Hand luggage? My Stradivarius

Nicola Benedetti tells Louise Flind why she loves her native Ayrshire, how coronavirus closed concert halls – and how heavy violins are

Is there anything you can’t leave home without? My violin.

Something you really miss? I miss being able to cook and I miss doing my own laundry – but bear in mind that I am always away from home. So, for me, the things that people perhaps don’t like about being at home are the things I actually love.

Favourite destination? Places are all about the people for me. I’ve been to some of the most beautiful places in the world but if I’m not settled with who I’m with, I don’t care where I am. So I would say, for that reason, West Kilbride, in Ayrshire, and New York.

Earliest childhood holiday memories? Mu parents and my sister and I went to the same place every year in the South of France, a little village.

What have the effects of coronavirus been on your professional life? I was on tour with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the final concert was in Aberdeen on Saturday 14th March. As we were playing, it was becoming very clear that this would be the last concert we all did for a while and halls were starting to close.

What was it like for you playing abroad when you were very young? Did you travel alone? I started travelling when I was 15 and, from the beginning, did a lot on my own. I wanted to have that independence and also I knew it was going to be my future. I wanted to test out if that was something I could cope with.

How many violins do you travel with? How do you keep them safe? Just one – I have a Stradivarius that’s on loan to me. It’s in a case – I carry it on my back. On a plane, it goes in the overhead bin.

Favourite places in Scotland? Whenever I’m in Scotland, I’m working, really. I very fond of the countryside of Ayrshire – both my parents grew up there, so that has a special resonance. Edinburgh is a magical place.

Who are your favourite composers? Beethoven and Shostakovich, to play and to listen to.

Why have Italy, Germany, Austria, France produced so many more great composers than Britain? I think countries all over the world have strengths and weaknesses. A dedication to musical sophistication has maybe been led by German-speaking territory. But I wouldn’t say that France has produced so many more great composers than the UK – the UK has a lot of great composers.

What are your favourite concert halls in Britain to play? Like places, concert halls become about the performers. I love the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, but my assessment is always totally dependent on how I felt the concert went.

What are your favourite concert halls in Europe to play? The Vienna Musikverein and the Berlin Philharmonie. And I particularly like the Paris Philharmonie – there’s a uniquely close and family-type feeling in there.

Do you like working away from home? I don’t like or dislike it. It’s something I’ve done so consistently from such a young age that it’s like asking me, ‘Do you like eating three meals a day?’

Do you go on holiday? I’m not a big holiday person: basically, time off is not playing but being with those I love – that’s a holiday for me. I don’t need to be on a beach.

Do you have a daily routine even when you’re away? No. I’m very bad with routine. If I have any kind of routine, something in me has to break it after a couple of days. That goes with practice routines – I hate that kind of monotony of things and I just can’t do it.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? I guess the first time I had sea urchin in Japanese cuisine.

What’s your favourite international food? Pasta, definitely.

Best and worst experiences in restaurants when abroad? There’s one restaurant in New York that I love because I know the people who run it and it’s a very family-type environment – simple but

good quality.

Have you made friends when you’ve been away? Yes. If I were to write a list of my friends, they would be from every part of the world.

Do you have a go at the local language? Whenever I do, it’s terrible – I’m horrendous with languages.

Biggest headache? I’m very weak. I don’t have a lot of muscle anywhere – so the worst thing for me is the physical toll of having to lug around a violin, handbag, usually two suitcases…

Do you like coming home? If I don’t arrive home to heating that’s not working and a leak in my ceiling, then I’m quite happy coming home.

Nicola Benedetti’s new album, Elgar Violin Concerto, is out now