a first community setting for world's leading violinist

The concert was a unique occasion, and was in addition to the RHN’s regular music line-up, which is part of an extensive leisure programme provided by the hospital’s Social and Recreational Services department.

It was the first time that 31 year old Maxim Vengerov had played in a community setting, but before the performance he said, “I have played for audiences in the most famous concert venues in the world but I believe performing at the hospital will be one of the most memorable and rewarding concerts for me” 

Maxim gave his first recital at the age of five and after studying with Galina Tourchaninova and Professor Zakhar Bron, he went on to win the First Prize in the Junior Competition when he was ten years old. In 1990, aged fifteen, he won the Carl Flesch International Violin Competition confirming his reputation as a musician of the very highest order. In May 2000, following a ten-year recording contract with Teldec Classics, Vengerov signed an exclusive contract with EMI Classics.  In 1997 Vengerov was the first classical musician to be appointed Envoy for Music by UNICEF

An audience of about 80 residents, families and staff were enthralled with Vengerov’s renditions of Massenet’s “Meditation” and Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances”, and afterwards he took the opportunity to talk at length with patients, even presenting one, Peter Gow, with a personalised CD.  Peter went on to say, "I was thrilled and spellbound by his virtuosity, and the gentle touch of his bow".

The Social and Recreational Services Department is hugely valued within the hospital, providing not just the creative events such as these – other recent highlights have included a concert by Neil Percy of the London Symphony Orchestra and an interactive theatre residency by the Ladder To the Moon theatre company – but also putting together a regular leisure programme of Aquability (recreational sessions in the water), outings & holidays, art workshops, music groups, horticulture and ward-based recreation.  These services - an average of over fifty activities per month - are provided entirely by charitable donations to the department.

The charity Live Music Now was founded in 1977 by legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin and his friend Ian Stoutzker, the current Chairman and the event at the hospital is part of the organisation’s 30th Anniversary celebrations..  The scheme takes performances of the highest musical quality to a wide variety of settings across the UK and employs more than 320 young professional musicians.  Last year, LMN organised around 3,000 concerts and workshops throughout UK and Ireland, reaching over 200,000 people. 

The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability is an independent national medical charity based in Putney, southwest London.  The hospital specialises in assessing and rehabilitating adults with traumatic brain injuries incurred through accidents or strokes.  It also provides both treatment and long-term care for people with severe and complex neurological conditions, including Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.  The hospital’s focus is on restoring independence, using technology to help people communicate and control their surroundings, and supporting families by creating a positive community.  It relies on £2.5 million in voluntary donations each year to continue its vital work.

June 4, 2007