GILLES APAP ON DVD!

Violonist Gilles Apap’s first adventure on the east bank of the River Ganges has just been released on DVD by Idéale Audience International in a lavish digipack edition comprising the « Renegade Fiddler » documentary, a two-hour recital in Benares and several video extras.

Called "the Violinist of the twenty-first century" by Yehudi Menuhin, Gilles Apap seems to find praise wherever he turns. He is becoming known around the world for his distinct talent of incorporating styles of music as diverse as American bluegrass and Gypsy fiddling with the standards of the classical repertoire, suggesting that Apap is of the opinion that all music is created equal.

Born in Algeria, Gilles Apap was raised in Nice where he studied the violin with André Robert, then later at the Conservatoire de Musique de Nice with Gustave Gaglio and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Lyon with Veda Reynolds. He came to America to attend the Curtis Institute, and chose to settle in California. He has since become the concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra. His talent was recognized by Yehudi Menuhin in 1985, when Apap first brought himself to the attention of the great pedagogue by winning the Contemporary Music prize at the prestigious International Menuhin Competition. He gained the affection of Lord Menuhin, who asked him to perform in Berlin with the Enescu Foundation in 1989.

Gilles Apap's recent engagements include recitals and concerts on both coasts of the United States; in India; Russia; the WOMAdelaide Music Festival in Australia; a tour with the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra; and in Europe, including solo appearances with the Hamburg Symphony, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre Ile de France, the Sinfonie de Bretagne, the Lille Mozart Festival, Germany's Rheinghau Music Festival with the Prague Chamber Orchestra and the European Soloists Orchestra in Brussels. In March of 1999, at the invitation of Yehudi Menuhin, Apap joined the Sinfonia Varsovia for concerts in Paris and Montpellier. These performances led to a very successful series of concerts at the French festival Octobre en Normandie in 2000, and further concert and recording projects with the orchestra. In October 2001, Apap was been invited by the Chatelet in Paris to play a series of three concerts with his recently formed ensemble Colors of Invention.

Aside from performing, Apap has taught at both the Menuhin Academy in Gstaad, Switzerland and the Menuhin School in London, as well as the University of Benares, India and the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival in Italy.

Apapaziz Productions, a record label which Apap recently formed with friends in the Santa Barbara area, released its first recording in 2000 with Apap and pianist Eric Ferrand-N'Kaoua performing the violin sonatas of Enescu, Ravel and Debussy. Their second release, "No Piano On That One" features Apap performing with the Colors of Invention, a group he formed with Myriam Lafar, accordion; Philippe Noharet, double bass; and Ludovic Kovac, cimbalom, as well as the harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet and harpsichordist Corey Jamason. The Colors of Invention are about to release a new recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Apap also performs on three recordings on the Sony Classical label featuring his band, Gilles Apap and the Transylvanian Mountain Boys.

Apapaziz distributes the APAP MASALA DVD in North America.

More info on Gilles on www.gillesapap.com