David Garrett profile

[dirac]

A profile of the violinist David Garrett in The Los Angeles Times. Comments?

On a recent afternoon in his New York City apartment, Garrett defended crossover with the conviction of a young minister. It was hard not to sympathize with him. His passion for rock is deep and true.

Garrett grew up in Germany, where, Mozart style, the prodigy wowed classical music fans. But he hated always being surrounded by old people. "I felt lost," he said. "I wanted to be part of my own generation and connect to the culture and music around me." His German father, a lawyer, and American mother, a retired ballet dancer, forbade him to listen to rock. So late at night in his room he donned headphones and listened to rock stations. He loved Queen, but when he heard Nirvana his whole world opened up.