Magic Moments of Music: Anne-Sophie Mutter and Herbert von Karajan, the Beethoven Summit

Few twentieth-century classical collaborations were as celebrated, or as fruitful, as that between Maestro Herbert von Karajan and virtuoso violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. Though it seems undeniable that Mutter, with her preternatural talent, was destined for greatness, she credits Karajan for being the one to recognize her gift and help her realize her potential as one of the greatest violinists alive. When Mutter was just 13, she played Mozart alongside Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker at the 1976 Lucerne Festival—the first of many times they would create something unforgettable together.

In 1984, the 20-year-old Mutter was already a veteran of the stage when Karajan invited her to record Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, a piece that had initially intimidated her as a teenager but with which she had since become intimately familiar. Possibly “the most significant document of their collaboration,” this astonishing recording—financed by Karajan himself—remained unknown until after the maestro’s death. Mutter walks us through the experience in this riveting documentary, alongside testimonials from contemporaries and colleagues who understand the lightning-in-a-bottle magic of the rapport between the world’s most famous conductor and a once-in-a-generation talent.

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