Gennady Rozhdestvensky
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Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky (Генна́дий Никола́евич Рожде́ственский) (born May 4, 1931) is a Russian conductor.
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[edit] Biography
Rozhdestvensky was born in Moscow to musician parents as Gennady Nikolayevich Anosov, but adopted his mother's maiden name in its masculine form for his professional career. He studied conducting with his father Nikolai Anosov at the Moscow Conservatory and piano with Lev Oborin. Already known for having conducted Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre at the age of 20, he quickly established his reputation. He premiered many works of Soviet composers, as well as giving the Russian premiere of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He has been praised for his efficient rehearsals which he keeps short, and is noted for his habit of walking around the stage while conducting and not using a podium, even at concerts. Among the works dedicated to Rozhdestvensky is Sofia Gubaidulina's symphony Stimmen... Verstummen....
He edited the second volume of the collected works of Shostakovich published in 1984, including the Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 4.
[edit] Orchestra tenures
- 1951-1961 Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre (conductor)
- 1961-1974 Symphony Orchestra of All-Union Radio and Television (Moscow)
- 1964-1970 Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre (principal conductor)
- 1974-1985 Chamber Theatre Orchestra
- 1974-1977 Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra (artistic director)
- 1978-1981 BBC Symphony Orchestra (chief conductor)
- 1980-1982 Vienna Symphony
- 1983-1991 USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra
- 1992-1995 Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
With the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra he recorded all the symphonies of Dmitri Shostakovich, Alexander Glazunov, Anton Bruckner, Alfred Schnittke, Arthur Honegger, and Vaughan Williams.
He has also conducted many of the world's greatest orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
[edit] Personal life
In 1969 he married the pianist Viktoria Postnikova.
[edit] References
- There are no Whiz Kid Among Conductors. Voice of Russia (4 May 2001). Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
- Ben Mattison. "Conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky Quits Concerts Over Liner Notes", playbillarts, 28 Feb 2006. Retrieved on 2007-09-23.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Alexander Gauk |
Music Director, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio 1961–1974 |
Succeeded by Vladimir Fedoseyev |
| Preceded by Evgeny Svetlanov |
Music Director, Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 1965–1970 |
Succeeded by Yuri Simonov |
| Preceded by Antal Doráti |
Principal Conductor, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra 1974–1977 |
Succeeded by Yuri Ahronovich |
| Preceded by Maxim Shostakovich |
Principal Conductor, State Symphony Capella of Russia 1981–1992 |
Succeeded by Valery Polyansky |
| Preceded by Paavo Berglund |
Principal Conductor, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra 1991–1995 |
Succeeded by Andrew Davis and Paavo Järvi |
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