Sentimental Work
VIKTORIA MULLOVA
The Sibelius Violin Concerto played a pivotal part in the Soviet-born violinist’s life – even though it was unknown to her until the age of 18
I never heard the Sibelius Violin Concerto when I was young. I grew up listening to records by Leonid Kogan, who was my teacher later on, and for some reason he never recorded the Sibelius. So I first heard it while watching the finals of the 1978 Tchaikovsky Competition aged 18. The US violinist Dylana Jenson played the Sibelius in the final, coming second, and I knew then that I wanted to play it. Then I couldn’t find the parts and I had to take pictures of the pages on a camera when I finally got them.