Haik Kazazyan wins inaugural Classic Violin Olympus Competition

Last month, Haik Kazazyan (42) of Armenia, triumphed over eleven fellow finalists at the inaugural Classic Violin Olympus, a week-long competition held at the opulent Zabeel Saray hotel in Dubai. Kazazyan won both of CVO’s main prizes: for overall best performer, and for best rendition of a piece by the event’s composer-in-residence Alexey Shor. Amid a crowded field of talent, he was particularly praised for the choice and delivery of his encore: Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G minor, arranged for violin by Frank Peter Zimmermann. He spoke to us a fortnight later, over video call from a hotel room in Novosibirsk, during a brief pause in a dizzying schedule of performances the violinist now has in his itinerary.