Anne-Sophie Mutter

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For the mezzo-soprano, see Anne Sofie von Otter.
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Asm-2010-2.JPG
Background information
Born (1963-06-29) June 29, 1963 (age 49)
Rheinfelden, Germany
Genres Classical
Occupations Violinist
Instruments Violin
Years active 1976–present
Website www.anne-sophie-mutter.com
Notable instruments
Violin
Emiliani Stradivarius 1703
Lord Dunn-Raven Stradivarius 1710
Mutter Regazzi 2005

Anne-Sophie Mutter (born June 29, 1963) is a German violinist. Supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan, she has built a strong reputation for championing contemporary music with several works being composed specially for her including by Henri Dutilleux, Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutosławski, Wolfgang Rihm and Sofia Gubaidulina.

Contents

Early life [edit]

Mutter was born in Rheinfelden, Germany. She began playing the piano at the age of five, and shortly afterwards took up the violin, studying with Erna Honigberger, a pupil of Carl Flesch. After Honigberger's death she continued her studies with Aida Stucki at the Winterthur Conservatory.

Career [edit]

After winning several prizes, she was exempted from school to dedicate herself to her art. When she was 13, conductor Herbert von Karajan invited her to play with the Berlin Philharmonic: she made her public debut on stage in 1976 at the Lucerne Festival, playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major.[1] In 1977, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival and with the English Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. At 15, Mutter made her first recording of the Mozart Third and Fifth violin concerti with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic.

In 1980, she made her American debut with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. In 1985, at the age of 22, she was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (London) and head of its faculty of international violin studies[2] and in 1986 an honorary member.[3] In 1988, she made a grand tour of Canada and the United States, playing for the first time at Carnegie Hall. In 1998 she played and recorded for CD and DVD the complete set of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas, accompanied by Lambert Orkis; these were broadcast on television in many countries.

Repertoire [edit]

Though her repertoire includes many classical works, Mutter is particularly known for her performances of contemporary music. A number of pieces have been specially written for or dedicated to her, including Henri Dutilleux's Sur le même accord, Krzysztof Penderecki's Second Violin Concerto, Witold Lutosławski's Chain 2 and the orchestral version of Partita, and Wolfgang Rihm's Gesungene Zeit ("Time Chant"), Lichtes Spiel, and Dyade. In August 2007, she premiered Sofia Gubaidulina's Violin Concerto No. 2 "In tempus praesens." She has received various prizes, including several Grammys. She also owns two Stradivarius violins (The Emiliani of 1703, and the Lord Dunn-Raven Stradivarius of 1710) and a Regazzi, dated 2005.[4] Mutter does not use a shoulder rest when playing; her need for ideal traction with the violin has also led her to wear the same style of John Galliano sleeveless dress during her performances.[5]

In October 2006, on French television, Mutter appeared to indicate that she would be retiring when she turned 45, in 2008.[6] However the following month she said that her words were "misinterpreted" and that she would continue to play as long as she felt she could "bring anything new, anything important, anything different to music".[7]

Personal life [edit]

In 1989, Mutter married her first husband, Detlef Wunderlich, with whom she had two children, Arabella and Richard. Wunderlich died of cancer in 1995.[8] She married the pianist and conductor André Previn in 2002.[9]

On 21 August 2006, Mutter's office announced that she and Previn had divorced, although the couple were rumoured to have separated three months previously.[10] They continue to work together.

Awards and recognition [edit]

This article incorporates information from the equivalent article on the German Wikipedia.

Partial discography [edit]

On Deutsche Grammophon:

  • Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 (1978)
  • Beethoven Triple Concerto (1980)
  • Beethoven Violin Concerto (1980)
  • Mendelssohn Violin Concerto/Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 (1981)
  • Brahms Violin Concerto (1982)
  • Brahms Double Concerto (1983)
  • Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (1988)
  • Lutosławski Partita & Chain 2/Stravinsky Violin Concerto (1988)
  • Beethoven: The String Trios (1989)
  • Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2/Moret En Rêve (1991)
  • Berg Violin Concerto/Rihm Time Chant (1992)
  • Carmen-Fantasie (1993)
  • Romance (1995)
  • Sibelius Violin Concerto (1995)
  • The Berlin Recital (1996)
  • Brahms Violin Concerto/Schumann Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra (1997)
  • Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2/Bartok Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 (1997)
  • Beethoven The Violin Sonatas (1998)
  • Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1999)
  • Recital 2000 (2000)
  • Lutosławski Partita for Violin and Orchestra/Chain 2 (2002)
  • Beethoven Violin Concerto (2002)
  • Tango Song and Dance (2003)
  • Previn Violin Concerto/Bernstein Serenade (2003)
  • Tchaikovsky & Korngold Violin Concertos (2004)
  • Dutilleux Sur le même accord/Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2/Stravinsky Concerto en ré (2005)
  • Mozart The Violin Concertos (2005)
  • Mozart Piano Trios K502, K542, K548 (2006)
  • Mozart The Violin Sonatas (August 2006)
  • Simply Anne-Sophie (2006)
  • Gubaidulina in tempus praesens (2008)
  • Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (2009)
  • Brahms Violin Sonatas (2010)
  • Rihm: Lichtes Spiel; Currier: Time Machines (2011)
  • The Complete Musician: Highlights (2011)
  • Asm 35: The Complete Musician (2011)

On EMI Classics:

  • Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 (1982)
  • Bach Violin Concertos/Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra (1983)
  • Brahms Violin Sonatas (1983)
  • Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1984)
  • Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole/Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (1985)
  • Mozart Violin Concerto No. 1, Sinfonia Concertante (1991)
  • Meditation: Vivaldi, Mozart, Massenet, Sarasate (1995)

On Erato:

  • Glazunov Violin Concerto/Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 (1989)

References [edit]

  1. ^ "35 Years on Stage". Anne-Sophie Mutter - Official Website. Retrieved 20 October 2011. 
  2. ^ "Anne-Sophie Mutter". Deutsche Grammophon. Archived from the original on 8 June 2009. Retrieved 8 July 2009. 
  3. ^ "Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music (Oct.14, 2009)". Royal Academy of Music. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2009. 
  4. ^ Dynamic CDT5092
  5. ^ Anne-Sophie Mutter interview with Violinist.com
  6. ^ Perkins, David (2006-11-14). "Mutter still takes her music seriously". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-05-03. "Yes, yes, I said it. It is my plan to stop when I reach my 45th birthday." 
  7. ^ Brookes, Stephen (19 November 2006). "Violinist Mutter, Revving Her Motor". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-11-21. 
  8. ^ Kjemtrup, Inge (January 2006). "Goddess with a Gift". Strings (135). "Every tragedy, or every really wonderful moment in your life, changes you as a person, and hopefully makes you a better person, more sensible, more sensitive, more caring — more thankful for life." 
  9. ^ "Previn weds Anne-Sophie Mutter". BBC News. 4 August 2002. 
  10. ^ "Conductor André Previn to divorce". BBC News. 21 August 2006. 
  11. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (pdf) (in German). p. 1266. Retrieved 24 January 2013. 
  12. ^ "Anne-Sophie Mutter wins top award". BBC News. 15 June 2003. 
  13. ^ "Reply to a parliamentary question" (pdf) (in German). p. 1790. Retrieved 24 January 2013. 
  14. ^ "News in brief - Gemini - Research news from NTNU and SINTEF". 
  15. ^ http://www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2011/11/church-honours-holy-mutter.html
  16. ^ http://www.acus.org/event/2012-annual-awards-dinner

External links [edit]
Authority control
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