Honorary Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa.<\/h2>\n
31 Mar 2022 \u2013 It is the second honorary doctorate for Anne-Sophie Mutter: after Trondheim\u2019s Technical University awarded her an honorary degree in 2010, the Krzysztof Penderecki Music Academy in Cracow distinguished her with a Doctor honoris causa on March 30, 2022, the \u201chighest honour our university has to bestow\u201d, as the Rector of the Krzysztof Penderecki Music Academy in Cracow, Professor Dr. hab. Wojciech Widlak, pointed out in his speech. He pointed out the difficulties in doing justice to an artist of this format, widely considered a musical phenomenon of modern violin playing.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_line_height=”1.5em” header_5_font=”Open Sans|600|||||||” header_5_text_color=”#005c8c” header_5_font_size=”18px” background_color=”#FFFFFF” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”10px|20px|10px|20px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n One focus of his speech was Mutter\u2019s deep connection, built over decades, with Poland and its musical culture. \u201cAnne-Sophie Mutter considers her talent a gift and an obligation at the same time. She is permanently striving for perfection; it is as if she is on a mission for all those to whom her art is important and decisive, for she expresses and reflects our passion, love and longing. With her violin, she transports the entire palette of sonic colours and emotions her instrument has to offer, conveying universal values to her audience,\u201d thus Widlak.<\/p>\n In her acceptance speech, Mutter referred to Lutos\u0142awski and Penderecki \u2013 and spoke about Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine. She pointed out that Penderecki took an unmistakable stand in his works, for instance his Polish Requiem, the Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima and the Seven Gates of Jerusalem. \u201cI am very proud of all my fellow musicians who are not afraid to call Vladimir Putin and his henchmen what they are: war criminals. And I am grateful to all fellow musicians who feel helpless, yet try to help. For example through innumerable benefit concerts, some of them given by Russian and Ukrainian musicians together.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Paul Sacher introduced me to Witold Lutos\u0142awski almost four decades ago, I would never have dared to dream that I would enjoy such a profound relationship with Poland and its creative artists.\u201d \u2013 Anne-Sophie Mutter<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.anne-sophie-mutter.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/krakau.jpg” title_text=”krakau” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.anne-sophie-mutter.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/asm_ehredotorwuerde.jpg” title_text=”asm_ehredotorwu\u0308rde” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|||10px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n The Rector of the Krzysztof Penderecki Music Academy in Cracow, Professor Dr. hab. Wojciech Widlak, and Anne-Sophie Mutter on March 30, 2022, in Cracow.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_image=”https:\/\/www.anne-sophie-mutter.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/paralex_2.jpg” parallax=”on” background_enable_video_mp4=”off” height=”400px” custom_margin=”0px||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|||10px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Die feierliche Verleihung fand in Krakau im M\u00e4rz 2022 statt \u2013 es folgten eine bewegende Laudatio sowie die pers\u00f6nliche Dankesrede von Anne-Sophie Mutter.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion toggle_icon=”3||divi||400″ icon_color=”#FFFFFF” module_class=”my_accordion” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_color=”off” custom_margin=”0px|0px|3px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Laudatio” open=”on” open_toggle_text_color=”#d86ca6″ open_toggle_background_color=”#FFFFFF” closed_toggle_background_color=”#FFFFFF” icon_color=”#d86ca6″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” background_enable_color=”on” custom_margin=”0px||2px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#d86ca6″ toggle_line_height=”1.3em”]<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Laudation by the rector of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, Prof. Dr. hab. Wojciech Wid\u0142ak on 30 March 2022.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n It is with great joy that I deliver this laudation in honour of Anne-Sophie Mutter \u2013 an extraordinary Artist whom we greatly admire, a Maestra of the violin, whose artistry of performance is acclaimed the whole world over. I do this honour on behalf of the Senate and all members of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krak\u00f3w.<\/p>\n This is a momentous occasion for our Institution: Maestra Anne-Sophie Mutter has been awarded the title of Doctor\u00a0<\/span>honoris causa<\/em>, the highest distinction of our alma mater. This title was conferred on her by the Academy Senate following a motion submitted by the faculty and supported by the Honorary Degrees Committee, whose members include, among others, the eminent Polish violinist, professor and honorary doctor of the Academy, Kaja Danczowska. The Committee came to its decision in 2021, the year when our Institution was renamed the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in honour of its famous alumnus, who was a professor, honorary doctor of the Academy and for 15 years also its rector, and who enjoyed a long-standing artistic collaboration with Anne-Sophie Mutter and an equally long-standing friendship.<\/p>\n It is difficult to include in such a short laudation everything that one would wish to express when paying tribute to an Artist of such stature, who has been called a musical phenomenon of the modern art of violin playing. Certainly, first of all we ought to emphasise the enormity of her achievements and contributions to music; the stunning beginnings of her career at the tender age of 13, her performances on the world\u2019s most important stages under the baton of leading conductors (starting with the legendary Herbert von Karajan) and its most prominent orchestras; her unforgettable renditions of violin masterpieces from the Baroque to the present day; her countless, globally-renowned recordings released on the most important labels. Anne-Sophie Mutter\u2019s outstanding role in moulding the musical landscape of our times, including contemporary works for violin, is evident in the plethora of awards, honours and distinctions she has garnered over her career, including: four Grammys, nine Echo Classic Awards, the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics\u2019 Award), the Record Academy Prize, the Grand Prix du Disque, the International Phono Award, the L\u00e9onie Sonning Muskpris, the Polar Music Prize, the Praemium Imperiale, the Ernst von Siemens Musikpreis, the Brahms Preis, the Erich Fromm-Preis, the Gustav Adolf Prize, the European St Ulrich Award, the Cristobal Gabarron Award, and the Leipziger Mendelssohn-Preis. In addition, the Artist has been awarded honorary memberships of the Royal Academy of Music in London, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Keble College (Oxford University) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, an honorary doctorate of the University of Trondheim, as well as national distinctions awarded by France, Spain, Romania and Poland\u2026<\/p>\n Today\u2019s ceremony and the decision made by the Senate of the Academy to award Anne-Sophie Mutter this degree is also justified on other grounds, i.e. a specific combination of circumstances, the fates of certain individuals and the specifics of time and place.<\/p>\n The artist\u2019s ties with Poland and its musical culture. Anne-Sophie Mutter first met Witold Lutos\u0142awski in the Swiss home of Paul Sacher (nota bene, also an honorary doctor of our Academy) at the beginning of the 1980s. She later said in an interview: \u201cLutos\u0142awski\u2019s music (…) opened a new chapter in my life. It opened up before me a world of a new musical idiom \u2013 a world so extraordinarily noble that no words can describe the great significance it had for me as an artist and as a person\u201d. Her collaboration with Lutos\u0142awski resulted in wonderful works that the composer wrote for the Artist and which the two performed together:\u00a0<\/span>Chain II<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for violin and orchestra (1984-85) and a version of\u00a0<\/span>Partita<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for violin and orchestra (1988). \u201cPerforming them brings me great joy\u201d \u2013 Anne-Sophie Mutter stated years later. It was more than simply a joint effort of composer and violinist \u2013 it was the beginning of an artistic friendship. This is evidenced, among other things, by the special musical gift which Lutos\u0142awski gave to the Violinist, namely\u00a0<\/span>Lullaby for Anne-Sophie<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for violin and piano (1989) \u2013 with its accent of personal memory and devotion, encapsulated in a musical miniature. Whenever she is in Warsaw, the Artist always visits the Lutos\u0142awskis\u2019 grave, remaining \u2013 as she always emphasises \u2013 steadfast in her memory of him to this very day.<\/p>\n Anne-Sophie Mutter became acquainted with Krzysztof Penderecki in 1984 in Stuttgart, at a concert of\u00a0<\/span>Polish Requiem<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>conducted by the composer himself. Years later she recalled: \u201cIt was the beginning of a new era for me. I was utterly astounded by the power and depth of the musical expression of this work. He pushed the sound of the instruments and human voices to their limits. I had never heard anything like it. At that moment I fell deeply in love with his music\u201d. This and further encounters between the two artists, as well as joint performances, bore fruit in works that Penderecki dedicated especially to Anne-Sophie Mutter:\u00a0<\/span>Sonata No. 2<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for solo violin (1999),\u00a0<\/span>Duo Concertante<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for violin and double bass (2010),\u00a0<\/span>La Follia<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>for solo violin (2013), and especially\u00a0<\/span>Violin Concerto No. 2 \u201cMetamorphosen\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>(1992-95), which the Artist described as a work \u201cbrilliant from beginning to end. (…) This is music that moves, that makes you shudder, and that cannot be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>\n Here once again an acquaintanceship and collaboration turned into many years of friendship on an artistic level. The aforementioned\u00a0<\/span>La Follia<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>was a birthday gift from Krzysztof Penderecki to Anne-Sophie Mutter, which she repaid with her dazzling virtuosity in performances of this extremely difficult work. Zachary Woolfe from The New York Times wrote on one of them: \u201cShe somehow makes you aware, through passages of misty tone and deliberate accretions of intensity, of how many interpretive options there are beyond the one she has chosen, how many roads through a given work have gone untraveled\u201d.<\/p>\n These are some of the clearest examples of Maestra Anne-Sophie Mutter\u2019s intimate relationship with Poland and her truly priceless efforts in promoting Polish music throughout the world. We also ought to mention her concerts and recordings with Polish orchestras (including the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Sinfonia Varsovia) under the baton of Polish conductors (not only Witold Lutos\u0142awski and Krzysztof Penderecki, but also Jan Krenz, Antoni Wit, and members of the faculty of our Academy of Music \u2013 Professors \u0141ukasz Borowicz and Maciej Tworek), appearances at the Warsaw Philharmonic, the ICE Congress Centre in Krak\u00f3w, the concert hall of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, the National Forum of Music in Wroc\u0142aw, the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lus\u0142awice, and her collaboration with the Ludwig van Beethoven Association. Anne-Sophie Mutter has also been awarded one of Poland\u2019s most prestigious accolades \u2013 the Gloria Artis gold medal (2018) \u2013 and a medal from the Witold Lutos\u0142awski Society (2013).<\/p>\n As the Artist herself emphasised in one of her interviews: \u201cPolish music has always been important to me \u2013 the works of Penderecki, Lutos\u0142awski, Szymanowski.\u201d In another interview she added: \u201cTo feel close to Poland, I didn\u2019t have to return there. But being present in the country is something different entirely. Every time I am here, I feel the momentousness of the occasion. (…) My life is filled with Polish music\u201d.<\/p>\n As a performer of, and an inspiration for, music written by Poland\u2019s most eminent composers, she also had a significant influence on their work. As Witold Lutos\u0142awski told El\u017cbieta Markowska: \u201cBefore I heard Anne-Sophie Mutter play\u00a0<\/span>Chain II\u00a0<\/span><\/em>in the third rehearsal, I could never have imagined that I would ever hear my music performed in this fashion. It instantly stimulates the imagination and gives you flashes of inspiration. (…) The very idea of music being played by such performers is truly stirring. After concerts with such soloists (…) I experience periods in which my musical vision is galvanized\u201d. On hearing Anne-Sophie Mutter perform his Partita Lutos\u0142awski was equally rapturous: \u201c[Her] playing left one of the strongest impressions on me. I was stunned. Every phrase was filled with deep meaning. I could recognise all the notes I had written. Nevertheless, I could not have imagined that I would be able to hear such a perfect rendition of my music in my lifetime\u201d. As a consequence, the composer arranged his Partita for violin and orchestra and dedicated this version of the piece to Anne-Sophie Mutter. The works by Lutos\u0142awski and Penderecki mentioned above were not the only ones dedicated to this outstanding violinist. Other composers who penned pieces for her include Unsuk Chin, Henri Dutilleux, Sofia Gubaidulina, Andr\u00e9 Previn, Wolfgang Rihm, and John Williams.<\/p>\n Many years later, Krzysztof Penderecki recalled his joint performance with Anne-Sophie Mutter at the Lucerne Festival in 1988 and his impression of her playing (Sergei Prokofiev\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Violin Concerto<\/em>): \u201cThere before me was little more than a child with a violin, and yet she played better than an adult, because there was a freshness and an unusual quality that is hard to describe\u201d.<\/p>\n The phenomenon that is Anne-Sophie Mutter lies in her exceptional talent and artistry as a performer. She treats this talent as a gift and a duty. She is constantly striving for perfection with a sense of mission towards those for whom her art is important and vital, because it expresses and reflects our passions, love and longing. Through the sound of her violin, conveying the full range of its colours and emotions, Anne-Sophie Mutter communicates to her audience important and universal things and values.<\/p>\n The power of her musical message, her utter commitment to her art and her unique, almost fervent dedication to quality were all features reinforced by her long-term collaboration \u2013 at the beginning of her career \u2013 with Herbert von Karajan. Years later she recalls: \u201cWith Karajan, everyone could feel the power of his vision. Everyone who played with him entered a different level of understanding towards music. Working with him was (…) a revelation\u201d. The word \u201crevelation\u201d also fits Anne-Sophie Mutter well herself and is often heard in the utterances of those who have become acquainted with her masterful virtuosity as well as the depth and uncompromising nature of her interpretations of the masterpieces of violin music. Let us recall here the words of Ludwig van Beethoven (to Bettina von Arnim, from 1810): \u201cMusic should strike fire from the heart of man. It is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy.\u201d Anne-Sophie Mutter performs Beethoven\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Violin Concerto in D Major<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>Op. 61 in a truly inspired fashion, expressing, as she does, an unparalleled emotional intensity and always remembering about Karajan\u2019s \u201corchestra forming a silk carpet for the solo violin playing pianissimo\u201d.<\/p>\n A desire to go beyond limits, including one\u2019s own limits, vision, hard work, and a striving for perfection \u2013 these are features shared by both Anne-Sophie Mutter and Herbert von Karajan, so crucial to what is truly precious in art. However, two other essential attributes of her work are Love and Passion. Without them, it would probably be impossible to comprehend the titanic achievements and remarkable life of Anne-Sophie Mutter, a life led constantly in the spotlight and forever on the move. She always thinks of others. She wants to serve the world through her talent. She says: \u201cMy ideal of a musician includes another aspect, no less important: the good fortune of being able to help \u2013 to find meaning in life in one\u2019s actions with and for the benefit of others\u201d. For years now, she has led her own ensemble \u2013 Mutter\u2019s Virtuosi \u2013 composed of talented young people; she has founded the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation and the Association of Friends of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation e.V., and has done charity work… Endowed with a unique talent, she has never ceased sharing it with others, finding fulfilment in these acts of giving. It is this fervour, joy, positive energy and fulfilment that resound in her performances of J.S. Bach\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Double Violin Concerto in D Minor<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>BWV 1043 with the young members of Mutter\u2019s Virtuosi!<\/p>\n Anne-Sophie Mutter\u2019s unbounded energy lends extraordinary power and depth to the sounds she extracts with her Stradivarius when performing works by Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart, Beethoven and contemporary composers alike. As one reviewer said: \u201cThere is no other violinist like her \u2013 she can achieve literally anything on the violin. She can move from sweet and vibrato-dense sound to notes played with ascetic simplicity non vibrato; from tones suffused with melancholy to displays of unbelievable technical wizardry \u2013 extremely fast double stops in the cadenza of the third movement of the concerto. She plays with music, but she does so with love\u201d. This feeling is reciprocated by audiences on all continents, who have flocked to see Anne-Sophie Mutter\u2019s concerts in the world\u2019s most important concert halls.<\/p>\n Music is a life-long adventure that never gets boring, said Anne-Sophie Mutter in an interview. She is convinced that for this reason a musician will never waste his or her life but they will always wander and explore new things. But we know that music is also the \u201cspeech of sounds\u201d (N. Harnoncourt) \u2013 and Anne-Sophie Mutter speaks powerfully with the sound of her violin to the world, to people, to anyone who hears her play. She does this through her inimitable virtuosity, in which she conveys an extraordinary passion for connecting people and making the world a better place. She is a fully engaged and authentic artist, devoted to music with all her heart. Because, as she says, \u201cmusic is capable of changing the world. (…) Therefore, artists are able to change the world, to change our lives. Music as a universal language, as something that stands above all divisions, has great power\u201d.<\/p>\n It is in honour of this gift of the most exquisite music, this musical artistry and its exceptional impact, and the very speech of her violin, which stirs the deepest emotions and raises the spirits of her listeners, that today we wish to pay tribute to Anne-Sophie Mutter by bestowing upon her the highest distinction of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krak\u00f3w \u2013 Doctor\u00a0<\/span>honoris causa<\/em>. This degree shall be conferred by the Senate and all members of the Academy, whose motto is the pursuit of excellence per Academiam ad astra. Let this degree be a symbol of the unique and admirable ties that bind Anne-Sophie Mutter, the First Lady of the violin, with our Institution, thanks to her special relationship with Poland, Polish composers, artists, and, in particular, the Patron of our Academy.<\/p>\n Prof. Dr. hab. Wojciech Wid\u0142ak<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”A word of thanks” open_toggle_text_color=”#d86ca6″ open_toggle_background_color=”#FFFFFF” closed_toggle_background_color=”#FFFFFF” icon_color=”#d86ca6″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#FFFFFF” background_enable_color=”on” custom_margin=”0px||2px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#d86ca6″ toggle_line_height=”1.3em” open=”off”]<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Laudation by the rector of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, Prof. Dr. hab. Wojciech Wid\u0142ak on 30 March 2022.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was deeply moved by the wonderful commemoration of Krzysztof Penderecki that I was honored to witness yesterday. The mere fact that high-ranking political representatives were participants in this ceremony, shows how a musician is understood as a treasure of international importance here. This wonderful commemoration will be equally as unforgettable to me, as the honorary degree which the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow has chosen to bestow upon me today.<\/p>\n I thank you dear Rector Wid\u0142ak for these more than kind words.<\/p>\n You are granting me an honour that fills me with pride and joy. It was almost four decades ago that Paul Sacher introduced me to Witold Lutos\u0142awski and at the time I would not have dreamed that I would get to enjoy such a profound relationship with Poland and its cultural creators. But shortly after this first encounter with Lutos\u0142awski, I was fortunate to give the world premiere of his\u00a0<\/span>Chain II\u00a0<\/span><\/em>in 1986. On this occasion, Paul Sacher conducted the Collegium musicum in Zurich and it was Witold Lutos\u0142awski that had dedicated this work to him, the patron of the arts. This incredibly fortunate encounter with Lutos\u0142awski gave me a much richer life than I would have had with only the existing repertoire. In his music, I discovered colours which I had not seemed to need in any previous work. This broadened my perspective on romantic and classical compositions as well.<\/p>\n When Poland celebrated its centenary in 2013, I was privileged to be invited to perform at the 10th Lutos\u0142awski Festival, honouring this unforgettable composer and human being. The final concert of the 10th Lutos\u0142awski Festival was conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki, whom I considered a kindred spirit.<\/p>\n I got to know and admire him deeply in the early 1980s. I was particularly moved by his\u00a0<\/span>Polish Requiem<\/em>, which celebrated its world premiere in Stuttgart in 1984. This profound musical impression changed my life.<\/p>\n I was fortunate enough to give the world premieres of four compositions by Krzysztof Penderecki during the course of our long friendship: his violin concerto\u00a0<\/span>Metamorphosen<\/em>, composed in 1993 and premiered in 1995. This concerto became my life line in a time of great personal struggle and pain. My husband and father of our 1- and 3-year old children was dying. Krzysztof\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>Metamorphosen<\/em>\u00a0<\/span>gave me solace and hope in a dark time and became engraved in my heart. I hope that this great master\u2019s metamorphosis into another dimension was a blessed one.<\/p>\n His\u00a0<\/span>Sonata per violin e pianoforte No. 2\u00a0<\/span><\/em>followed in the year 2000, and he also composed for me the wonderful\u00a0<\/span>Duo concertante per violin e contrabasso\u00a0<\/span><\/em>and his incredibly difficult capriccio for solo violin,\u00a0<\/span>La Follia<\/em>.<\/p>\n Krzysztof was a great violinist as we all know, and I remember fondly his joy in recognizing that some of the difficulties in La Follia had in fact pushed me over the edge of my possibilities. What a present to my 50th<\/sup>\u00a0<\/span>anniversary!<\/p>\n I am shaken to the core by the depth of emotions his scores express \u2013 by the architecture of his monumental works. For more than 30 years, we shared an intense and fruitful friendship; during these years he inspired and challenged me more than once.<\/p>\n Krzysztof Penderecki has given me a new cosmos of music.<\/p>\n And I am equally filled with admiration and love for you, dear El\u017cbieta , a wonderful woman and wife to Krzysztof. You are a truly extraordinary woman.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And now you, esteemed dignitaries of the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, have chosen me to join the august circle of honorary degree holders of this university, along with Krzysztof Penderecki and Paul Sacher. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this honour.<\/p>\n Taking into consideration all of this personal happiness you are bestowing upon me, I ask myself about the meaning of music on this day.<\/p>\n It is a question which I and countless other artists must ask ourselves, given the barbaric, illegal war of aggression Vladimir Putin is waging against Ukraine. Can music achieve more than giving us two blissful hours on the night of a concert?<\/p>\n Us musicians are ambassadors. Through music, we want to enable people to recognize one another. In music, one heart speaks to another, beyond all ethnic, religious, national or other boundaries. We share the same hopes and wishes and rights \u2013 and in music, we can find this common ground, as well as the power to overcome political mistakes, meeting at eye level.<\/p>\n In music we can feel united, we can feel one.<\/p>\n Our message has no room for hatred. No matter where the music is from, no matter how foreign it may seem at first; the profound feeling of the creative spirit strikes us to the core, and our heart recognizes with astonishment and joy that it is a reflection of our most inner self.<\/p>\n Working with my foundation, I try to educate young musicians who consider music their life’s calling. Because it is not a profession, it is a calling. To rise to this calling, it is not enough to be a master of one\u2019s instrument \u2013 but more importantly to not turn a blind eye to the world around us. Now more than ever, this is true: we cannot close our eyes to war, or declare ourselves as Apolitical.<\/p>\n I am very proud of all my fellow musicians around the globe who have made their views crystal clear and public. Who are not afraid to call the Russian president Vladimir Putin and his helpers what they are: war criminals.<\/p>\n And I am proud of all my fellow musicians who try to help, even when being aware of their helplessness. For example through innumerable benefit concerts, sometimes featuring Russian and Ukrainian musicians together. Thus, the Ukrainian pianist Alexei Gorlatch and the Russian pianist Sergey Belyavsky performed together at Frankfurt\u2019s Paulskirche, collecting funds for medical supplies needed in Cracow in order to transport them to Ukraine.<\/p>\n Like every war, this war is a catastrophe. It is truly heartbreaking. It is the worst humans can do to their brothers and sisters. And this war is happening on your Polish doorstep. I have only an inkling of the horror this war must spark in your souls.<\/p>\n I am all the more grateful for the overwhelming willingness to help you are showing your Ukrainian neighbours. Almost every citizen of this country is involved in various aid activities. And they share their living quarters with refugees. I have the deepest admiration for the extraordinary heart of the Polish people. Your heart truly goes out to the Ukrainians, to this courageous and peaceful nation which has been attacked by Putin in the most brutal manner.<\/p>\n Krzysztof Penderecki took an unmistakable stand in his works. Consider only his\u00a0<\/span>Polish Requiem\u00a0<\/span><\/em>or his\u00a0<\/span>Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima<\/em>, or\u00a0<\/span>Seven Gates of Jerusalem<\/em>. His monumental St. Luke\u2019s Passion. Today we need his musical testament more than ever.<\/p>\n As a musician, I am deeply convinced that music offers us a great chance to change the world for the better.<\/p>\n For centuries, musicians and composers have been committed to social progress. Therefore, receiving this honorary doctorate fills me with enormous gratitude. For I believe that this honour is not just meant for me personally, but I hope for it to bring the power of music and it’s magical quality to influence society to the forefront of human development.<\/p>\n Thank you for your time and attention!<\/p>\n Anne-Sophie Mutter<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][\/et_pb_accordion][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" HONOURSKrzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krak\u00f3w 2022 Honorary Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. 31 Mar 2022 \u2013 It is the second honorary doctorate for Anne-Sophie Mutter: after Trondheim\u2019s Technical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5412","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.anne-sophie-mutter.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/asm-ehrendoktorwuerde-2-300x200.jpg\")
<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n