Viktoria Mullova

Viktoria Mullova is a graduate of the Central Music School of Moscow and the Moscow Conservatoire, where she studied with Leonid Kogan. The violinist's exceptional talent captured international attention when she won the first prize at the 1980 Sibelius Competition in Helsinki and the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1982, followed in 1983 by her dramatic defection, which stirred much publicized sensation in the West. Nowadays, Viktoria Mullova is known worldwide, appeared with most of the world’s major orchestras and conductors and at the most prestigious prominent international festivals. A performer of the highest standing, she is famous for her exceptional versatility and musical integrity. Her curiosity regarding musical development has enabled her to build an extensive repertoire spanning from baroque and classical music right up to the most contemporary influences from the realm of fusion and experimental music. Viktoria Mullova's interest in the authentic approach to performance has led her to collaborate with period instrument ensembles, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Il Giardino Armonico, Venice Baroque and Orchestre Révolutionaire et Romantique. Viktoria has a pronounced affinity for Bach devoting to his music a huge part of her recording catalogue. Her interpretations of Bach have been acclaimed worldwide and led Tim Ashley to write in the Guardian: "To hear Mullova play Bach is, simply, one of the greatest things you can experience…" Her recent disc with Bach Concerti with the Accademia Bizantina and Ottavio Dantone received high praises and her recordings of Bach’s solo sonatas and partitas represent a significant milestone in Viktoria’s personal journey into this music. The recording received five-star reviews and Mullova has embarked on an international several season-long, series of solo Bach recitals. Victoria Mullova has also some impressive ventures in the field of contemporary music. They started in 2000 with her album Through the Looking Glass where she performs jazz pop and world music arranged for her by Matthew Barley. The performer extended her creative quest to her second album as well, The Peasant Girl, which she has introduced on a world tour along with the Matthew Barley ensemble. The project reveals a different side to Viktoria's personality as she looks to her peasant roots in the Ukraine and explores the influence of gypsy music on the twentieth-century classical and jazz genres. Her most recent project, Stradivarius in Rio is inspired by her love for Brazilian songs by composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Caetano Veloso and Claudio Nucci. A disc of the same title is being currently promoted on an ongoing series of concerts throughout Europe. Besides projects of her own, she has also commissioned works from young composers such as Fraser Trainer, Thomas Larcher and Dai Fujikura. This rich musical diversity has been celebrated in several high-profile residences, including London’s Southbank, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, the Auditorium du Louvre in Paris, Musikfest Bremen, Barcelona Symphony Orchestra and Helsinki Music Festival. This season, Viktoria performs Classical and Romantic repertoire with some of the major orchestras and conductors. Highlights include performances with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Auckland Philharmonic; Orchestra National de France and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, as well as a tour with the Academy of Ancient Music playing Bach and Haydn concertos. Her chamber music projects include: Music We Love; a duo with Misha Mullov-Abbado, double bass, featuring his original compositions, arrangements of Brazilian and Hebrew songs and works by Schumann and Bach; and duo with Alasdair Beatson – a recital of Beethoven works for violin (period gut strings) and fortepiano. Mullova’s extensive discography for Philips Classics and Onyx Classics has attracted many prestigious awards. Her recording of the Vivaldi Concertos with Il Giardino Armonico, directed by Giovanni Antonini, won the Diapason D’Or of the Year award for 2005, and her recording featuring Beethoven’s Op.12, No.3 and Kreutzer Sonatas with Kristian Bezuidenhout won immense critical acclaim. Other discs have included the Schubert Octet with the Mullova Ensemble, Recital with Katia Labèque, Bach Sonatas with Ottavio Dantone and Six Solo Sonatas and Partitas by JS Bach. September 2018 saw the release of her new disc recorded for Onyx, containing the complete works for violin & orchestra by Arvo Pärt with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Järvi for the Onyx label. Viktoria uses two instruments: the ‘Jules Falk’ 1723 Stradivarius and a Guadagnini violin.