Open-Air Magic: Garrett on Rain, Freedom and the Millennium Symphony Tour

In an interview with BR-Klassik journalist Larissa Schütz, he shared what drives this tour — and why the unpredictable magic of open-air stages feels more like home than any enclosed auditorium.

David described how he and his team carefully chose each venue, looking for places with a certain "wow factor" — spaces where the audience feels the event before the first note is played. He admits he's nature-loving, and even finds a bit of rain at an outdoor concert to be something wonderful.

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On the practical side, he revealed one essential rule he always follows: string players must step out of the backstage area early, so their instruments — everything made of wood — can acclimatize to the humidity and temperature. It's a small ritual, but it keeps the tuning stable under the open sky.

And when the weather turns? He always brings a large fishing umbrella, ready to be held over his violin if he ventures into the audience during rain. But he doesn't worry about it too much — a little rain, he believes, can't harm the music or the evening.

The Millennium Symphony program draws from the greatest hits of the past 25 years — arranged with the full sweep of a symphony orchestra. David spoke about how he approaches crossover as a creative playground, using techniques he learned from Paganini, Brahms, Beethoven, and Sibelius to push the instrument beyond boundaries that don't even exist in classical repertoire.

He arranges everything himself, and it's this hands-on approach that gives his crossover work its distinctive sound — rooted in classical training but reaching into pop, rock, and electronic dance music territory.

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One highlight of the show: two Ed Sheeran songs. "The Joker and the Queen" spoke to him because of its melodic line — he heard something almost Disney-like in it and arranged it accordingly. And "Shape of You" he performs entirely alone, playing percussion on his violin while using a loopstation.

When asked if he hopes to turn pop fans into classical listeners, his answer was warm and sincere: he's seen it happen both ways. People who only listened to classical now come to crossover shows, and vice versa. For David, that exchange is one of the most rewarding parts of what he does.

The full original interview is available on BR-Klassik. Interview by Larissa Schütz.