As Patricia Kopatchinskaja returns to Australia for the first time in a decade to tour with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the mercurial, Moldovan-born violinist tells Clive Paget why art needs “all your strangeness and differences” and why she likes asking uncomfortable questions.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja poses with her violin.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Photo © Maxim Schulz

Patricia Kopatchinskaja is such an original and multifaceted musician it’s difficult to know where to begin. Over the years, I’ve gasped at her daring, visceral performances, mulled over the messages contained in her cannily devised programs, and more than once had the pleasure of an endlessly intriguing interview. The overused epithet ‘force of nature’ is one way to encapsulate her energy, but perhaps the simplest advice for anyone anticipating an encounter with PatKop,...