Photo: Marco Borggreve
Viviane Hagner
Representation: General Management
Munich-born violinist Viviane Hagner has won exceptional praise for her highly intelligent musicality and passionate artistry. Typical comments from critics include ‘poise and magnificent assurance’ (The Times) and ‘a spinechilling recital, an almost hauntingly masterful display of technique and artistry’ (Washington Post), while the Berliner Morgenpost wrote: ‘Listening to Viviane Hagner play the violin is an enchanting experience… she is both a thoughtful and brilliant violinist. In her playing, she knows how to combine reflection and luminosity in the most striking way.’
Since making her international debut at the age of 12, and a year later participating in the legendary ‘joint concert’ of the Israel and Berlin Philharmonics (conducted by Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv), Viviane Hagner has acquired a depth and maturity in her playing that is reflected in her serene stage presence. She has appeared with the world’s great orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Munich Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonia, in partnership with conductors such as Abbado, Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Chailly and Eschenbach. Recent concert highlights include appearances in Vienna and Madrid with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal conducted by Kent Nagano, a tour of Japan with Semyon Bychkov and the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln and concerts with the NDR-Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, the Residentie Orkest and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. She was also Artist in Residence at the 2009 Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival.
As well as bringing insight and virtuosity to the central concerto repertoire, Viviane Hagner is an ardent advocate of new, neglected and undiscovered music. Composers whose work she champions include Sofia Gubaidulina, Karl Amadeus Hartmann and Witold Lutoslawski. In 2002 she gave the world premiere of Unsuk Chin’s Violin Concerto with the Deutsche Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin and Kent Nagano, later taking the work to the US. After the premiere of Simon Holt’s new Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Jonathan Nott in 2006, The Sunday Times critic wrote that she ‘caught the music’s soul.’
A committed chamber musician, she has performed at renowned international festivals including Salzburg Easter Festival, Schleswig-Holstein, Marlboro, Ravinia and New York’s Mostly Mozart; and has appeared at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Barcelona Palau de la Musica, Berlin Konzerthaus, Köln Philharmonie, London’s Wigmore Hall and New York’s 92nd St Y series.
This season she returns to the USA to appear with the Chicago and St Louis Symphony Orchestras and to Japan for concerts with the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Orchestras with whom she performs include the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Myung-Whun Chung, with whom she will also appear on tour in Europe. She appears in recital at London's Wigmore Hall, Paris Musée d’Orsay, Tokyo Kioi Hall and Washington John F Kennedy Center.
The Hyperion label has just recorded her performances of Vieuxtemps Violin Concerti 4 & 5 for release in Spring 2010 and the Canadian company Analekta has recently released her recording of Unsuk Chin’s Violin Concerto with Kent Nagano and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. Her first recital recording on the Altara label features solo works by Bartók, Hartmann and Bach.
Viviane Hagner plays the Sasserno Stradivarius made in 1717, generously loaned to her by the Nippon Music Foundation.
Promoters please note: if you wish to include this biography in a concert programme etc, please contact Hazard Chase to ensure that you receive the most up to date version.
Email: Kirsty Smith
