Anne-Sophie Mutter: I’m taking off half a year

The German violinist reflects on resilience and renewal in an interview with Handelsblatt:

‘I always have to free myself from the hamster wheel. For example, I won’t be performing for a few months towards the end of this year. I want to re-evaluate how I want to go into the future as a musician. During this break I will hopefully improve my archery skills and deepen meditation as an integral focus of my life….

‘ My life hasn’t always been easy. I, too, went through deep valleys of tears and had to overcome human and artistic crises. Such crises are part of life. The question is whether you will ultimately grow as a result.

‘My 60th birthday was more associated with gratitude that I was still alive, because the father of my children died of lung cancer shortly after his 60th birthday. The memory of that lies very heavy on me. But I still have the chance to do something sensible with my life.’

More here.