Maksim Venguerov

Maksim Aleksándrovich Venguérov (in Russian: Макси́м Алекса́ндрович Венге́ров) is a Russian violinist born on August 20, 1974 in Novosibir sk.

Biography

Maksim Venguerov was born in Novosibirsk, the capital of Western Siberia, in August 1974. At the age of ten, he won First Prize at the Polish Wieniawski Junior Violin Competition, after having first studied with Galina Turschanínova and, later, with the distinguished pedagogue Zajar Bron, in the former Soviet Union.

He regularly gave concerts in Moscow and Leningrad and soon began making solo debuts with distinguished symphony orchestras such as the Royal Concergebouworkest, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, and Valery Gergiev at the Lichfield Festival in the United Kingdom, as well as with the National Symphony Orchestra. State of the USSR, under the direction of Yuri Siminiov, during an extensive tour of Italy.

Tours and Concerts

Among his first recital debuts are those offered at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

In addition to winning First Prize in the Carl Flesch Competition, in July 1990, Venguérov received the special prizes for acting and the audience prize. During the fall of 1990 he moved to Tel Aviv.

In the 1990/91 season he made his American debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as his appearance with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv and during a tour of the United States. He has collaborated with many directors, including Yuri Temirkanov, Barenboim, Abbado, Mehta, Menuhin, Giulini, Sawallisch and Mariss Jansons.

During the 1993/94 season he performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia and Washington National Symphony Orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Venguérov and his accompanist, Itamar Golan, regularly give recitals in the most prestigious musical centers in the world, including - in the 1993 / 94 season - New York, Los Angeles, Milan, Munich and Salzburg.

In the 1994/95 season he toured with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra through Italy and South America. He performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchester de la Suisse Romande, the Orchester National Bordeaux Aquitaine, the Orchester Philharmonique de Radio France, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Teatro Comunale Orchestra of Florence, under the direction of, among other conductors, Chailly, Barenboim, Maazel, Muti and Rattle. In August of the same year he returned to the London Proms to perform with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Yakov Kreizberg.

Recordings

Maksim Venguérov made several recordings for the Melodiya label, the former Soviet record label, and released his first recital album under the production of Biddulph, a small English record label. His true entry into the recording world took place at the age of 15, when he signed an exclusive contract with Teldec Classics. In May 2000 he concluded that contract and signed with EMI Classics.

He has recorded, among others, the violin concertos of Bruch and Mendelssohn with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, under the direction of Kurt Masur, the concertos of Shostakovich and Prokofiev with the London Symphony and Mstislav Rostropovich, with the who also recorded Stravinsky's and Shchedrin's concertos, Britten's, and Walton's Viola Concerto.

Others

He plays a violin made by Antonio Stradivarius the "Kreutzer" of 1727.

In 1997 Maksim Venguérov was appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, being the first classical music performer to receive such an appointment.

He is currently a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.