Athletes eventually retire and have to figure out what to do with their lives. This happens – depending on the sport – around the age of 35 to 40. However, it is somewhat unusual for acclaimed musicians to retire from the international stage and their solo careers at the age of 42, without any apparent reasons.
One such case is Alina Pogostkina, a violinist who even won the Sibelius Competition award and had a brilliant career until recently. With a simple and concise message, she announced her retirement from concert venues at the age of 42, stating that this lifestyle no longer represents her. Pogostkina teaches violin at the Basel Conservatory, and I imagine she will continue, unless she has decided to completely leave music and do something different with her life.
The decision to leave something you love (you can’t win the Sibelius if you don’t love music) is a big and conscious one. She decided to leave her international solo career because it no longer suits her. This is a particularly brave decision in my opinion, one that directly contradicts the established perception of a successful professional. Pogostkina realizes that she no longer wants to be part of what today’s musical reality is. Is she tired of touring and playing the same concerto twenty times? Is she bored with something else? Does she even find this world quite “plastic” and boring? Whatever it is, a person who won one of the most important competitions worldwide, which leads to a great solo career, has voluntarily decided to leave a world that others try in vain to enter. Many will say that her stance is somewhat ungrateful. To retire so early from something everyone wants to be a part of seems terribly selfish to many. But is it?
I believe it is not, because what may seem like the personified “dream” to one person may simply be another’s nightmare. It doesn’t mean that everyone should want everything and in the same way. A simple life, like tonal music, may ultimately win out.
