John Fraim

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This is what happens when you invite a ten-year-old to follow you in your Vivaldi routine at a local mall. The world certainly is changing. Amazing to see these young artists rising to such heights of the arts at such a young age. What will the future be like for this ten-year-old violin player? 

Perhaps another wonderful thing about this video is that it happens in such an unexpected place (a mall) to hear great music. One can see the mall goers are surprised to hear this incredible music. In a mall. The best art “ambushes” viewers in the most unexpected places and times. 

Or perhaps more specifically, by “ambush” I mean that people are more open to seeing and hearing art in new places, situations, and times. We know pretty much the theme of many ambush art performances. Whether on American Idol or other talent contest. A very young performer (10-15) gives a stunning performance. We witness a prodigy in this genre of stories we’ve seen repeated over and over during the past years.

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The little girl in this amazing video, another in this genre of the young, genius performer in an “ambush” place performance in a shopping mall. Taking art into enemy territory or certainly hostile environs of a shopping mall. 

Yet the applause and ovation were to her performance, as well as her pianist accomplisher held the regular piano gig in the shopping mall on the large Steinway grand piano. Yes, outwardly just a piano player in a shopping mall but perhaps one of the greatest Vivaldi pianists in the world. If truth be known, he was filling in on the piano for his pianist friend who had the shopping mall gig. His friend had come down with a bad flue and needed a replacement so that he wouldn’t lose his job. 

The Vivaldi piano expert called the mall and told them that he would be filling in for their pianist under contract. Everything was worked out and he learned he would be working a week at the mall playing “background” music for the shoppers. His hours were three to ten each day. Mid-afternoon to later evening when the mall closed. He played for 50 minutes and took and ten-minute brake and then went back to the piano.

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Small groups would often stop and listen to the music and then move on. A few shoppers got somewhat “stuck” in the music and stayed around longer to listen to his piano playing. 

It was somewhat mindless work for him. After all, who would really care what he played or know anything about Vivaldi. No one knew anything about Vivaldi these days. It was a dis-appearing island of people it seemed to him. 

Yet in many ways, the time in the mall allowed him to drift into ideas, riffs somewhat off Vivaldi. He knew a huge repertoire of jazz and went through this for many hours. But on his last night, right around 9:00 pm, an hour before he was finished with the contract for the mall, filling in for his friend, it was then the little girl showed up.

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The internet hits on the particular video of him and the little girl at the mall have been over one hundred million and are one of the fastest rising videos on the Internet.

While there are a few ways of viewing this video, one needs to note that this was not exactly a spontaneous little video. The video uses multiple camera angles and is much too well orchestrated for it to be all spontaneous.

This new genre I’ve labeled as Ambush Art. Or, the presentation of great, art in unexpected places. In fact, places like malls that where one least expects art to happen.

Besides the magnificence of this performance (made cheap by all then signs on the video), it seems such an uplifting performance of two generations working together to create music. Such a good thing. And the music coming from the new generation. Amazing art coming from ten year olds today like the little girl in the video. The kind of thing you see on the talent shows that blows everyone out.

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So this art form I describe as Ambush Art – or presenting art in unusual places – is demonstrated above. But of course it’s also demonstrated in so many other artistic venues across the nation and world where artists attempt to get their art, their message, their vision, out to the world. Certainly a world – it seems – that needs a new art, message and vision of the world.

From someone who’s studied and wrote about symbolism for many years, it is interesting to consider performances like the above as a generic symbol of the times. In effect, attracting many ideas to it.

Yet the idea I would most attract to this in my mind would be the idea of a young unexpected genius, princess, enters the male kingdom and dominates over it. Her performance is astonishing. Who is she really? The number one young violinist from China?

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What is the next step in this story or video? Readers want to know. Yet they are given no clues. Or suggestions.

Perhaps the major question many minds might ask is whether this is a political statement. This short mall film. Today, you’ve gotta question all this stuff. Who knows. It has received upwards of a hundred million views on YouTube so for now. These figures speak for themselves.