Anne-Sophie Mutter

Anne-Sophie Mutter is a German violinist who received patronage early in her career from the renowned Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan. Karajan is reputed to have sold more than 200 million records and was therefore well placed to provide Mutter with some practical help. He facilitated her invitation to play with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1976 at the age of 13 and her career as a classical performer very quickly began to gather momentum.

Although Mutter is an internationally renowned violinist and by definition covers classical pieces within her repertoire, she is best known in musical circles for her interpretations of the work of contemporary composers and her reputation is such that modern composers Henri Dutilleux, Krzysztof Penderecki and Wolfgang Rihm have all written or dedicated work to her.

In 2006 she announced that she would be retiring in 2008 at the age of 45. However, in 2016 she received the Yehudi Menuhin Prize from the Foundation Albeniz and three years later she returned to play violin in a collaboration with film composer John Williams on the album 'Across the Stars'. Tracks include 'Hedwig's Theme' from 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' (2001) and 'Yoda's Theme' from 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980).