Vasily Petrenko
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Vasily Eduardovich Petrenko (russian: Васи́лий Эдуа́рдович Петре́нко; born 7 July 1976) is a
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
n-British conductor. He is currently chief conductor of the
European Union Youth Orchestra The European Union Youth Orchestra (EUYO) is a youth orchestra with members drawn from the 27 members states of the European Union. Since its foundation in 1976, it has connected music colleges and the professional music world for generations o ...
, music director of the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
, and principal conductor of the
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation The State Academic Symphony Orchestra "Evgeny Svetlanov" (Государственный академический симфонический оркестр России имени Е. Ф. Светланова) is a Russian orchestra based in Mo ...
.


Biography

Petrenko was born in
Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
,
USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
. He attended the Capella Boys Music School and the St Petersburg Conservatoire. Petrenko studied conducting principally under Ravil Martynov, also learning from
Mariss Jansons Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons (14 January 1943 – 1 December 2019) was a Latvian conductor best known for his interpretations of Mahler, Strauss and Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich. During his lifetime he w ...
,
Yuri Temirkanov Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov (russian: Ю́рий Хату́евич Темирка́нов; kbd, Темыркъан Хьэту и къуэ Юрий; born December 10, 1938) is a Russian conductor of Circassian ( Kabardian) origin. Early life ...
,
Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...
, George Benjamin and
Roberto Carnevale Roberto Carnevale (born 15 June 1966) is an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. Biography and career Born in Catania, he started studying piano at the age of seven. He took a degree in Arts at the University of Catania and he attended th ...
. He was resident conductor at the St. Petersburg Opera and Ballet Theatre from 1994 to 1997. He has served as chief conductor of the State Academy of St Petersburg since 1994. In 2002 he won the first prize of the
Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition The Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition, is a music competition for young conducting, conductors organized by the Cadaqués Orchestra in Catalonia, Spain. History The competition takes place every two years and is organized b ...
. Petrenko made his conducting debut with the
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is a music organisation based in Liverpool, England, that manages a professional symphony orchestra, a concert venue, and extensive programmes of learning through music. Its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmon ...
Orchestra (RLPO) in November 2004. After this appearance, in July 2005, he was named the RLPO's principal conductor, the youngest-ever conductor in the post, effective with the 2006–2007 season for an initial contract of 3 years. Since taking up the post, the orchestra's financial situation and attendance have improved. He has also received critical praise for revitalising the orchestra, in Russian repertoire (especially
Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...
) as well as standard repertoire such as Brahms, and in English music. In May 2007, the RLPO announced that Petrenko had extended his contract with the orchestra to 2012. In September 2009, the orchestra announced a further extension of his contract to 2015, with a change of Petrenko's title to Chief Conductor. In March 2013, the RLPO announced the conversion of Petrenko's contract into an extended open-ended agreement with no specific scheduled time of conclusion, and where Petrenko is to give an advance notice of 3 years of when he wishes to conclude his tenure. His first conducting appearance at
The Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...
was with the RLPO in August 2008. Petrenko and the RLPO have recorded several compact discs for
Naxos Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best ab ...
. Petrenko's recording of Tchaikovsky's ''
Manfred Symphony ''Manfred'' is a ''"Symphony in Four Scenes"'' in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his Opus 58, but unnumbered. It was written between May and September 1885 to a program based upon the eponymous 1817 poem by Byron, coming after the composer' ...
'' won the '' Gramophone'' orchestral recording of the year in 2009. In April 2007, Petrenko was one of eight conductors of British orchestras to endorse the 10-year classical music outreach manifesto, "Building on Excellence: Orchestras for the 21st Century", to increase the presence of classical music in the UK, including giving free entry to all British schoolchildren to a classical music concert. From December 2008 to 2013 Petrenko served as Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, conducting his first concert with them at the 2009 BBC Proms. Petrenko first conducted the
Oslo Philharmonic The Oslo Philharmonic (Oslo-Filharmonien) is a Norwegian symphony orchestra based in Oslo, Norway. The orchestra traces its roots to the Philharmonic Society founded in 1847 and the Christiania Musical Association co-founded by Edvard Grieg in 18 ...
Orchestra in December 2009. In February 2011, the Oslo Philharmonic announced the appointment of Petrenko as its next chief conductor, as of the 2013-2014 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. His initial Oslo contract called for 7 weeks of appearances in his first seasons and 10 weeks of appearances in subsequent seasons. In August 2013, comments attributed to Petrenko in a Norwegian newspaper that appeared to denigrate female conductors caused controversy, including calls for his resignation from the RLPO. Petrenko subsequently apologised for how some people chose to construe his remarks, and stated that his comments were in specific reference to the situation for conductors in Russia, rather than female conductors in general. He also indicated that part of the controversy was due to the fact that the interview was conducted in English, rather than Norwegian. Petrenko also subsequently stated publicly: : "I'd encourage any girl to study conducting. How successful they turn out to be depends on their talent and their work, definitely not their gender." In November 2015, Petrenko's Oslo contract was extended through 2020. In October 2019, the orchestra announced the scheduled conclusion of Petrenko's Oslo tenure at the close of the 2019-2020 season. Petrenko first guest-conducted the
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
(RPO) in March 2016. He returned for a subsequent guest-conducting engagement in April 2017. In July 2018, the RPO announced the appointment Petrenko as its new music director, effective with the 2021-2022 season, with an initial contract of 5 years. He is to hold the title of music director-designate for the 2020-2021 season. In parallel with this RPO announcement, Petrenko is scheduled to stand down as chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic at the close of the 2019-2020 season. Simultaneously with the RPO announcement, the RLPO announced that Petrenko is to conclude his RLPO chief conductorship at the close of the 2020-2021 season, and subsequently to take the title of conductor laureate with the RLPO. Petrenko became principal guest conductor of the
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation The State Academic Symphony Orchestra "Evgeny Svetlanov" (Государственный академический симфонический оркестр России имени Е. Ф. Светланова) is a Russian orchestra based in Mo ...
in 2016. In January 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Petrenko as its next principal conductor, effective 1 September 2021. In response to the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, Petrenko suspended his work with the orchestra stating "In response to these terrible events, I have decided to suspend my work in Russia... until peace has been restored."


Personal life

Petrenko lives on the
Wirral Peninsula Wirral (; ), known locally as The Wirral, is a peninsula in North West England. The roughly rectangular peninsula is about long and wide and is bounded by the River Dee to the west (forming the boundary with Wales), the River Mersey to t ...
with his wife, Evgenia Chernysheva-Petrenko, who is herself a conductor, and their two children, Alexander (Sasha) and Anya. He is a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
aficionado and follower of the club
FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Football Club Zenit (russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб «Зенит» ), also known as Zenit Saint Petersburg or simply Zenit, is a Russian professional association football, football club based in Saint Petersburg. Founded in ...
and
Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...
In March 2009, Petrenko was awarded an honorary professorship and Doctor of Letters degree from Liverpool Hope University. In April 2009, Petrenko was made an 'Honorary
Scouser Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
' by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. In November 2016, the city of Liverpool made Petrenko a new Citizen of Honour. He became a British citizen in 2015.


Discography

Avie Records AVIE Records is a UK-based independent classical music recording company founded in 2002 by Simon Foster and Melanne Mueller who devised a unique business model based on artist ownership. Foster and Mueller continue to run the company together with ...
* Tchaikovsky: Ballet Music (from ''Swan Lake'', ''The Sleeping Beauty'', and ''The Nutcracker'') (2008) * Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos Nos. 1–4, ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'';
Simon Trpčeski Simon Trpcheski (Simon Trpčeski), OMM ( mk, Симон Трпчески, ) (born September 18, 1979, in Skopje, Yugoslavia), is a Macedonian classical pianist. Trpčeski is the youngest of three children; his father was a judge and his mother ...
, piano (2010, 2011)
Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...
(DG) * Jennifer Higdon, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos;
Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist. She has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemporary classical music, and several ...
, violin (2010)
EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...
* Tavener: Requiem (2009) * Rachmaninov: ''Symphonic Dances'' / ''The Isle of the Dead'' / ''The Rock'' (2011) * Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2, Dances from ''Aleko'' (2012) * Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 3, ''Caprice Bohemien'', ''Vocalise''. (2012) * Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 1, ''Prince Rostislav'' (2013) Ecstatic Records * Torke: ''Concerto for Orchestra'' (2014) LAWO Classics * Scriabin: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 ''Le Poème de l'extase'' (2015) * Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (2016) Liverpool Philharmonic * Offenbach: ''
Un Mari à la porte ''Un mari à la porte'' (A Husband at the Door) is an opérette in one act of 1859 with music by Jacques Offenbach. The French libretto was by Alfred Delacour (Alfred Charlemagne Lartigue) and Léon Morand. ''Un mari à la porte'' was premiered b ...
'' (2008) LPO Classics] * Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto (2017) Mercury Classics * Horner: Pas de Deux (2015)
Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...
* Liszt: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, ''Totentanz'' (2008) * Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony / The Voyevoda (2008) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 (2009) * Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 9 (2009) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 (2010) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 8 (2010) * Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 12 (2011) * Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (2011) * Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 15 (2012) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 (2013) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 (2013) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 (2014) * Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13 (2014) * Shostakovich: The Complete Symphonies (2015) * Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2;
Boris Giltburg Boris Leonidovich Giltburg ( he, בוריס גילטבורג, born June 21, 1984) is an Israeli classical pianist, born in Russia. Biography Giltburg was born into a Jewish family in Moscow, Russia, and began studying piano with his mother a ...
, piano (2017) * Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 ;
Boris Giltburg Boris Leonidovich Giltburg ( he, בוריס גילטבורג, born June 21, 1984) is an Israeli classical pianist, born in Russia. Biography Giltburg was born into a Jewish family in Moscow, Russia, and began studying piano with his mother a ...
, piano (2019) * Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 5 'Emperor';
Boris Giltburg Boris Leonidovich Giltburg ( he, בוריס גילטבורג, born June 21, 1984) is an Israeli classical pianist, born in Russia. Biography Giltburg was born into a Jewish family in Moscow, Russia, and began studying piano with his mother a ...
, piano (2022) Ondine Records * Shostakovich: Cello Concertos Nos. 1 & 2;
Truls Mørk Truls Olaf Otterbech Mørk (born 25 April 1961) is a Norwegian cellist. Biography Mørk was born in Bergen, Norway to a cellist father, John Fritjof Mørk, and a pianist mother, Turid Otterbech. His mother began teaching him the piano when he w ...
, cello (2016)
Onyx Records Onyx Records, Inc., was a small, independent United States, American record label based in Manhattan, New York (state), New York, co-founded on July 15, 1971, by Joe Fields (producer), Joe Fields (1929–2017) and Don Schlitten (born 1932) and ma ...
* Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Simon Trpčeski, piano (2014) * Elgar: Symphony No. 1, ''Cockaigne'' Overture (2015) * Tchaikovsky: Symphony Nos. 1, 2, and 5 (2016) * Elgar: Symphony No. 2, ''Carissima'', ''Mina'', ''Chanson de Nuit'' and ''Chanson de Matin'' (2017) * Tchaikovsky: Symphony Nos. 3, 4, and 6, ''Pathetique'' (2017) * Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3, ''Overture on Hebrew Themes''; Simon Trpčeski, piano (2017) Orfeo Records * Szymanowski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2;
Baiba Skride Baiba Skride (born 19 February 1981) is a Latvian classical violinist. She was the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Contest in 2001. Background and studies Baiba Skride comes from a very musical Latvian family: her love of music comes from ...
, violin (2016) PENTATONE * Prokofiev: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Arabella Steinbacher, violin (2012)
Rubicon The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini. It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius Ca ...
* Wolf-Ferrari: ''I Quatro Rusteghi'' (2018)
Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by ...
* Guinovart: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, Valses Poéticos; Albert Guinovart, piano (2014) Tritó Records * Albéniz: 'Poèmes d'amour' (2013)
Warner Classics Warner Classics is the classical music arm of Warner Music Group. The label began issuing new recordings under the Warner Classics banner in 1991. The company also includes the Erato Records, Teldec Records and NVC Arts labels. Based in France, ...
*
Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...
: Piano Concertos No. 1.
Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
: Les Jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este, Sonetto 104 del Petrarca,
Réminiscences de Don Juan ''Réminiscences de Don Juan'' (S. 418) is an opera fantasia (music), fantasy for piano by Franz Liszt on themes from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart's 1787 opera ''Don Giovanni''. It is extremely technically demanding and considered to be am ...
.
George Li George Li (; born August 24, 1995) is an American concert pianist who was a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2016 and silver medalist of the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition. Early life George Li was born on August 24, 1995 ...
, piano. LPO (2019)


References


External links


IMG Artists biography of Vasily Petrenko


{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrenko, Vasily 1976 births Living people Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni Russian expatriates in the United Kingdom Musicians from Saint Petersburg Musicians from Liverpool 21st-century Russian conductors (music) Russian male conductors (music) 21st-century Russian male musicians People from the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral