Born in 1947, Gidon Kremer has been ranked for decades as one of the world’s outstanding violinists. Kremer, who grew up in Latvia, has been awarded numerous prizes since he was young. One of the most important prizes was the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1970, a performance that led conductor Herbert von Karajan to call him “the greatest violinist in the world”. Kremer has always risked his career, especially during the soviet regime by promoting music of modern composers such as Alfred Schnittke or Arvo Pärt. One of Kremer’s other great interests is the work of the Argentinian tango composer Astor Piazzolla, which led to many recordings over the last years. His passion for new compositions will also be reflected in his concert in Abu Dhabi, during which he will play Philipp Glass’ Violin Concerto Nr. 2. Gidon Kremer plays a Nicola Amati violin, dated from 1641. He is also the author of four books, translated into many languages, which reflect his artistic pursuits.