Mutter started playing the piano at age five. Shortly after, she began playing the violin, studying with Erna Honigberger and Aida Stucki.
After winning several prizes, she was exempted from school to dedicate herself to her art. When she was 13, conductor Herbert von Karajan invited her to play with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 1977, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival and with the English Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim.
At 15, Mutter made her first recording of the Mozart Third and Fifth Violin Concertos with von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. The same year, she was named Artist of the Year.
In 1980, she made her American debut with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. In 1985, at the age of 22, she was made an honorary fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (London) and head of its faculty of international violin studies. In 1988, she made a grand tour of Canada and the United States, playing for the first time at Carnegie Hall. In 1998 she played and recorded for CD and DVD the complete set of Beethoven's Violin Sonatas, accompanied by Lambert Orkis; these were broadcast on television in many countries.
Though her repertoire includes many classical works, Mutter is particularly known for her performances of modern music. A number of pieces have been especially written for or dedicated to her, including Henri Dutilleux's Sur le Même Accord, Witold Lutosławski's Partita, Krzysztof Penderecki's Second Violin Concerto and Wolfgang Rihm's Gesungene Zeit ("Time Chant"). She has received various prizes, including several Grammys. She also owns two Stradivarius violins (The Emiliani of 1703, and the Lord Dunn-Raven of 1710).
In October 2006, on French television, Mutter appeared to indicate that she would be retiring when she turned 45, in 2008. However the following month she said that her words were "misinterpreted" and that she would continue to play as long as she felt she could "bring anything new, anything important, anything different to music”.
In 1989, Mutter married her first husband, Detlef Wunderlich, with whom she had two children, Arabella and Richard. Detlef died in 1995. She married the pianist and conductor André Previn in 2002, living in Munich with him and her children.
On 21 August 2006, Mutter's office announced that she and André Previn had divorced. The couple were rumoured to have separated three months previously, but confirmed their divorce as of the above date.
Awards and recognitions :
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:
• Anne-Sophie Mutter & Lambert Orkis for Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas (Nos. 1-3, Op. 12; Nos. 1-3, Op. 30; "Spring" Sonata) (2000)
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra):
• Anne-Sophie Mutter & André Previn (conductor) for Previn: Violin Concerto "Anne-Sophie"/Bernstein: Serenade (2005)
• Anne-Sophie Mutter, Krzysztof Penderecki (conductor) & the London Symphony Orchestra for Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 2, Metamorphosen (1999)
• Anne-Sophie Mutter, James Levine (conductor) & the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Berg: Violin Concerto/Rihm: Time Chant (1994)
Partial discography
On Deutsche Grammophon:
• Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 (1978)
• Beethoven Triple Concerto (1980)
• Brahms Violin Concerto (1982)
• Brahms Double Concerto (1983)
• Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (1988)
• Lutosławski Partita & Chain 2/Stravinsky Violin Concerto (1988)
• Beethoven: The String Trios (1989)
• Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2/Moret En Rêve (1991)
• Berg Violin Concerto/Rihm Time Chant (1992)
• Carmen-Fantasie (1993)
• Romance (1995)
• Sibelius Violin Concerto (1995)
• The Berlin Recital (1996)
• Brahms Violin Concerto/Schumann Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra (1997)
• Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2/Bartok Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 (1997)
• Beethoven The Violin Sonatas (1998)
• Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1999)
• Recital 2000 (2000)
• Lutosławski Partita for Violin and Orchestra/Chain 2 (2002)
• Beethoven Violin Concerto (2002)
• Tango Song and Dance (2003)
• Previn Violin Concerto/Bernstein Serenade (2003)
• Tchaikovsky & Korngold Violin Concertos (2004)
• Dutilleux Sur le même accord/Bartok Violin Concerto No. 2/Stravinsky Concerto en ré (2005)
• Mozart The Violin Concertos (2005)
• Mozart Piano Trios K502, K542, K548 (2006)
• Mozart The Violin Sonatas (August, 2006)
On EMI Classics:
• Mozart Violin Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 (1982)
• Bach Violin Concertos/Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra (1983)
• Brahms Violin Sonatas (1983)
• Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1984)
• Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole/Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen (1985)
• Mozart Violin Concerto No. 1, Sinfonia Concertante (1991)
On Erato:
• Glazunov Violin Concerto/Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 (1989)
Nice to Be Around
Anne-Sophie Mutter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nervous smile when the cheque arrives,
Shuffles through his pockets, swears it's on him next time
Can't find the clit, for the orgasm
Can't find a job, lost without one
Chew real loud on soft meals
Like oat meal, sounds surreal
My choices need re-evaluating
I really thought he was worth it
If my worth
Is a reflection of the things I put me through
To hell with nice, it's not worth the pursuit
Nice didn't take me where I wanted to be
Nice didn't show me what I wanted to see
Nice didn't place me where I had to land
Nice stabbed my back after he shook my hand
So why, why should I be nice
When being nice is just a waste of time
Why should I be nice
At work
Director is king, that's right Director is king
If Anne's on stage, she's the director
What that means is Anne is KING
Step onsite
It means this world is my stage
Step aside
Let me do what I do
Workin' with nice never gets you results
Work too nice they take advantage of you
I've learnt, this lesson all too hard
Turn the other cheek
Don't let down my guard
Nice didn't take me where I wanted to be
Nice didn't show me what I wanted to see
Nice didn't place me where I had to land
Nice stabbed my back after he shook my hand
So why, why should I be nice
When being nice is just a waste of time
Why should I be nice
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey
Hey hey hey hey hey
Nice never paid my bills or took me on vacation
Nervous smile when the cheque arrives,
Shuffles through his pockets, swears it'll be on him next time
Can't find the clit, for the orgasm
Can't find a job, lost without one
Chew real loud on soft meals
Like oat meal, sounds surreal
It took hustle and tears
Hyperventilating at the after parties
When the scales fell off my eyes
They opened to the fact that nice lies
And selfish sits beside it
People hide behind it
And it don't award no prizes
Nice didn't take me where I wanted to be
Nice didn't show me what I wanted to see
Nice didn't place me where I had to land
Nice stabbed my back after he shook my hand
So why, why should I be nice
When being nice is just a waste of time
Why should I be nice
The song "Nice to Be Around" by John Williams expresses a disillusionment with the idea of being nice. The lyrics describe how being nice has not brought the benefits that were expected, such as paid bills or fulfilling relationships. The singer reflects on how being too nice can lead to being taken advantage of, and ultimately decides that it's not worth pursuing. The song contrasts the idea of being nice with the pursuit of success and being true to oneself.
The lyrics also touch on the idea of power dynamics, particularly in the workplace. The director is seen as king, and the singer recognizes that being too nice can lead to being taken advantage of. However, the singer ultimately embraces their own power and declares that the world is their stage.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the tension between being nice and being successful, and the idea that being true to oneself and pursuing what one wants may be more important than being nice.
Line by Line Meaning
Nice never paid my bills or took me on vacation
Being nice doesn't help me pay my bills or go on vacation
Nervous smile when the cheque arrives, Shuffles through his pockets, swears it's on him next time
Nice people sometimes act awkwardly when it comes to paying for things and make empty promises to pay next time
Can't find the clit, for the orgasm
Nice people may not know how to please their partner in bed
Can't find a job, lost without one
Nice people may struggle with finding and keeping a job
Chew real loud on soft meals Like oat meal, sounds surreal
Nice people may have annoying habits like loud chewing
Nice didn't take me where I wanted to be
Being nice didn't help me reach my goals
Nice didn't show me what I wanted to see
Being nice didn't give me the experiences I wanted
Nice didn't place me where I had to land
Being nice didn't get me where I needed to be
Nice stabbed my back after he shook my hand
Nice people may betray you even after they seem friendly
So why, why should I be nice When being nice is just a waste of time Why should I be nice
There are times when being nice is not worth it, and it may not bring any benefits
Director is king, that's right Director is king
In the workplace, the person who directs others has the most power
What that means is Anne is KING
As a performer, Anne is in charge of her own performance
Step onsite It means this world is my stage
Stepping onto a stage means being in control of the situation
Turn the other cheek Don't let down my guard
It's important to be kind, but also to protect oneself from harm
It took hustle and tears Hyperventilating at the after parties
Success in the industry takes a lot of hard work and dedication
When the scales fell off my eyes They opened to the fact that nice lies
After experiencing betrayal from nice people, the truth about their motives became clear
And selfish sits beside it People hide behind it And it don't award no prizes
Nice behavior can sometimes be a cover for selfishness, and it doesn't always result in rewards
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Anne Musisi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@deutschegrammophon
What's your favourite piece written by composer John Williams?
@detectivehome3318
Star wars
@angelajowichewich8062
Devil's dance
@curtisdaniel9294
Jurassic Park, in the scene where the paleontologist s first see the live dinos...
@redjohn8870
Jaws.
@lukeskywalker6809
'The Hologram/Binary Sunset' from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.
@lukeskywalker6809
So great to see Anne-Sophie Mutter again on the stage. She looks and sounds nicer than ever.
@jbbevan
I've followed Anne-Sophie since she was a teenager and she never disappoints. AND I believe her regard for John Williams is very real. I believe she has commissioned a concerto by him and we can only hope that it materializes.
@lukeskywalker6809
Indeed, and Maestro Williams has since written the violin concerto for Ms. Mutter. Here’s hoping it will have a premiere in 2021 and will be released by Deutsche Grammophon.
@sickheadache9903
There is something else..Anne Sophie was married to Andre Previn..One of John Williams closest friends for many years.