Mutter, Anne-Sophie (1963-…), is an internationally acclaimed German violinist. Mutter first gained attention as a violin soloist in her early teens. She has won particular praise for her skillful playing of works by modern composers. For example, Mutter has given world premiere performances of violin works by the Polish composers Witold Lutoslawski and Krzysztof Penderecki and the German composer Wolfgang Rihm. Mutter has also frequently performed in chamber music recitals. She performed in many of these recitals with the German-born American conductor and pianist André Previn, to whom she was married from 2002 to 2006.
Mutter was born on June 29, 1963, in Rheinfelden, Germany. Mutter was a child prodigy, taking up the piano at the age of 5, but she soon turned to the violin. Mutter won a youth competition for violin in 1970. The famous Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan heard Mutter play when she was 13 at the International Festival of Music Lucerne (now the Lucerne Festival) in Switzerland. Karajan signed her to perform at the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, a festival of Baroque music in Austria, in 1977. She made her British debut that year and her American debut in 1980. Mutter established a foundation in 1987 to help young musicians internationally.
