is available now:
iTunes: itunes.apple.c...
Amazon: www.amazon.com/...
Set List:
"Czardashian Rhapsody" (arr. Martin Kennedy)
"Sari Siroun Yar" (arr. Serouj Kradjian)
"Oltenian Hora" (arr. Lara St. John)
Credits:
Producers: Tom Huizenga, Niki Walker; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Niki Walker, Kara Frame, Brandon Chew; Production Assistant: Jackson Sinnenberg; Photo: Kara Frame/NPR.
For more Tiny Desk concerts, subscribe to our podcast: www.npr.org/pod...

[@bonnielauton3641]

If you have a chance to see her, you must! I saw her perform last night with the South Florida Symphony Orchestra and I was truly mesmerized.

[@MaestroEspressivo]

I heard Lara's 'Oltenian Hora' live as an orchestra performance encore with the cello and double bass principals handling the accompaniment on stage. Those less than 3-minutes of musical passion and mastery, if not wizardry, blew my socks off. Lara St. John is a modern day super virtuoso, whose journey through the Romantics and her creations from European folk tunes shows an artist over-flowing with both natural and highly cultivated talent. This enables her to freely immerse herself in crafting the art at hand, as being fully accountable to the work requires of her. What I have heard of Lara's work mesmerizes me; exciting, informative, passionate, inspiring.

[@christinenewland386]

What can I say??? Lara..... you are just such a natural! You are both wonderful!!! So exciting!!!!!! BRAVO!!!!!!

[@walrys11]

14:56 The guy is like "Holy sh-"

[@melodicdreamer72]

+Chris Wright (Understanding_Music) I was thinking the same thing. The strings also surprisingly hung in there too. Just some amazing music and playing.

[@Mikri90]

Strings aren't that easy to break actually. For 18 years of playing, not once I've broken a string while playing, only while tuning, and which actually means that the string wasn't properly assembled, as it usually breaks at the ball end, which holds it in place, the actual string is highly unlikely to break. And I've played some heavy shit. This particular part in the video isn't even that stressful for either the strings or the bow-hair, it just looks and sounds like it.

[@KaiTakApproach]

Tears of joy and sadness were falling before I even noticed them, and they didn't stop. Incredible....thank you.

[@trace8617]

one of the best live violin and piano duet videos ive ever seen

[@layahma]

Thanks for making me clap out loud at work.

[@nullnull2628]

Breaks over bitches, back to work.

[@juliestevens6931]

# 1 - It is so much fun to watch when an artist truly loves what they are doing. She was having so much fun! (I hope I am not the only one who was picturing a Loony Tunes Cartoon in their head as she was playing - LOL) #2 - I closed my eyes and it really did sound like a reedy pipe. Cool. #3 - She was making sounds that I didn't know a violin could make. That was fascinating.

[@SecksyMan]

this and Goat Rodeo are the best Tiny Desk Concerts I have ever seen

[@KrystalMidega]

30 seconds in 👍👍 jesus! Goose bumps, racing heart, hot flushes, happy feet, everything!!!

[@KrystalMidega]

I forgot to add balancing tears

[@lotofcoffeeinmycup]

I saw them live a couple days ago. They´re AMAZING!

[@west4coast77]

Such skilled performers and musicians. Thanks Tiny Desk and NPR for sharing a deep well of talent from all genres. Kudos.

[@satyendralakhandri20]

you are just sooooooo unique....this is you Lara...m so glad that people like you show the way to new possibilities..and thats how music evolves....m at great awe.....you are just greattttttttttt.....1000likes....

[@esraberber3703]

The single that starts on 7:47, is perfect !! But it's all very amazing. thanks!

[@josemoron8357]

So Powerfull Lara!!! what a energy

[@twainphoto]

Absolutely amazing. I put this on as some background music and I couldn't get any work done. Lara's hair was flying, as was I, and I too was amazed that not one string broke. I loved her phrasing.

[@conancat]

me too! I had to change over to this screen to see what black magic was being pulled off. my god that was amazing!

[@MasterP48HD]

really sounds like argentinean tango violinists in the phrasing, so you could check that out if you liked it

[@shupengwen8489]

This give me chill... So amazing

[@C_U_R_I_E_L]

This duo is precious

[@andymorg12]

Wow! Such body of sound! Bravo!

[@lawoftheuniverse8089]

The Best Violinist to ever come out of Canada...Lara is a National Treasure...!!!

[@JoshuaSmith-kl1io]

Haha wut mate? Surely Kerson Leong takes the cake...

[@violintegral]

@@JoshuaSmith-kl1io Kerson is phenomenal, but what about James Ehnes?

[@JoshuaSmith-kl1io]

@@violintegral Ah I didn't even know he was Canadian - honestly Ehnes is outstanding

[@fromthenorth2]

Damn this is perfect!

[@HybridChoky]

Damn,she has such passion.

[@robertlowrey3635]

We've always been a fan!

[@pmgarrett13]

Seriously Fun! Just what my day needed. Thank you!

[@zarchocon]

14:57 Me too man

[@catrinacompositions]

Thank you NPR for this - and 'Shweddy Balls".

[@edyoung6756]

OMG! Lara, you are the Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Halen of the violin.......but 100 times more beautiful!

[@mch12311969]

Wow, that was amazing!!!!! Talk about violin goals, geez!!!!!!

[@trace8617]

her soul is coming out of the violin

[@C_U_R_I_E_L]

Wow wow beautiful

[@philipps7622]

She reminds me of Roby Lakatos!!! The style and skill, amazing!

[@Mikri90]

She might remind you of him, but Roby is light-years away. This is actually quite bad, not because she isn't skilled but because she is completely careless. Scratchy sound, bad intonation, bow movements are terrible. It's all flash and no substance. I can see though why it is interesting to a layman, but to any decent violinist, this is bad.

[@primolandia]

:O Just wonderful! How can we(humans) be so much of both? (good vs evil)

[@intervalkid]

Badass!

[@banjojo3341]

Lara omg so awesome!

[@aw00gag0rl]

this is tremendously captivating

[@HeardOperaHouse]

I'm loving this!

[@phananhnguyen1725]

AMAZING

[@peachesnscream]

Wonderful!

[@teriscallon]

Omg! Fantastic!!

[@sydney3349]

wooooow, speechless💗

[@laddytragedy7916]

Shredding that Violin

[@roaringgirlrecords4694]

I LOVE YOU LARA!

[@argentum530]

Bravura!

[@chiyeh]

Her form is not text-book but her playing is natural and effortless.

[@RKupyr]

+Chi Yeh Indeed. And text-book form would have destroyed the beauty, killed the life of this music, as is almost always the case when classical musicians attempt a cross-over into most improvizational music. (I imagine that Lara is very capable of summoning up text-book form when she wants to.) Of course it's a two-way street: Improvizational musicians attempting cross-overs into Western-European classical music tend to sound sloppy. Lara, you are a wonderful demonstration of how the spirit of one culture can come to life in another culture, reminding us of the universal human spirit in all its myriad forms. and what a treasure trove of expression it offers all of us.

[@christinenewland386]

Thank heavens she is not "TEXT BOOK"! She is unique and creative, brilliant and beautiful!!! I could listen to her perform endlessly!!!

[@superawesomejunkmonk]

Amazing!

[@michaelschranz8640]

I gotta double up. good God girl!!!haha, you are fantastic!!

[@michaelavillarreal]

So provocative...

[@howardmanley3388]

Really enjoyed! :0)

[@feoil]

Virtuosa!!

[@ThePensap]

prodigious !!!

[@edwardhensley]

Wow. Shiksa power. I'm a fan of all big Canadian chicks now.

[@pagehaunter]

+Ed Hensley Wooooow. You couldn't just say a Canadian chick? She's not even big.

[@edwardhensley]

+Ebonheart watch the video: I repeated her words...

[@glaucoma888]

"big Canadian chick"?? wtf do mean? h

[@glaucoma888]

my grande apolgy, she did refer to herself as that.

[@glaucoma888]

Im now a big fan of Lara St. John. She is definitly REAL.

[@dianeevans2281]

oh my gosh!

[@michaelschranz8640]

I love your soul

[@patrykmatus92]

wow.

[@CENTERONE700]

over the top...

[@BigAl72ZGE]

I once saw her pop a string playing Zigeunerweisen. She's pretty hardcore.

[@ndodamakayi5220]

What's going on here? Hoooooly sh****

[@romeucmn]

BUT I JUST CAN'T BE WITH YOU LIKE THIS ANYMORE ALEJANDRO

[@amusicment4829]

Lol, what fun

[@mohsensangian9855]

15.23 hahhhhh😊

[@Geiger1983]

I don't understand how some people are so excited about her. Her playing is horrible and out of tune. Please wash your ears and/ or listen to other violinists

[@karimmourabitamari6540]

It is good. Maybe someone can write that he doesn't understand why people could make comments such as yours!

[@mohsensangian9855]

Geiger1983 this is her special style in playing and its mostly becuase its gybsy....she mentioned this alot in her interview ......she said her self gybsy is to play alittle bit out of tune scratchy sound very intense.....shes just amazing.....check out her performance

[@procarpenter1788]

Sounds pretty rough and dead. Bad intonation and tone.

[@violintegral]

@@mohsensangian9855 well it sounds like her "gypsy style" is just an excuse to play poorly. If you wanna hear a real gypsy violinist legend, listen to Ivry Gitlis.

[@ndodamakayi5220]

Passion in her face and horrible playing....her face doesn't correlate with her playing at all. At least that was on the first piece....had to stop it. I'm not sure if I want to see the rest of it. Violin is out of tune too.

[@procarpenter1788]

I thought I was the only one. Bad tone, bad intonation, the works. Not that I can do better!

[@pluutoop]

And she looks like she reaks of alcohol.

[@LynnColorado]

I saw her peak at one of her fingerings.

[@viniciuspessoa3872]

She can play in tune, correct rythm and beautiful sounds. Already heard her Bach partitas and they are magical. Besides that, something seems wrong here, playing is out of tune and off beat. I don't know if this is a mistake or if she is mocking us classical trained musicians.

[@colorsofsound4782]

More suited for audience at NPR I guess. Personally, I think the musical value from a classical perspective is really not there but the purpose to entertain the audience without a musical background is fulfilled I guess.

[@thevector384]

She's completely aware of her tune Once she said : yes I play out of tune and a little bit scratchy . Besides she's playing in gypsy's style

[@ninjapunk76]

Microtone city!!! 😅

[@renelopez9150]

La violinista hace mucho alarde técnico , pero con innumerables desafinaciones ., imperdonables para una persona con tanto estudio en el violín , le sugiero menos floreo y mas dedicación y cuidado en la afinación . RENÉ LÓPEZ DE CHILE .

[@gastonnervi2931]

Horrible! Out of tone...

[@patkolor]

Fuj de rossz ,süket !

[@errenkelly6019]

lara looks like she put on some weight, but id still tap it. i own a copy her playing bach for solo violin. i bought the cd for the case, not just the music :-)

[@samanthagomez2679]

you're disgusting