Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Smooth Classics at Seven with Zeb Soanes 7pm - 10pm

    Smooth Classics at Seven with Zeb Soanes

    Now Playing

    Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis Ralph Vaughan Williams

    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Lifestyle
    • Win
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on Twitter
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Artists

    Maxim Vengerov

    • Maxim Vengerov Home
    • Music
    • More Artists

    Maxim Vengerov at 40: Ten facts about the great violinist

    Facebook share Twitter share

    Siberian-born Maxim Vengerov is one of the greatest violinists in the world today, acclaimed for his concerts, award-winning recordings and humanitarian work. As he turns 40, here are 10 facts about this brilliant musician.

    1. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      1. Hearing music from the womb

      Maxim Vengerov was born into a musical family on 20 August 1974 in Novosibirsk, Siberia. His mother sang and conducted, and his father played oboe in an orchestra. Maxim heard music even before he was born. "When I was still in Mom’s womb," he has said, "I heard David Oistrakh give one of his very last concerts in Russia, playing the Tchaikovsky concerto."

    2. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      2. Strength in his hands

      When, aged five, young Maxim was first taken to meet a famous violin teacher, she asked him, "Do you have strength in these hands?" The boy punched her in the stomach as hard as he could. "Fortunately, she was in a good mood that day, and she accepted me as a student," he said later. At the age of 10, he went abroad touring for the first time.

    3. Maxim Vengerov Mtsislav Rostropovich

      3. Mentored by Rostropovich

      The violinist enjoyed a unique friendship with the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. "He’s like a grandfather to me," Vengerov once said in an interview. "He has broadened my views of music and introduced me to composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev as if they were still alive and I was actually meeting them."

    4. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      4. Rise to fame

      In 1990, he won the International Carl Flesch Competition in London. His public appearances – both as a soloist and with orchestras – at major European music events sparked the interest of major record labels and music magazines. Contact with Rostropovich and Daniel Barenboim, as well as performances with the world's most famous orchestras, added to his artistic progress.

    5. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      5. UNICEF Envoy for Music

      In 1997, Maxim Vengerov became UNICEF's Envoy for Music and has met and performed for children in such places, as Uganda and Kosovo. Here he is pictured in Thailand. Photo: UNICEF/Paula Bronstein

    6. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      6. Multi-talented...and now a conductor too

      Maxim Vengerov has been inspired to try out many different styles of music, including baroque, jazz and rock. In 2007 he turned his attention to conducting, becoming the first chief conductor of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra in 2010.

    7. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      7. Devotion to good causes

      A mysterious arm injury kept Vengerov away from playing for four years. He devoted the time to studying conducting, his work for UNICEF and raising his family. In 2007 he received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which honours those who have used their art to reach out to other cultures. Photo: PA

    8. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      8. Music as a retreat

      Vengerov sees music as a retreat from the pace of modern life. “It has the power of healing," he said, "because we learn something not only about music but about ourselves...We need to return to the roots, and we shouldn’t cut ourselves off from the source.”

    9. Maxim Vengerov violinist

      9. Vengerov's own label

      Vengerov is planning to launch his own label, Vengerov Music Vision. He hopes to release four or five recordings each year exclusively online. He is seen here receiving the Critics Award at the 2004 Classical BRIT Awards 2004 at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: PA

    10. Maxim Vengerov

      10. Return to the world stage

      Since he returned to the violin in 2011, Vengerov has performed as soloist with many major orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, often performing a major concerto in the first half and conducting a symphonic work in the second, including Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade in which he also performs the violin solos. Picture: Getty

    Facebook share Twitter share

    Maxim Vengerov latest features

    See more Maxim Vengerov latest features

    The 25 greatest violinists of all time

    The 25 greatest violinists of all time

    Discover Music

    Maxim Vengerov reveals his five favourite violin works

    Virtuoso Maxim Vengerov expertly reveals the five greatest violin pieces ever written

    Virtuoso Maxim Vengerov reveals the five hardest violin pieces ever written

    Virtuoso Maxim Vengerov reveals, and plays, the five hardest violin pieces ever written

    Discover Music

    The Impossible Orchestra – Alondra de la Parra at the piano with her musical friends

    Conductor Alondra de la Parra and the world's classical stars unite to give a voice to vulnerable women and children

    Maxim Vengerov violin videos for Classic FM

    Maxim Vengerov presents exclusive violin masterclass videos for Classic FM

    Watch Maxim Vengerov’s exclusive at-home concert for Classic FM

    Watch Maxim Vengerov’s exclusive at-home concert for Classic FM

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life

    10 pieces of classical music that will 100% change your life

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Women composers gallery

    21 of the greatest women composers in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best pianists of all time

    The 25 best pianists of all time

    Discover Music

    Some of history's greatest composers were part of the LGBTQ+ community.

    15 LGBTQ+ composers in classical music history that you probably already know

    Discover Music

    Latest on Classic FM

    Anna Lapwood performs the Star Wars finale with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall

    Organist Anna Lapwood plays epic ‘Star Wars’ in fireworks-filled finale at Royal Albert Hall

    A new collaboration?

    Lizzo is eyeing up pop star Adele for a duet – on the flute

    Discover Music

    New TV piano talent show judged by Lang Lang to be hosted by Claudia Winkleman

    Lang Lang to judge train station piano talent show, finding the nation’s top amateur pianists

    Lang Lang

    Beyoncé and conductor Sir Georg Solti

    Beyoncé eclipses legendary conductor Sir Georg Solti’s Grammys record – with 32 award wins

    Sir Georg Solti

    This week’s on-air highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery.

    This week’s Classic FM radio highlights – including Album of the Week and Drive Discovery

    Ledoux on stage at the Volksoper in Orpheus in the Underworld

    Mezzo stands in last-minute for tenor lead, doubling as Venus and Orpheus in Offenbach opera

    Four musicians on a street piano

    Four virtuoso pianists astonish passersby with epic boogie-woogie improvisation

    Videos

    Kateryna is now studying at Clifton College during the week, and the Royal Academy of Music’s Junior programme on Saturdays.

    12-year-old Ukrainian refugee lands a place studying piano at the Junior Royal Academy of Music

    Zeb Soanes, Moira Stuart, Alexander Armstrong

    Audience growth for Classic FM as it welcomes 5 million weekly listeners

    Ludovico Einaudi surprises young fan at airport piano

    Ludovico Einaudi surprises young fan in spontaneous airport piano duet

    Einaudi

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Google Doodle
    • Quizzes
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • LBC News
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Saturday Night at the Movies
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on Twitter
    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2023
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager