Even dogged by recalcitrant flu, Maxim Rysanov has a droll sense of humour. "I woke up this morning completely dead," the Ukrainian violist says over the phone, reeling out the terrifying concert schedule ahead until he plays with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.
He remembers vividly his 2012 performance of the Schnittke Concerto with the APO and the reaction of the audience. Memories of a talk to the APO Friends on the morning after that concert are not forthcoming, but it was an immensely enjoyable affair. Rysanov spoke engagingly and was particularly witty on the subject of his instrument, even in an orchestral context.
"Being in the middle of the orchestra, the violas are the ones who hear everything much better," he told us, referring to his interest in conducting. "The violinists are too busy with their virtuoso parts and the cellists are too proud."
On a more personal level today, he extols his 1780 Guadagnini viola that we will hear in a few days time. "It has a very beautiful tone, with a real Italian colour to its sound," he says. "There's also a perfect balance between a cello-like low register and a top register that's like a violin. It doesn't sound in-between."
On Thursday, Rysanov plays Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations which proved such a success for him at the 2010 Last Night of the BBC Proms. Transcribing the piece from its original cello version was not "too difficult", as his instrument shares the same tuning an octave higher.
