From gifted to masterly
The violin virtuoso Benjamin Schmid
A native of Salzburg, Benjamin Schmid is one of the most engaging characters to appear on the musical scene in Austria or elsewhere. Familiarly referred to as “Beni” in his early years when he first made his mark as a musical prodigy, today he is the adult Benjamin Schmid, preeminent musician, professional caterer to the tastes of sophisticated music-lovers, respected and admired all around the world. To an even greater extent than Thomas Zehetmair and David Frühwirth, colleagues of his from the “Salzburg School”, Schmid has “outed” himself multimedially, so to say, in his musical repertoire.
Again and again he is drawn towards jazz, allured by its improvisational liberty while aware, at the same time, that it has also got its own rules, its own musical legitimation. Exercising himself between this form of self-liberation, on the one hand, and a traditional repertoire ranging from Bach to the hazardous rapids of contemporary music, on the other hand, Benjamin Schmid lives and experiences – if I see it properly – the here-and-now as an echo of the constant, and yesterday’s excellence as a premonition of the timeless. In the past few years, Benjamin Schmid has completed a series of fascinating, high-quality CD recordings that make the highest claims to artistic excellence. They include Paganini’s Caprices in Robert Schumann’s version for piano and violin, all of Johann Sebastian Bach’s violin concertos, violin sonatas, solo sonatas and partitas, virtuoso pieces such as Bazzini’s Ronde des lutins and Brahms’ Violin Concerto Op. 77. These recordings have ensured Schmid a secure and respected position in the fiercely competitive world of violin music.
Peter Cossé
THE VIENNA PHILHARMONIC
24 July, 11 a.m.
25 July, 9 p.m.
Grosses Festspielhaus
Conductor Seiji Ozawa • Violin Benjamin
Schmid
Charles Ives Central Park in the Dark
Erich Wolfgang Korngold Violin concerto in D major, op.
35
Antonín Dvorák Symphony No. 9 From the
New World
Telephone +43 (0) 662 8045-500
Telefax +43 (0) 662 8045-555
info@salzburgfestival.at