Fiddleress on the roof
(VIDEO) Violinist Sophie Solomon of Oy Va Voi has embarked on a solo career and a tour or Europe and Israel. She's got appearances scheduled for Tel Aviv and Jerusalem over the weekend – leaving her plenty of time for shopping and the beach during the day
VIDEO - Sophie Solomon is back in Israel. This time, she says she'll spend a lot of time at the beach and shopping. In the evenings, she'll play the nightclubs of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and present her violin version of klezmer, chill-out and ambiance to Israeli audiences during this first stop on her European tour.
Thursday and Friday, the British violinist will appear at The Barbi in Tel Aviv, and Saturday night at The Lab in Jerusalem. After that, she'll continue on to Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris and London.
Video: Shai Rosenzweig
"When I get to England, the band and I will live in a bus for three weeks and do all the clubs we can," says Solomon as she sets out on her first solo tour.
Solomon's romance with Israel began when Oy Va Voy first visited Israel and gained a loyal following here. In addition, Oy Va Voy has appeared with Israeli band Balkan Bit Box in the United States.
Early years
The last time she was in Israel she met up with Idan Reichler, and the pair spoke about working together in the future. This time around, she is expected to meet with composer Menachem Weinberg, who has composed a piece especially for her.
"One of my most memorable performances was in Israel," says Solomon. "When we played the Theater in Jaffa last year, there was a feeling of history in the air. The club had an old feeling, and Jaffa is really special and historical. We were awake all night that night."
Solomon began playing the violin at age two. "It was a very small violin," she laughs. My father also played, and we went for lessons together. I grew up on Jewish and classical music, and I remember my father singing to himself in the kitchen.
"When I was 17 I was a bit of a rebel. I decided to quit the violin and began recording jungle music with drum and bass. At the same time I moved to Moscow and worked as a D.J. There, I re-discovered the music I grew up with, and I remembered I knew how to play the violin. When I went back to it, it was fantastic. It was all on my terms."
Living experience
Solomon calls her upcoming concerts in Israel "Drunken Late Night Romanian Bar Scenes", and rightly so. So as not to ruin the surprise, she says that during the show the audience will see artistic activities of drinking alcohol. "There is a lot of interaction with the audience during a performance," says Solomon. "The band is very open. It is very much a live experience, rather than a presentation of our new album."
Solomon has recently started working on her second album. In addition, she has done a new interpretation of Fiddler on the Roof that will be released in the near future, and she also composed the music for an upcoming movie starring Richard Dreyfuss.
"I hope I will get to work all around the world. That's my goal, to work and to live in other places. I only hope it they will be warm. It's good for my soul."
