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Maxim Vengerov, who has just turned 30 is, arguably, the best violinist in the world. He has been playing in public since he was five years old. Born in Siberia, Maxim was, according to his first teacher, Galina Turtchaninova, "the type of child that is born once a century." Vengerov's formidable musical genius and commitment have brought him the highest musical prizes and a huge army of fans and along the way, he has forged strong and lasting relationships with other virtuosos, notably Mstislav Rostropovich, his 'musical father.' Vengerov is now the subject of a remarkable South Bank Show profile, which began filming November 2004, and traces his hectic jet-set life, appearing in concert and recital across the globe. Cameras follow him from London's Barbican Centre to Russia where he plays material from his new EMI CD Vengerov! - full of dazzling virtuoso pieces by Paganini, Ysaye, Wienawski, Kreisler, Rachmaninov and more - before an ecstatic audience in Moscow's Conservatory. In deep December 2004, accompanied by his parents, Maxim makes his first emotional return his birthplace in Novosibirsk where he revisits his house and school, receiving a hero's welcome when he performs his first concert there since he was eight. But Maxim Vengerov's life is about to change. In Istanbul, after a performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto on 27th December, he throws a party for his fans to announce the beginning of a sabbatical year. The world's most indemand violinist will stop touring, and enrol as a student at the Paris Academy of legendary violinist Didier Lockwood - a disciple of Stephane Grapelli, who has embraced and extended the worlds of jazz, rock and improvisation. Why? One reason is that Israeli composer Benjamin Yusupov is composing an extraordinary new concerto for Vengerov, who calls it "a concerto for the 21st century". It is written for the viola, an instrument Vengerov clearly adores and mastered for his award-winning recording of the Walton Viola Concerto. But Yusupov's new Concerto is something else entirely. In addition to be a major addition to the viola repertoire it includes areas of improvisation in different styles, rock and, notably, tango. For the latter, Vengerov is also required to dance on stage and cameras follow his gruelling regime of practice and rehearsal in Paris, Amsterdam and at his house by the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The pressure mounts as Vengerov pushes himself to be ready for the world premiere in Hannover in May with the NDR Radiophilharmonie under its conductor Fiji Oue. This is a fascinating study of Vengerov at a crucial period in his life - capturing some stunning performance sequences, and revealing his thoughts and emotions as he seeks to change and control his life and broaden his challenges. It provides a uniquely intimate glimpse of a master talent at the peak of his powers yet still in development, searching for new fields to explore and conquer.

A film of the complete Moscow concert is also available