Gidon Kremer

Success at different international competitions came quickly: third prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Brussels in 1967, first prize at the Paganini Competition in Genoa in 1969 and first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1970. This success allowed Gidon Kremer to give his first concerts in the West, (Germany, Salzburg, New York) and facilitated his exile from the USSR. Gidon Kremer then made a name for himself on the international stage and stunned his public with his masterful art.

Gidon Kremer does not limit his activities to the violin. In 1981, he founded both a chamber music festival in Lockenhous, (Austria) followed by the Kremerata Baltica chamber orchestra. Gidon Kremer has expanded his repertoire and stretched his musical practices to include first performances of contemporary works thus promoting Piazolla, Glass and Schnittke. His work with musicians, whether it be the pianists, (Martha Argerich or Keith Jarrett) or the conductors, (Herbert von Karajan or Leonard Bernstein) has given rise to moments of particularly fruitful artistic collaboration.

• His page on Classical Archives.