Maximum

On 13th/14th May 2004 the work Maximum for violin, viola, flute, harp and orchestra by Benjamin Yusupov was premiered under the direction of Maxim Vengerov in Haifa and Rishon-Lezion (Israel). The composer dedicated his work to this soloist and conductor. The title "Maximum" is a play on words, on the one hand derived from Vengerov's first name, on the other hand it is the abbreviation of "maximum virtuosity", which, in Yusupov's opinion, Vengerov possesses and is also incorporated into the piece.
Maxim Vengerov, born in Novosibirsk in 1974, began playing the violin at the age of four. At the age of five he took lessons from Galina Turtschaninowa and began his triumphal march through the music world at the age of seven. In 1984 he won the Junior Wienawski competition in Poland. Engagements in Moscow and Leningrad followed, and Vengerov soon played as a soloist with such renowned orchestras as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and the Soviet State Symphony Orchestra.

Maxim Vengerov says about himself:

“When I was four years old, two things dominated my life: my violin and my tricycle. After dinner I practiced the violin until I was too tired to continue playing. Then I went outside and rode my tricycle around the yard in our apartment complex as a reward for my hard work. This was usually around three in the morning. At the time, there didn't seem to be anything unusual about it. I guess most four-year-olds think of their lives as normal, however unusual they may be. I actually never saw myself as a child prodigy. I knew I was different from the other kids, but that was normal for me. I understood that the violin had to play a role in my life that it didn't have for others. I had my tricycle, just like other children; It just didn’t fit into my daily routine like the others.”