Romance

Anne-Sophie Mutter embarked on her career as a soloist in 1977 at the Salzburg Whitsun Concerts under Herbert von Karajan's direction. Since this time she has been in equal demand as a soloist and chamber musician and has given concerts in all the major music centres of Europe, the USA and Asia.

In 2000, the violinist undertook what is perhaps the most significant project of her performing career to date - a retrospective of 20th-century violin repertoire entitled "Back to the Future". The festival opened in New York with two recitals together with pianist Lambert Orkis and three orchestral concerts with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic. This project was repeated in London, Stuttgart and Frankfurt in May, with Kurt Masur conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.

In 2001 a highlight of particular note was her performances together with the Vienna Philharmonic in Vienna in April and in Baden-Baden, Ingolstadt and Wiesbaden in May, during which she performed all of Mozart's Violin Concertos on two evenings and assumed the overall musical direction.

This is followed by an extensive residency in connection with the International Music Festival in Lucerne 2001. Here she gives a recital concert with Lambert Orkis, focussing on the first performance of Sir André Previn's Tango Song and Dance, and, for the first time in many years, participates in a piano trio, in this case with the celebrated cellist Lynn Harrell. Next on the agenda is a performance of Berg's Violin Concerto with the Oslo Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons and two evening concerts with the Salzburg Camerata Academica where she acts as both soloist and conductor.

On 16 September 2001, Anne-Sophie Mutter will open the season in London with a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto together with the London Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Kurt Masur. Shortly afterwards, she will participate in the opening concerts of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center under the same conductor. These concerts will be recorded live for release on CD. Further performances of Beethoven's Violin Concerto are scheduled in Pittsburgh with Mariss Jansons and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

In November, as Artist in Residence at the New York Carnegie Hall, Anne-Sophie Mutter will perform Mozart's Violin Concertos with the Salzburg Camerata Academica, followed by a tour including Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Trondheim Soloists in a number of American cities.

The year will close with the performance on three evenings of Mozart's Complete Violin Concertos in London with the London Symphony Orchestra directed by Sir Colin Davis.

Anne-Sophie Mutter made her first recording for Deutsche Grammophon at the age of fourteen. She has received inumerable prizes for her recordings, including the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis, the Record Academy Prize, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Internationaler Schallplattenpreis and the Edison Award. Her recording of Penderecki's Second Violin Concerto, which was dedicated to her, together with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the composer was honoured with two Grammy awards in 1999 as "Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra" and "Best Classical Contemporary Composition". Her live recording of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas, made during her world tour in 1998, was awarded a Grammy in 2000. A recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons appeared in 1999. This was followed by her recording entitled "Recital 2000" (CD Compact Award 2000) - a live recording of her "Back to the Future" project - released in 2000. After her Beethoven Violin Concerto recording with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic in 2001, future recording projects include a recital programme with Previn's Tango, Song and Dance, Violin Concertos by Korngold and Previn as well as Mozart Concertos with violist Yuri Bashmet and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Anne-Sophie Mutter takes a keen interest in contemporary violin literature, and Witold Lutos3awski, Norbert Moret, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wolfgang Rihm and Sebastian Currier have all dedicated works to her. The Sonata for Violin and Piano, which the artist commissioned from Krzysztof Penderecki, was given its first performance in London in April 2000. Further first performances are under preparation, including (in 2002) a first performance of Sir André Previn's Violin Concerto, which was commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and a violin concerto by Henri Dutilleux in London. Other works by Pierre Boulez, Sebastian Currier and Sofia Gubaidulina are in preparation.

In 1987 Anne-Sophie Mutter founded the Rudolf Eberle Trust, which supports young string players throughout Europe. This foundation has been recently joined by the Friends of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Trust based in Munich, which operates in a similar fashion on an international level.

The violinist has also committed herself to alleviating the medical and social problems of our times and gives regular benefit concerts to this end. In February 2001 she gave a concert in the church in Aurach to support the restoration of the church there. In October she will give a benefit concert at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden in aid of a psychiatric institution for children in Saratov on the Volga, and in 2002 a concert in aid of the Johanniter Day Clinic for Child and Youth Psychiatry in Neuwied.

Anne-Sophie Mutter has been honoured with the German Order of Merit (First Class), the Bavarian Order of Merit, and the Baden-Württemberg Medal of Merit. She has also been awarded the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art.