Batiashvili, born in the country of Georgia, e-mailed from her laptop as she waited to board a plane from her home in Munich, Germany, to Cincinnati this week.

At what age did you begin violin?

I began at age 2, but only with one string on a tiny little violin. When I was 4, I started playing seriously and my dad was my first teacher. He is a violinist himself and has his own string quartet. That is what attached me to the violin.

Do you perform very often in the United States?

I have already performed with several U.S. orchestras like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago, Cleveland, Baltimore and Philadelphia orchestras. My next engagements are concerts with the New York Philharmonic, Washington's National Symphony, Boston Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony.

I have played with Paavo already at the Hollywood Bowl and with the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra.

How do you stay in touch with friends and family when you travel?

Basically with the laptop. This is my only trip without my baby, who is 2 1/2 months old.

Is there something you can't live without, that you always have with you on the road?

Preferably my husband and my little daughter ...

What is your pre-concert regimen?

I put on some makeup and relax, take a deep breath and tell myself to have fun.

What has been the most thrilling moment so far in your career?

The concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra last week!!

How did you happen to receive the 1709 Engelman Stradivarius that you play?

Through the Nippon Music Foundation, which owns around 15 Stradivarius violins.

What would you like the audience to know about the Bartok Violin Concerto (which you'll play with the Cincinnati Symphony)?

That Bartok dedicated this piece to a young violinist named Steffi Greyer, with whom he was terribly and unhappily in love. He explains his love toward her in the first movement. I think this is one of the most beautiful melodies of the 20th century.

E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com