ABBA

Conductor and music director who attended the Moscow Conservatoire and went on to work for the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre from 1988 to 1990 while completing his postgraduate degree. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he also held the post of associate conductor from 1988 to 1995 with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra.

In 1995, he became the chief conductor and artistic director of The Russian Philharmonia. This was followed by engagements at Covent Garden, Lincoln Center, and The Metropolitan Opera, where he conducted a production of Cinderella by Sergei Prokofiev.

In 2001, he became the principal conductor and musical director of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. A few of the highlights from his tenure at the Bolshoi include Hector Berlioz’s Le Damnation de Faust, Mikhail Glinka’s Ruslan and Ludmila, and Giacomo Puccini’s Turandot.

In 2003, he became a member of the Russian National Orchestra’s collegium of conductors, which allowed him to tour in Germany, France, and the U.S. He also inked a deal with PentaTone Classics, and made a few recordings with the Russian National Orchestra, notably ballet suites from The Bolt by Dmitri Shostakovich, Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev, and Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian.

In 2004, he made his debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and Carnegie Hall in New York. Then he debuted at the Paris National Opera (also known as The Bastille Opera or Opera Bastille) as the conductor and music director of Modest Mussorgky’s Boris Godunov.

In 2005, the Bolshoi Theatre underwent repairs and the orchestra began performing at the Moscow Conservatoire in a joint deal with the Moscow State Philharmonia. The orchestra also toured quite a bit, traveling to France, Germany and Greece in 2008 and a one-year stint at The Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London, England.

As of 2009, the Bolshoi Theatre was still undergoing repairs, and Alexander decided to call it quits. He honoured his obligation to finish an ongoing tour and then packed his bags for Denmark, where he serves as chief conductor with the Odense Symphony Orchestra.

Netherlands Radio Symphony recordings

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (Kees van Baaren)

NM Classics 92058

Conductor – Alexander Vedernikov

Pianist – David Kuyken

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