Maxim Vengerov

Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov Russian Максим Александрович Венгеров born 20 August 1974 is a Sovietborn Israeli violinist violist and conductor Classic FM has called him one of the greatest violinists in the world Vengerov was born in Novosibirsk the only child of Aleksandr and Larisa Borisovna an oboist and orphanage childrens choir director respectively He began his musical journey early singing in his mothers choir at the age of three and starting violin lessons at five with Galina Turchaninova At age 10 Vengerov won the 1984 International Karol Lipiński and Henryk Wieniawski Young Violin Player Competition marking the start of his career He subsequently studied with Zakhar Bron following him from the Soviet Union to the Royal Academy of Music in London and then to the Musikhochschule Lübeck in Germany In 1990 Vengerov won the International Carl Flesch Competition securing a recording contract with Teldec and launching his international career Vengerov moved to Israel with his family in 1990 continuing his studies at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance In 2006 he founded the Musicians of Tomorrow school in northern Israel His career also includes contributions as a conductor and educator serving as the first chief conductor of the Menuhin Festival Gstaad Orchestra and holding professorships at institutions like the Royal College of Music in London He has received numerous awards including a Grammy and multiple Echo Music Prizes and plays on the 1727 exKreutzer Stradivarius violin Vengerov was born in Novosibirsk the only child of Aleksandr and Larisa Borisovna oboist and orphanage childrens choir director respectively and is Jewish He sang in his mothers choir from the age of three He began studying the violin at age five with Galina Turchaninova Upon meeting him she asked Do you have strength in these hands The fiveyearold punched her in the stomach as hard as he could He said years later Fortunately she was in a good mood that day and she accepted me as a student Lessons went badly at first Turchaninova was very strict At one point Vengerov stubbornly refused to play for her for five straight lessons She told his mother that she was dismissing him as a student His mother began to cry and upon seeing that Vengerov picked up his violin and played 17 assigned pieces from memory without interruption Even though he had refused to play at his lessons he had been practicing Turchaninova agreed to continue his lessons saying Very well A violinist like Maxim is born only once in a hundred years At age 10 Vengerov won the 1984 International Karol Lipiński and Henryk Wieniawski Young Violin Player Competition in Lublin Poland Also that year he recorded on the Russian label Melodiya on LP stereo At age 11 as part of the Tchaikovsky Competition opening concert he recorded again on LP but digital He then went to London where he recorded his first CD for Biddulph Records Source Article Maxim Vengerov from Wikipedia in English licensed under CCBYSA 30