Cast
Gilles Apap — Violinist
François Apap — Bassoonist
Hubert Apap — Hornist
Jean-Marc Apap — Violist
Nina Bodnar — Violinist
Chris Judge — Guitarist
Theo Saunders — Fortepianist
Michael Stephans — Drummer
Chris Symer — Bass guitarist
Jim Wimmer — Violinist
Peter Feldmann
Michael Mendelson — Violinist
Tom Wolverton — Banjo
Chris Judge — Guitarist
Brendan Statom — Double bassist
Suzanne Barrymore — Violist
George Hoff — Cellist
Program notes
Discover the fascinating violinist Gilles Apap through the lens of the legendary documentarian Bruno Monsaingeon, creator of many of the greatest classical music features ever made. "The first time I heard Gilles Apap play," says Monsaingeon, "I had the extraordinary feeling that the music, a Bartók sonata, had been written just for him. The composer was guiding his hands." Straight away, he decided to turn his celebrated camera on this singular interpreter, little known by the public at large but amply worth discovering, in The Unknown Fiddler of Santa Barbara (1993).
Apap is an artist of striking brilliance whose insatiable zest for life comes out in his music: his playing, spontaneous and ebullient, is also technically faultless (he calls himself "a slave to music"). Throughout his discussions with Monsaingeon, as well as archival footage from concerts, rehearsals, and lessons, you'll love learning more about this luminous, generous musician whose personality and talent know no limits.