Alexander Alexandrovich Vedernikov (; 11 January 1964 – 29 October 2020) was a Russian conductor. He held major posts with the
Bolshoi Theatre the
Odense Symphony Orchestra
The Odense Symphony Orchestra (Odense Symfoniorkester) is a Danish symphony orchestra based in Odense. The orchestra is resident in the Odense Concert Hall (inaugurated in 1982), specifically in the Carl Nielsen Hall (seating capacity of 1,212). ...
, the
Royal Danish Opera
The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...
, and the
Mikhailovsky Theatre
The Mikhailovsky Theatre (russian: Миха́йловский теа́тр) is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named a ...
.
Biography
Born in Moscow, Vedernikov was the son of the bass
Alexander Filipovich Vedernikov, who sang at the
Bolshoi Theatre, and of Natalia Nikolaevna Gureeva, who was a professor of organ at the
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...
.
He grew up with two siblings in a small apartment.
Vedernikov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1988, where he studied with
Leonid Nikolaev
Leonid Vasilevich Nikolaev (10 May 1904 – 29 December 1934) was the assassin of Sergei Kirov, the first secretary of the Leningrad branch of the Communist Party.
Early life
Nikolaev was a troubled young Soviet Communist Party member in ...
and also took classes from
Mark Ermler
Mark Fridrikhovich Ermler (russian: Марк Фридрихович Эрмлер; 5 May 193214 April 2002) was a Russian conductor.
Biography
Mark Ermler was born in Leningrad in 1932. His parents were Vera Bakun, a film set designer, and Fridrik ...
. He worked as a conductor in the
from 1988 to 1990. He was also an assistant conductor to
Vladimir Fedoseyev
Vladimir Ivanovich Fedoseyev ( rus, Владимир Иванович Федосе́ев, p=, links=no; born 5 August 1932, in Leningrad, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian conductor, accordionist, teacher. People's Artist of the USSR (1980). ...
at the
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio
The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is a Russian classical music radio orchestra established in 1930. It was founded as the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, and served as the official symphony for the Soviet All-Union Radio network.
History
Followi ...
from 1988 to 1995. In 1995, he established the Russian Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra and served as its artistic director and chief conductor until 2004.
Vedernikov became music director of the
Bolshoi Theatre in 2001, where he worked on modernising the company.
He conducted the first new production of Mussorgsky's ''
Boris Godunov'' since 1948.
He conducted at the house the first production of Cilea's ''
Adriana Lecouvreur'' in 2002, Mussorgsky's ''
Khovanshchina
''Khovanshchina'' ( rus, Хованщина, , xɐˈvanʲɕːɪnə, Ru-Khovanshchina_version.ogg, sometimes rendered ''The Khovansky Affair'') is an opera (subtitled a 'national music drama') in five acts by Modest Mussorgsky. The work was writt ...
'', Puccini's ''
Turandot
''Turandot'' (; see below) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, posthumously completed by Franco Alfano in 1926, and set to a libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni. ''Turandot'' best-known aria is " Nessun dorma", ...
'', the original version of Glinka's ''
Ruslan and Ludmila Ruslan may refer to:
* ''Ruslan'' (film), a 2009 film starring Steven Segal
* Ruslan (given name), male name used mainly in Slavic countries, with list of people
* Antonov An-124 ''Ruslan'', large Soviet cargo aircraft, later built in Ukraine and ...
'', the first production of Prokofiev's ''
The Fiery Angel'' in 2004, the first Russian performance of the original version of Wagner's ''
The Flying Dutchman
The ''Flying Dutchman'' ( nl, De Vliegende Hollander) is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the seven seas forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dut ...
'' and Verdi's
Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
.
He conducted, on a commission from the opera house, the world premiere of
Leonid Desyatnikov
Leonid Arkadievich Desyatnikov (russian: Леони́д Арка́дьевич Деся́тников, born: 16 October 1955, Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian composer who first made a reputation with a number of film scores, then achieving gr ...
's ''
The Children of Rosenthal
''The Children of Rosenthal'' (russian: link=no, Дети Розенталя, translit=D'eti Rozental'a) is a 2005 postmodern opera in two acts by Leonid Desyatnikov to a Russian libretto by Vladimir Sorokin.
Set in USSR during the post-World ...
'' in the 2004/05 season.
He led productions of Prokofiev's ''
War and Peace
''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'' and his ballet ''
Cinderella
"Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...
''.
He had a contract with the company until 2010, but in July 2009 resigned on the first day of the theater's summer tour, citing disagreements with its management.
Vedernikov made his
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...
debut in 1996, where he conducted Prokofiev's ''Cinderella'' and Tchaikovsky's ''
Swan Lake''.
He conducted at the
Komische Oper Berlin
The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces opera, operetta and musicals.
The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, just a few steps from Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, al ...
Smetana's ''
The Bartered Bride
''The Bartered Bride'' ( cz, Prodaná nevěsta, links=no, ''The Sold Bride'') is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana, to a libretto by Karel Sabina. The work is generally regarded as a major contribution towards the ...
'', Tchaikovsky's ''
The Queen of Spades'', ''
Salome'' by Richard Strauss and Janáček's ''
The Cunning Little Vixen
''The Cunning Little Vixen'' (original title ''Příhody lišky Bystroušky'' or ''Tales of Vixen Sharp-Ears'' in English), is a three-act Czech-language opera by Leoš Janáček completed in 1923 to a libretto the composer himself adapted from a ...
''.
At the
Paris Opera, he conducted ''Boris Godunov'' in 2005, directed by
Francesca Zambello
Francesca Zambello (born August 24, 1956) is an American opera and theatre director. She serves as director of Glimmerglass Festival and the Washington National Opera.
Early life and education
Born in New York City, Zambello lived in Europe whe ...
.
He led Tchaikovsky's ''
Eugene Onegin
''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Евгений Оне́гин, ромáн в стихáх, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈnʲeɡʲɪn, r=Yevgeniy Onegin, roman v stikhakh) is ...
'' in 2011. He conducted a double bill of Mascagni's ''
Cavalleria rusticana
''Cavalleria rusticana'' (; Italian for "rustic chivalry") is an opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci, adapted from an 1880 short story of the same name and subsequent play ...
'' and Leoncavollo's ''
Pagliacci'' at the
Opernhaus Zürich in 2011, and made his debut at the
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is oper ...
in New York City, again with ''Eugene Onegin''.
In 2013, he conducted Stravinsky's ''
The Rite of Spring
, image = Roerich Rite of Spring.jpg
, image_size = 350px
, caption = Concept design for act 1, part of Nicholas Roerich's designs for Diaghilev's 1913 production of '
, composer = Igor Stravinsky
, based_on ...
'' with the
BBC Orchestra in a centenary concert at the
Barbican in London. A critic noted that he "supplied his own wild-man choreography on the podium".
Vedernikov became chief conductor of the
Odense Symphony Orchestra
The Odense Symphony Orchestra (Odense Symfoniorkester) is a Danish symphony orchestra based in Odense. The orchestra is resident in the Odense Concert Hall (inaugurated in 1982), specifically in the Carl Nielsen Hall (seating capacity of 1,212). ...
in 2009, with an initial three-year contract,
which was extended to 2014. In November 2016 the Royal Danish Opera announced Vedernikov's appointment as its next chief conductor, effective from the 2018/19 season. Vedernikov concluded his Odense tenure in 2018, remaining an honorary conductor.
In February 2019, he also became music director and principal conductor of the
Mikhailovsky Theatre
The Mikhailovsky Theatre (russian: Миха́йловский теа́тр) is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and is situated in a historical building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named a ...
.
Vedernikov died on 29 October 2020,
from
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic in Russia
The COVID-19 pandemic in Russia is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 ().
The virus was confirmed to have spread to Russia on 31 January 2020, when two Ch ...
.
Recordings
Vedernikov recorded commercially for such labels as Pentatone, Hyperion and Naive.
* Glinka: ''
Ruslan and Ludmila Ruslan may refer to:
* ''Ruslan'' (film), a 2009 film starring Steven Segal
* Ruslan (given name), male name used mainly in Slavic countries, with list of people
* Antonov An-124 ''Ruslan'', large Soviet cargo aircraft, later built in Ukraine and ...
''
* Tchaikovsky: ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...
''
* DVD: Rimsky-Korsakov: ''
'' - Mikhail Kazakov, Vitaly Panfilov, Tatiana Monogarova, Mikhail Gubsky, Albert Schagidullin, Alexander Naumenko. Orchestra e Coro del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari; Alexander Vedernikov, conductor; Eimuntas Nekrošius, director. 2010
* Tchaikovsky: ''Eugene Onegin'' (2020)
[Mark Pullinger]
Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin (Vedernikov)
Gramophone March 2020
References
External links
IMG Artists agency page on Alexander Vedernikov
Alexander Vedernikov (conductor)Hyperion Records
Alexander Vedernikov (recordings) arkivmusic.com
Dirigent Alexander Vedernikov mit Covid-19 gestorbenmusik-heute.de 30 October 2020
Alexander Vedernikov Hyperion Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vedernikov, Alexander
1964 births
2020 deaths
Moscow Conservatory alumni
21st-century Russian conductors (music)
Russian male conductors (music)
21st-century Russian male musicians
Erato Records artists
Musicians from Moscow
Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia