Last month, Haik Kazazyan, a 42-year-old violinist from Armenia, won the inaugural Classic Violin Olympus (CVO) competition. The event lasted a week and was held at the luxurious Zabeel Saray hotel in Dubai. Kazazyan stood out among eleven finalists. He took home both top prizes: the overall best performer and the best performance of a piece by the competition’s composer-in-residence, Alexey Shor.
Kazazyan’s encore received special praise. He played Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G minor, arranged for violin by Frank Peter Zimmermann. Two weeks after the competition, Kazazyan spoke to us over a video call from a hotel room in Novosibirsk. He was taking a short break from a busy schedule of performances.
For Kazazyan, winning was a surprising and emotional moment. He had previously competed in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2012 and now teaches at the Moscow Conservatory. After the CVO, he was invited to perform in Mauritius and was still processing his recent success in Dubai.
The Dubai heat made the competition more difficult. Kazazyan was the last performer on the schedule. On his day, the temperature reached 42 degrees Celsius. Even inside the air-conditioned theater, the humidity made playing the violin challenging, especially for delicate finger movements.
Kazazyan believes the challenges reflect Dubai’s growing status as a classical music venue. While the sister event, InClassica, took place at the well-known Dubai Opera, the CVO had to use a less established venue. He hopes that more professional spaces will soon open in the city. “Dubai is improving in many ways,” Kazazyan said. “But building a classical music culture takes time. You can’t expect the audience to move quickly from Vivaldi to Mahler overnight.”
One notable aspect of the competition was its open age policy. Unlike many contests that limit older participants, CVO welcomed mature musicians like Kazazyan. Although the large cash prize of €200,000 (plus €10,000 for the Shor prize) was a strong incentive, Kazazyan emphasized the importance of exposure. “We talked about the money a lot,” he recalled. “But the main value is that people get to hear you perform. That leads to invitations and long-term career growth.”
This focus on career opportunities is central to CVO’s mission. The judging panel included agents, conductors, and orchestra managers rather than only soloists or professors. This approach helps musicians gain management and performance offers. Kazazyan noted that many winners of other competitions have a brief period of success but then fade away. CVO aims to create lasting careers.
During the prize ceremony, judges gave personal awards, often invitations to perform with orchestras. Kazazyan hopes this will lead to ongoing engagements for all finalists. “Once you perform somewhere, you start getting calls for more concerts. That is the best result from this competition,” he said.
Kazazyan praised the competition’s organizers. He singled out Konstantin Ishkhanov, President of CMDI, which runs CVO and InClassica. Ishkhanov brought together the musicians and found composer Alexey Shor, whose works were featured in the event. Kazazyan had previously performed Shor’s music at InClassica in 2021 and shared a conversation with the composer about the emotional depth needed to play his pieces well.
According to Kazazyan, Shor’s music succeeds because of its simplicity. Unlike some complex works that require long study of fingerings, Shor’s compositions are “very violinistic” and enjoyable to play. “His melodies are quite simple,” Kazazyan said.
Kazazyan faced a unique challenge in the competition’s concertmaster round. Unlike other rounds where solo pieces were performed, candidates had to lead from inside the orchestra. Kazazyan played Strauss’ tone poem Ein Heldenleben for the first time. This work uses the concertmaster’s violin to represent the hero’s wife. Kazazyan studied Strauss’ detailed performance notes and found the music fascinating and brilliant.
His encore choice, Rachmaninov’s Prelude in G minor, was inspired by YouTube. Kazazyan discovered a recording by Frank Peter Zimmermann there and liked the modern interpretation. Although he worried the piece might be too difficult for violin, his pianist colleagues encouraged him. The jury loved the performance. One judge even invited Kazazyan back for a tour across Europe and China, asking him to play the Prelude again.
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