Michael Barenboim
Violinist Michael Barenboim is not only dedicated to the Classical and Romantic repertoire, but is also a keen advocate of 20th and 21st-century music. He worked with Pierre Boulez for many years and has presented many of his works in concert and on CD. Michael Barenboim’s career was launched at a 2011 concert, when he took over as the soloist in Schoenberg’s Violin Concerto under Boulez’s direction.
Since then, he has made his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic under Daniel Barenboim, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Asher Fisch, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta and the Berlin Philharmonic under Vasily Petrenko. He has also given recitals at renowned venues worldwide, including the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Sydney Opera House, Wigmore Hall and the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples. Playing works by Pierre Boulez, he has made guest appearances at the Philharmonie in Berlin, Carnegie Hall, the Konzerthaus in Dortmund, Barbican Centre in London, the Paris Opéra and the Salzburg Festival.
As a member of the Boulez Ensemble, he has been involved in many world premieres, including works by Jörg Widmann and Kareem Roustom. He is professor of violin and ensemble playing at the Barenboim-Said Academy and has been its dean since 2020. The same year, Michael Barenboim founded the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, with musicians from the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. Shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic, the Ensemble was giving 13 concerts on tour in the USA. Michael Barenboim’s most recent debuts before the lockdown included Berg’s Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under Robert Trevino and an appearance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel featuring Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
His first solo album included compositions by Bach and Bartók, alongside Boulez’s Anthèmes I and Anthèmes II. A second CD featuring works by Tartini, Berio, Paganini and Sciarrino followed in early 2018. Michael Barenboim has recorded piano quartets and trios by Mozart and the entire Beethoven piano trios for Deutsche Grammophon with Kian Soltani and Daniel Barenboim.