MUSICAL PRAYER: Anne-Sophie Mutter rehearses before her concerts at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing

The performances of German violin master Anne-Sophie Mutter in China during May 25-28 turned out to be very poignant for the performer and audiences, coming in the aftermath of the devastating Sichuan earthquake.

"The sad news of the earthquake has cast a cloud over my tour to China, and I believe the whole world is praying for the victims and their families," Mutter said in a press release issued by the German Red Cross.

To express her sympathy to those affected, Mutter donated her fees from the Shanghai concert on May 25 to quake victims.

"My heart goes out to the families and friends who have suffered so much personal loss in the Sichuan earthquake," she said in the release.

She hopes her donation and her music will bring both help and solace to those in grief. She also called on musicians around the world to join her in assisting the relief efforts.

Following the Shanghai performance, Mutter and the Trondheim Soloists from Norway, an orchestra that has cooperated with her for nearly a decade, gave two concerts at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on May 27 and 28.

The programs of her China tour included Bach's Violin Concerto In E Major and Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Besides the scheduled repertoire, Mutter specially presented Bach's well-known Aria on the G String to commemorate all who have suffered in Sichuan.

Although the additional music lasted only a few minutes, the solemn and spiritual melody touched every one in the audience. Played by the violinist with deep emotion, the music conveyed a feeling of sorrow but also brought hope at the end.

"I hope my concert will be like a prayer in a church. The orchestra and I will pray for the victims and their families and wish them to recover from the disaster soon," she said at a press conference in Beijing on May 26.

As a mother of two children, Mutter especially expressed her sympathy to those mothers who lost their children in the catastrophe. "I feel sad for every mother who lost her children and I can also feel the pain of every child who lost his or her mother," she told reporters.

"People can find solace in music when they suffer disaster or lose loved ones. This inspires me to make good music," she said.

The China tour of Mutter and the Trondheim Soloists, a highly successful cooperation that has already made extensive tours to Europe and the United States in the past, is the first leg of their Asia tour this year, which will include Taipei, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo.

This is not the first time that the violinist has performed in China. The last performance was in 2006, which was a big hit among Chinese classical music lovers.

Born in 1963, Mutter launched her music career at the Lucerne Festival in 1979. A year later, she performed as a soloist at the Salzburg Whitsun Concerts under the direction of Herbert von Karajan. Since then, she has performed concerts in all the major music venues in the world.

Her music is laced with passion and simplicity. In addition to performing major traditional works she has continually surprised her audiences with new and innovative repertoires. She is also the recipient of the International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, known as the Nobel Prize of music, this year.

Mutter also uses her popularity for charity projects and supports the development of young, exceptionally talented musicians. A foundation that bears her name was established 11 years ago to help young musicians all over the world.

Mutter usually invites a young violinist to perform a duet together with her on stage, however due to the tight schedule it was not possible this time round. But she still hopes to have the chance to have exchanges on music with Chinese musicians. She said that she welcomes young Chinese violinists to send their DVDs to her.

Besides supporting young musicians to realize their musical dreams, her foundation also donates to the aged, the disabled, children and other people who are in need.

"Musicians need to do many other things, not just music," Mutter said at the press conference in Beijing. "When people encounter misfortunes, music some times can help them to heal."

Besides the concern and prayers for those affected by the earthquake, she also shared her personal views on children's music education. She noticed that many Chinese parents brought their children to her concerts, and she encouraged them to keep on doing that.