Maxim Vengerov

Born in the Soviet Union, violinist Maxim Vengerov ranks among the leading present-day heirs to Russia’s storied musical lineage, combining an impeccable technical mastery forged in childhood with an unusually wide spectrum of artistic curiosity. He has grown steadily more prominent in the role of conductor.

He entered the world on August 20, 1974, in Novosibirsk, Siberia, where his father held the post of oboist in the local symphony. His mother directed an orphanage and led its choir. Vengerov started the violin at four and, acting on his own initiative, would spend hours practicing after supper. Lessons with a demanding local instructor produced friction; he stopped playing until his mother’s tears moved him to perform seventeen pieces from memory in a single, unbroken sequence. At seven the Soviet authorities transferred him to Moscow for specialized training. There Zakhar Bron became his teacher and prepared him for victory at the 1984 Junior Wieniawski Competition in Poland. Vengerov accompanied Bron first to London and later to Lübeck, Germany. While still a teenager he appeared as soloist with major European orchestras, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and made his United States debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1991.

His recording activity began in the late 1980s; a contract with Teldec followed in 1992. The 1994 release of the Shostakovich and Prokofiev violin concertos, with Mstislav Rostropovich leading the London Symphony Orchestra, proved decisive, earning two Gramophone awards in Britain and two Grammy nominations in the United States. In 1997 UNICEF appointed him Envoy for Music—the first classical musician to receive that designation. He joined the EMI roster in 2000 and, for either Teldec or EMI, committed nearly the entire standard violin-concerto repertoire to disc. Unlike many colleagues from the former Eastern Bloc, Vengerov maintains broad tastes that embrace Baroque music, jazz, and rock.

A shoulder injury from a 2005 weightlifting accident curtailed his violin performances and recordings, yet he turned the hiatus to advantage by refining his conducting skills. In 2010 he was named chief conductor of the Menuhin Festival Gstaad Orchestra and completed several courses in orchestral and operatic conducting. He has also taught violin at the Menuhin Institute in Switzerland and at the Royal College of Music in London. Returning to the violin, he issued a 2019 album of works by Kreisler and Chinese composer Chen Qigang with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

An Israeli citizen, Vengerov makes his home with his family in Monaco. He performs on the “ex-Kreutzer” Stradivarius violin using a bow once owned by Jascha Heifetz.