All this week on Classic Drive, Lorcan will feature the music of Bach, Bologne, Previn, Vivaldi and John Williams from Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter's Virtuosi.
As part of a 10-concert European tour in June 2023, Anne-Sophie Mutter and her Virtuosi ensemble, comprising some of today's finest young string players, gave an acclaimed concert at the Vienna Musikverein. This took place just days before the violinist’s 60th birthday and it speaks volumes that she chose to share a stage with her young colleagues rather than marking the occasion with a gala solo performance. Based on that live concert, Mutter’s latest Deutsche Grammophon album shows the variety and versatility for which she has become renowned, its repertoire ranging from Vivaldi and Bach to Previn and John Williams, via Joseph Bologne.
Anne-Sophie Mutter's extraordinary gifts were instantly recognised by Herbert von Karajan when she auditioned for him at the age of 13. The legendary conductor became her trusted mentor in the early years of her hugely successful international career. Mutter has since gone on to adopt a significant mentoring role herself, supporting young musicians through the foundation she established in 1997. In 2011, she set up Mutter’s Virtuosi, whose continually changing membership primarily comprises current and former recipients of Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation scholarships. Under her leadership, it tours widely, premieres new works and gives benefit concerts, thus both reflecting Mutter’s own priorities and offering its players a well-rounded introduction to the life of a professional musician. "Music moves us only when it tells a story", Mutter says. "And I’m on the trail of the next generations of storytellers."
With its chamber-like qualities, the Virtuosi ensemble is particularly well suited to Baroque and Classical works, as can be heard on the new album, where the players are joined by harpsichordist Knut Johannessen. The opening work is Vivaldi's appropriately virtuosic Concerto for 3 Violins, RV 551, on which Mutter’s fellow soloists are Elias David Moncado and Mohamed Hiber. Vivaldi features among the encores, too – a dazzling performance of the Presto finale from the "Summer" Concerto. Staying with the Baroque, Mutter also programmes J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, providing individual moments for each of the nine string soloists, and his Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, whose meditative central Andante is framed by exhilarating fast movements.
Tune in at 5:20 everyday this week to hear a selection from this album on Lorcan Murray's Classic Drive.