On 23 August, 1976, a 13-year-old violinist made her debut at the Lucerne festival – with her older brother Christoph at the piano. By the time the concert finished Anne-Sophie Mutter was the toast of the festival, invited to play for no less than Herbert von Karajan. It was the start of a career that has since yielded more than 50 albums, four Grammy awards, and works by a Who’s Who of 20th-century greats: Krzysztof Penderecki; Henri Dutilleux; Witold Lutosławski; Sofia Gubaidulina; John Williams.
So now, aged 62, Mutter is celebrating 50 years on the concert platform. And she’s doing it her way. If anyone was expecting the German star to launch her anniversary tour on Saturday night with a big concerto, they will have been disappointed. An only somewhat full Barbican Hall suggested fans may have voted with their feet. Those who risked it got Mutter in activist mode, using her platform not to revisit triumphs but to champion new music and young artists.
