Maestro stays: Petrenko signs second term

Maestro stays: Petrenko signs second term

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norman lebrecht

November 09, 2015

Vasily Petrenko has renewed with the Oslo Philharmonic until its centenary in 2020.

Vasily, who turns 40 next year, has been principal conductor in Oslo since 2013 and in Liverpool since 2006.

He is also in charge of the EU Youth Orchestra.

vasily petrenko

press release:

Vasily Petrenko, Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, has renewed his contract with the Oslo Philharmonic up to the end of the 2019/2020 season. This is the season the orchestra will celebrate its 100 year anniversary. It is hoped that 2020 might also be the year in which the orchestra realizes its plans for a new concert hall on the waterfront in Oslo.

39 year old Petrenko’s first two seasons with the Oslo Philharmonic have been very successful, and audience numbers are steadily increasing. Intense and inspiring, the dynamic partnership between Petrenko and the orchestra in Oslo has attracted critical acclaim and audience ovations at home and abroad. International highlights so far have been two concerts at the Proms in 2013, ten concerts inToshiba Grand Concert Series in Japan in March 2014 and two concerts at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2015.

“The Oslo Philharmonic is one of Europe’s finest orchestras with a great tradition”, comments Vasily Petrenko. “After two seasons with me at the reins, I think we have freshened up the orchestra and introduced some great music that hasn’t been heard in Oslo for many years. The idea is that we should always embrace the audience and be embraced in return by the audience, to be part of one large family and break down the artificial barrier between musicians on stage and the public in the hall. Creating this special energy between orchestra and audience, I think, can play a vital role in society today.”

Comments

  • Roberto says:

    isnt he the one who said that if a pretty woman stands on the podium men in the orchestra would be too distracted to play ? Or something like that ….

    • Christopher Stone says:

      Something like that. Of course Beecham said if women musicians were pretty they distracted the rest of the orchestra, and if they were not pretty they distracted him! I guess (some male) conductors never change.

  • JayBuyer says:

    Gosh, the moaners are up early today! Just to remind you that Mr Petrenko has persuaded many to travel to Liverpool on Thursday to hear his Mahler 6, with the added attraction, of course, of a pre-concert talk by one N. Lebrecht.

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