The acclaimed InClassica International Music Festival will soon be returning for its latest annual edition once more, arriving in Dubai, UAE from the 6th to the 21st of April 2025 for a spectacular celebration of classical music in all its myriad forms, hosted at the resplendent Dubai Opera.
Over the past years, InClassica has already established itself as a premier event in the classical music world, offering audiences an unforgettable series of performances that showcase both timeless masterpieces as well as contemporary works, and this 14th entry is certainly proving to be no exception, with the festival looking to bring together a phenomenal lineup of world-renowned soloists, conductors, and orchestras for a special edition honouring the 55th birthday of Alexey Shor, InClassica’s Composer-in-Residence.
Among the many stellar musicians taking part is Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich, a prodigious talent who has been captivating audiences with his profound musicality and virtuosic technique from an early age. Born in Stockholm in 2001, Lozakovich made his solo debut at just nine years old, and since then, has gone on to perform with many of the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, earning critical acclaim for his deeply expressive interpretations. A Deutsche Grammophon artist since the age of 15, Lozakovich has already amassed an impressive discography, including recordings of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and Shor, which have been met with widespread praise.
Lozakovich’s participation in InClassica 2025 promises to be one of the festival’s highlights, with the violinist appearing in two concerts at the festival – on the 12th and 21st of April respectively. Performing both as a soloist alongside the Franz Schubert Filharmonia, under conductor Mikhail Pletnev, as well as in a duo recital, with Pletnev joining him on the piano, he will be presenting a varied and eclectic programme of works across these two dates, which is certain to intrigue and delight in equal measure.
Ahead of this eagerly-anticipated return to InClassica, we sat down with Lozakovich to discuss his thoughts about the festival, his collaborators on stage, and the music that he will be bringing to life in Dubai.
The InClassica International Music Festival will be returning to Dubai in April 2025, to celebrate its 14th annual edition. How does it feel for you to be forming part of this festival, and are you looking forward to this latest entry?
“The most wonderful thing for me is that I have the chance to bring immortal music, which is the most important thing for creating hope for people, and, in particular to bring this to a place like Dubai. It’s such an important contribution to help develop culture and to bring dreams, hope, and reflections of the soul. The more places we can reach, the more we can bring growth and inspiration around the world, and the better the education will be, the better people will be and the more sensitive they can become. It’s really lovely to see that in Dubai, the culture is growing. When culture grows, the country grows, and that’s why it’s really fantastic to bring and to see that there’s more classical music coming up.”
You have already formed part of InClassica before. What has drawn you to return to its lineup once more?
“The InClassica festival is great because it brings together all the greatest musicians of today. What has definitely drawn me to return is of course, the chance to perform with Mikhail Pletnev, who is, for me, one of the greatest musicians of all times and a musician of a timeless quality, both as a pianist and as a conductor. We have a great friendship, and I learn from him every single time I speak to him, every time I get the chance to play with him on stage… even subconsciously, I learn when I am with him. So whenever there is a possibility to perform with him, I’m immediately drawn to it.”
Ever since it first came to the UAE back in 2021, InClassica has helped usher in a new frontier for classical music within Dubai and the wider GCC region at large. How important do you think such a move has been for the world of classical music, and how do you feel about being a part of this process?
“I feel it is important to bring music everywhere! Because music is something that protects your dreams, and it is one of the greatest things to help bring around, especially in a place where it’s quite new, like Dubai. And once it starts it can develop very quickly. Twenty years ago, China had this cultural boom; it was quite new then, and now it’s one of the main places for the arts, one of the main places for artists to come, and for the public to experience and learn more about this tradition, and then, as a natural consequence, for the younger generation to be brought up in. That’s why it’s so important to evolve classical music in different regions – in the GCC regions and in Dubai, of course. Because music reminds us and gives us an impulse of what is actually important in our life and soul, like no other energy can. It brings out the truth in how to live life and how to prepare for death. It can help communicate emotions, an understanding of complex notions, like true love, and what it means deep in our hearts. Music is a medicine that is incomparable to anything else that can penetrate the inner truth we are all seeking, and this has to be developed in all regions in the world.”
Your concerts at this latest edition will see you teaming up with Mikhail Pletnev on two separate occasions, one where he will be conducting, and a second which will be a duo recital. What are your thoughts on taking to the stage with Mr Pletnev once again?
“Mikhail Pletnev is a musician of unique quality, of hidden dimensions in music that one cannot simply learn. He has a soul that is incomparable; he has colours, a vision, architecture, and a deep understanding of harmony. Bach said that harmony is the closest thing to godliness…. These are things you cannot teach, and that is what Maestro Pletnev has ‘vibrations’ for, in his soul and in his experiences. I’m immensely honoured to learn about these things everyday, and to get a deeper understanding of it, especially through a musician like Mikhail Pletnev.
Can you tell us a little bit about the programmes which you will be presenting at the festival?
“The first programme I will be involved in includes the Phoenix Fantasy and Verdiana, by Alexey Shor, with Mikhail Pletnev conducting. The first time I ever performed with Maestro Pletnev with him as a conductor was here at this very festival, and he is an extremely ‘freeing’ conductor. It is such a fluid experience, and I am completely free to bring contemporary music, which is also important since these works represent new visions, a new voice, and we always have to support contemporary music because this brings new dimensions of feelings, and dimensions of feeling that touch the heart. This is why we’re bringing the music of Alexey Shor.
The programme we will be playing for our duo concert will then have the Franz Schubert sonatina, as well as the Grieg sonata, and the Franck sonata, and also the Shor/Pletnev sonata. These are all different genres, all different spirits, and all different styles. We wanted to show, in some ways, a whole exhibition of different cultures, different times, and different expressions that are each equally immortal, while also bringing in this composition by Pletnev and Shor, which is a great violin sonata, and which will, of course, be tested by time. I’m sure many, many people will perform it for many years to come!Alexey Shor is a composer with a unique style. There is a touch of heart in his melodies, and the way his music is written. Usually, contemporary music is quite complex and is not always very interesting. With Shor’s music, there is always a touch of heart which is unique for contemporary music. He has his own way of expressing emotion, and it is a way that brings joy, hope, and beauty, which is the greatest cure for the soul, and that is what we are always trying to find in life. He brings all these images of this ideal dream, which I feel is really important for us to have in our life.”
Looking ahead at this season, what other projects are there on the horizon that you may be particularly looking forward to or wish to highlight?
I have quite a lot of upcoming projects! There are many interesting things coming up. I will be going to Australia for the first time, then touring in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and then, of course, playing a lot in Europe. The main thing though, is the creation of a new string orchestra, which is one of my biggest dreams and goals. This is being put together for next year really. It’s an initiative where I’m combining people with a strong spirit, and people I admire as musicians, all brought together in one string orchestra at the highest level, and this is something I’m very much looking forward to!”
For more information about InClassica 2025, and Daniel Lozakovich’s participation within the festival, pay a visit to the official website at inclassica.com.