In collaboration with PASSIONS, VOICE OF ASIA is proud to present timeless articles from the archives, reproduced digitally for your reading pleasure. Originally published in PASSIONS Volume 54 in 2013, we present this story on Ana Rucner, cellist and performer extraordinaire.
Watching the enthralling and energetic performances of innovative cellist Ana Rucner is not something one easily forgets. Creatively combining three different genres – classical, modern and world music – her passionate renditions of classical favourites, such as Beethoven’s Ode to Joy resound with emotion, and the audience is treated to a breathtaking performance that conveys what moves and inspires Ana most – music, beauty and a deep love for her homeland Croatia.
Growing up in a family of musicians was certainly a huge factor in Ana Rucner’s success as an international cellist. Her father Dagan was a violinist and soloist with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and her mother Snježana was a solo cellist with the Croatian National Theatre Orchestra. “When I was seven years old, I wanted to be just like my mother, a beautiful woman who makes fascinating music on a cello,” Ana says. Both her parents nurtured her interest, presenting her with her first cello, and enrolling her at the Elly Bašic Music School.
Ten years later, Ana continued to pursue her love for the cello at the Academy of Music in the University of Zagreb where she graduated summa cum laude in 2005. While there, she had the opportunity to play with Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin among other internationally acclaimed musicians and conductors, such as Menahim Meir, Gustav Tavares and Silvija Sondeckiene. “It was one of the most unbelievably amazing experiences of my life. Watching the masters perform and create music was really inspiring” she says. She now holds the title of Cello Professor at the university.
It was in 2002, after she received a Yamaha electrical cello, the first of its kind in Croatia, that she began creating her own unique and personal style. Carefully selecting classic tracks and adding a rock arrangement, mixing the old with the new, she produced an unconventional, modern sound that both classical music connoisseurs and new listeners found refreshing.
When asked about her signature style, the instrumentalist explains, “My formal education centred on classical music, and I have a strong attachment to it. But I also like modern music. I want to share both with my audience, so when I create my music, I arrange it so that they can experience both at the same time.” She would also like to attempt something even more ambitious for her next project, particularly a collaboration with an orchestra from another part of the world, to play pop-punk-rock combinations and explore areas where two different genres meet with a common denominatorand seize the opportunity to create new sounds.
Ana also likes to add ethno, or traditional, elements to the presentation of her music. She features picturesque views of Croatia’s landscapes and streets in her music videos as a visually stunning accompaniment to her instrumental songs. The musician speaks fondly of her country, “I was raised in Croatian culture, and I have a lot of respect for it. For example, I like to sample traditional Dubrovnik sounds in my music as it reminds me of how amazing and beautiful that city is.”
Her home country feels the same way about her, with her fellow countrymen her biggest fans, and she has received awards from the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Zagreb Tourist Board for her performances that have promoted the country. She has toured around the world – from Brazil to the Czech Republic and the UAE, to Japan and India – and every place she visits gets a taste of Croatian culture through her live performances.
Ana Rucner says, “Every so often, musicians find new inspiration in unexpected places. It is important to know what you want, however, to be able to maximise this.” And maximise it she will, as she pushes the boundaries of classical music a few notes further.
