Элин, не нашла отдельную тему про Маркуса, поэтому вот. Откуда, где взято - ничего не сказано...
Маркус о своих отношениях с музыкой)
И тут как раз есть о Дэвиде-музыканте, ну и о человеке немножко))) Очень тепло.
В принципе, более-менее понятно даже мне. Но если будет перевод - совсем здорово 
Interview with Marcus Wolf
Von Sybille Schafer
Marcus, how did you first meet up with David?
David was recording "Thunderstruck" at the Electric Lady Studios in New York the exact
same time when I worked there for someone else. It so happened that the air conditioning
broke down in the building that day and it got extremely hot inside. They opened all the
studio doors so that everyone could hear the music coming from the other rooms. This was
the very first time our paths crossed, just by chance. I remember that day very well, it was
funny to have met under these circumstances. After all, there are not too many blond
violinists with long hair (laughs). But it was not until March of 2009 that David and I actually
had a conversation and got to know each other, and when I had my first opportunity to play
with him. Then from September 2009 through April 2010 we toured a lot together. Since this
time we have become good friends.
What is so special in your work with David?
The fact that through the projects with David I have been able to play classical guitar again. I
studied classical for many years, even though I initially started out on the electric guitar and
have played Rock & Roll for most of my life. When I lived in Miami I was able to realize
many different works on the classical guitar. Then I moved to New York and somehow found
no longer the opportunity to play much classical guitar professionally. I'm very glad that now
through my connection with David I can revive my classical performance again. For instance,
on our last tour we played the "Carmen Fantasy" very often, and I enjoyed it tremendously
with David to bring pieces like this to the stage. For David to link both musical styles is the
perfect combination. There is a great balance between the two of us: David with his classical
background, and I with my Rock & Roll roots.
How did you experience David as a musician?
I think David is a wonderful soul and a great human being with a big heart. And he can play
his instrument truly to sublime perfection. I appreciate David's desire to realize all kinds of
music, no matter what musical label is attached. For me there are only two kinds of music:
good and bad. I love it when he takes the initiative and starts to play pieces such as i.e.
"Czardas" by Monti. He is such an outstanding violinist. It is always so much fun to work
with really good musicians. If you are playing as many concerts together as we have by now
and observe David on stage, it is obvious that he performs constantly on a very high level.
What is the connection of the violin with the guitar?
I think the violin has a lot in common with the guitar. The electric guitar also is very
virtuostic background with rock & roll. Usually the highlight of a rock or pop band is the
electric guitar with solos. Comparably in the classical realm it is the violin. So why not bring
these two instruments together? It is therefore very inspiring when we perform together or
when I play a riff. We can fire each other up, challenging ourselves to play faster and faster.
A little competition, but nice. That's why these two instruments go together very well for me.
With whom did you study classical guitar?
I studied with James Piorkowsky for four years. Jim is a fantastic teacher and my friend
now. He teaches at the State University of Fredonia-College in western New York. I also
took lessons from Benjamin Verdery who teaches at Yale University. He is a well-known
classical guitarist and was my teacher for more than a year. Luckily I was able to keep up my
practice throughout all those years.
And when did you start singing?
When I was 18 years old. I was enrolled in the Tonmeister program at Fredonia and had to
come up with different projects. That's when I started singing to my own songs. When I was
23 I tried to start a band in Miami. Inviting several singers for auditions left me always
feeling somewhat dissatisfied because I likes my voice better. That's when I decided to
become the singer in our band and things started to take its course.
What do you rather do: playing guitar or singing?
I prefer to play the guitar. As guitarist you are in the spot light, but it is still a little calmer. ??
As a singer it is more intense to be the center and front person all the time. Anyway,
singing is very close to my heart and has become an important part of my life. I think I might
sing a little on David's next tour. By the way, I sang some during the open-air concert at
Wuhlheide in Berlin. Towards the end of "Hey Jude" - that is my voice on the recording. I
was actually a bit surprised because they turned up my voice so much that it was louder than
my guitar (laughs).
Is there a concept behind your "Mirror" CD?
I arranged a group of different songs which I love and think that they go well together. If you
like Led Zeppelin or Peter Gabriel you will find my CD interesting. David is also a little to
blame for getting the album off the ground. Thanks partially to his support for the idea I
decided it was the right time to make a new CD. This became even more obvious to me
when David agreed to play on "Little Wing" . Then I was sure it would be a good project. I
am very grateful and extremely happy about it.
The dialog between guitar and violin in "Little Wing", who created that?
I decided to keep this arrangement very simple, choosing just percussion, bass and guitar.
The trio's initial session was recorded live in Conshohoken with Phil Nicolo at Studio 4.
David recorded his track one month later at the Electric Lady Studios. I asked him to
improvise during the middle part after my guitar solo and used the Roland space-echo with
the violin. That sounds really cool. David was absolutely phenominal during that take. It
was the very first piece where he used his new Stradivari. He had just gotten it. When he
showed it to me I said: "This is crazy: the instrument was built in 1717 - it is older than
America."
Is the music ( for Little Wing) also written out?
Everything is improvised - except for a few parts of "Little Wing", as i.e. at the end of the
well-known Jimmy-Hendrix riff.
Does that mean you have to play it all from memory?
When you are making music for such a long time as we have, music is just another language.
It is a part of you, and it is easier for me to be on stage than giving an interview. When I am
on stage performing I feel it’s the right place for me to be, THE place where I feel
comfortable. This is where I am at home. But of course only when you have done your
homework (laughs).
Three pieces on the CD are written by you: MIRROR, GIVE BACK TO YOU and
HIGHER. These are pretty melancholic songs....
The melancholy may be a reflection of my former life experiences. I wrote HIGHER as an
example of some kind of spiritual learning. You might imagine to be talking to your lover or
to God. MIRROR deals with a relationship gone bad (laughs). And GIVE BACK TO YOU
is sort of a prayer expressing that one need not feel guilty for taking on things in order to
grow. But once you have reached a certain point you should give back something to help
others.
Does the sequence of the songs on the CD have any special meaning?
I have tried to achieve a certain balance in the sequence of the songs. I was very sure which
song should be first. Even though the first song is very different from the rest of the CD - it is
very quick and peppy. I put this song first because of the lyrics which say: It is a fine day to
die and to start a new plan ..... And smile where you stand. And I thought: This is a great
starting song for my CD ... and because it also reflects my current point of view.
Last question: Why is the CD named MIRROR ?
MIRROR is a strong song. It is one of my favorites of the album. A mirror reflects the
image in front of it, meaning a picture of what I see. That's the reason I named the CD
MIRROR. One can interpret this title in different ways. In any way, it somewhat offers a
glimpse of my own life, at least as I see it.
Thank you for talking to me, Marcus, and all the very best for the future!
