Bow brilliance to shine on Sunday

Violinist Gilles Apap plays the classical repertoire like an angel, but his soul dances with the devil.

Take the cadenza he wrote for Mozart’s Concerto No. 3, in which he whistles, sings and basically burns up his strings, Niccolo Paganini-style, with Celtic jigs and gypsy gymnastics.

The cadenza is an homage to his mentor, revered violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who also explored music as a universal language, beyond borders.

“I played this Mozart cadenza, and it took a lot of guts,” Apap explained in a phone interview from his home in Santa Barbara. “I incorporated everything . . . and then this guy put it up on YouTube. There are like a million hits.”

The YouTube video of his unorthodox cadenza has also drawn darts from critics shocked by the violinist’s presumed lack of respect.

“The talent of Gilles Apap truly has no need . . . to skid out of control with such dubious taste,” opined Le Figaro, a Parisian newspaper.

But the ever-irreverent Apap laughs in the face of such “classical nerds,” posting bad reviews prominently on his own Web site, www.gillesapap.com. He gets the last laugh, too, because the YouTube video has reinvigorated his career and landed him gigs all over the world.

This weekend, for example, Apap will perform Alban Berg’s demanding Violin Concerto with the Santa Rosa Symphony led by his longtime friend, Bruno Ferrandis. GyorgyLigeti’s “Lontano for Orchestra” and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 “The Great” round out the program.

The two Frenchmen, Apap and Ferrandis, share a common history: Both were born in Algeria, grew up together on the same street in Nice and attended two conservatories together.

“He’s funny, explosive and totally himself,” Ferrandis said of the 45-year-old violinist. “The Berg Violin Concerto is very delicate and sophisticated. It’s going to be a challenge for him.”

Apap recalls the young Ferrandis as a serious studentwho was focused on conducting from an early age.

“We shared an apartment together in Lyon,” he said. “We used to play music together all the time, so I’m really excited to come and play music up there.”

When Apap first listened to the Berg concerto, which is “dedicated to the memory of an angel,” he was underwhelmed.

“Everybody said that it’s such a magnificent work of music,” he said. “And I thought, ‘That would kill an angel.’”

However, since memorizing the piece — he always performs works by heart — Apap has grown to appreciate its meaning, which explores the themes of love, death and transcendence.

“Now, I understand the deepness of it,” he said. “To understand a piece of music like this takes some time and dedication, and I’m glad I did the work.”

Apap started playing the violin at about age 8 but claims he was never a child prodigy or worked very hard at it. Still, he always knew he would be a violinist.

“I remember looking at a fiddle with total amazement, and thinking, ‘How can you pull a sound out of an old cigar box like that?’” he said. “That was always very curious.”

Although his parents did not have much money, his mother had a gramophone and he loved listening to a recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto performed by Menuhin.

When he was 14 years old, Apap even put on a coat and tie to see the legendary violinist in person.

“It was a big deal,” he recalled. “He had arthritis and was not in full command of the bow arm, but the left hand remained the most beautiful thing.”

After studying at the Conservatoire de Musique de Nice and the Conservatoire National Superieur de Lyon, Apap came to the United States to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.After just a few months, he headed out to Santa Barbara.

“I’ve never been into school, really,” he said. “I’ve never really listened to anybody’s teaching but my own.”

In his adopted hometown, Apap served as concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony for 10 years. In 1985, he won a first prize in the contemporary music category at the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. He also enjoyed a close friendship with Menuhin toward the end of the master musician’s life.

After his marriage to violinist Nina Bodnar ended in divorce, Apap travelled to India to climb mountains. He also launched on a voyage of musical discovery, incorporating Indian and Hungarian folk tunes as well as bluegrass and Irish jigs into his repertoire.

In 2006, he joined Irish fiddler Kevin Burke in a tour with the Celtic Fiddle Festival that attempted to bridge the gap between classical and folk music.

“I’m a professional faker,” he quipped. “But I also love the music very dearly, and I’m now in a position where I can go to sessions and play enough tunes to hang out and play.”

Nowadays, Apap also gives master classes all over the world, teaching musicians how to move the bow naturally and how to teach themselves, with the voice and rhythm.

“There are a lot of interesting things to do (with the bow) —it’s like talking different languages,” Apap said. “Sometimes you have music that doesn’t beat on every beat. It just flows and it has lines and moods and it’s shifting.”

Apap believes stage fright is almost a selfish reaction that comes from being wrapped up in your “crazy little world.” Instead, he makes his nervousness work for him.

“It’s important to know that music is not a stressful thing,” he said. “It’s stressful to be onstage, but once you experience enough of it, you realize it’s from the heart.”

One of his secrets is living a balanced life. On a typical day, Apap hangs out with friends, goes to the beach to surf, works in the garden and cooks himself dinner. Then he’ll go out and play some Irish tunes at a dance.

“Everything makes my music the way it should be . . . free and without stress,” he said. “I live in a little piece of heaven over here. I can see the ocean from my house. Oh yeah. I know when the surf’s up. It’s great.”