issue one - Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER YURI BASHMET LYNN HARRELL
Anne-Sophie Mutter violin
For three decades Anne-Sophie Mutter
has been one of the most acclaimed violin
virtuosos of our time. Born in Rheinfelden in
the state of Baden, the violinist launched her
international career at the Lucerne Festival in
1976. A year later she performed as a soloist
at the Salzburg Whitsun Concerts under the
direction of Herbert von Karajan. Since then
Anne-Sophie Mutter has performed concerts
in every major music center of Europe, North
and South America and Asia. In addition
to performing major traditional works she
continually treats her audiences to new
and innovative repertoire, both in chamber
music and orchestral works. She also uses
her popularity and renown for the benefit of
numerous charity projects and supports the
development of young, exceptionally talented
musicians.
The honors afforded Anne-Sophie Mutter for
her many recordings include the German
Record Prize, the Record Academy Prize, the
Grand Prix du Disque, the International Record
Prize and several Grammies.
In 2008 Ms. Mutter established the “Anne-
Sophie Mutter Foundation,” with the objective
to further increase worldwide support for
promising young musicians – a task that
the violinist took on when she founded the
“The Anne-Sophie Mutter Circle of Friends
Foundation” in 1997.
Yuri Bashmet viola
Through his virtuosity, strength of personality
and high intelligence, Yuri Bashmet has given
the viola a new prominence in musical life.
The pre-eminent viola player of the modern
age, he has motivated the leading composers
of our time to expand the repertoire with
significant new music. He is Artistic Director
of the December Evenings festival in Moscow,
Principal Conductor of the Symphony
Orchestra of New Russia, and is the founder /
director of Moscow Soloists. He also appears
throughout the world in the dual role of
conductor / soloist.
Born in 1953 in Rostov-on-Don in Russia, he
spent his childhood in Lvov in Ukraine before
studying at the Moscow Conservatoire with
Vadim Borisovsky (of the Beethoven Quartet)
and Feodor Druzhinin. His international
career was launched in 1976 when he
won the International Viola Competition in
Munich. Since then he has appeared with
all the world’s great orchestras, including
the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston, Chicago
and Montreal Symphony Orchestras, New
York Philharmonic, London Philharmonic
and the London Symphony Orchestra, which
presented its own Yuri Bashmet Festival.
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