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Here he comes. Alexander Vedernikov. The Great Russian chief conductor and music personality who will lead the Odense Symphony Orchestra for the next three years.International top conductorExpectations for cooperation with the Russian maestro are high. Both the music director and the musicians. ”It was a sensation when we managed to engage him. He is one of the greatest and best conductors, and we would also like to be in the Odense Symphony Orchestra. Therefore, it is natural to hire a man of his caliber to be responsible for the artistic development of the orchestra,” says Finn Schumacker, music director of the Odense Symphony Orchestra. Alexander Vedernikov belongs among the elite of younger Russian conductors. From 2001-2009 he has been the head of the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow. This job he left in July due to disagreements surrounding the renovation and management of the Opera. Almost simultaneously, it was announced that Vedernikov would take up the post of chief conductor of the Odense Symphony Orchestra.
Passion, will and positivityWith his intense nature and strong ego, Alexander Vedernikov has great ambitions on behalf of the Odense Symphony Orchestra. When he is asked to describe the orchestra in three words, they fall prompt: they are passionate, willing and positive. And it is precisely this attitude that has been decisive for Alexander Vedernikov to say yes to the job in Odense. "Seen through the eyes of a chief conductor, different orchestras have different advantages and this presents different challenges. The most important thing for me is that an orchestra has the will to become even better. And they have that in Odense Symphony Orchestra. They are profoundly professional-and so is management. In much more famous orchestras, I have found it difficult to find the incentive for this eternal development,” says Alexander Vedernikov.
"A world-famous orchestra has a very special reputation. It has a long and glorious history, but it is not always followed with the quality that can also go up and down here. Because you are very famous, you are not always much better”
Alexander VedernikovMusical quantum leapsAs chief conductor, Vedernikov is responsible for the artistic development of the orchestra. "The path of art is not like a stretch of railway from A to B. There is not only one final destination, but many stops on the way to becoming the best. It's about being able to reach the farthest on the individual distance”, explains Vedernikov. One of his most important parameters is that the musicians feel free in their playing and have a very fine feeling with each other. ”It's an advanced form of communication going on in an orchestra that is extraordinarily well organized".
Young and preparedMusic and excitement for everyone. This is the Odense Symphony Orchestra's nye trademark. And the very task of conveying the joy of listening to classical music puts Alexander Vedernikov at heart. Especially when it comes to attracting a younger audience. From his point of view, the decline of the audience in the classical concert halls is not only a problem for the orchestras, but a task for the whole society. "Children need to learn to read and count and engage in other languages. But music is also a language that should be included more in general school education. This will mean that children and young people will not meet the music unprepared, " says the Russian chief conductor.
"Classical music appeals to the intellect-not to physiology as pop and rock music do”Alexander Vedernikov.The Great Russian composersWhen Alexander Vedernikov swings the baton, the Odense Symphony Orchestra's audience can look forward to experiencing works by some of the greatest Russian composers. "Everyone knows and loves Tchaikovsky. And the Fifth Symphony, which we will play on the 3rd. december is one of his best-known and most beloved works,” says Vedernikov. In February, Igor Stravinsky's ”Le Sacre du Printemps” is on the program. "Of course, I consider myself especially competent in understanding Russian music. And if I have to highlight some composers over others, it must be Sergei Rakhmaninov and Sergei Prokofiev. More generally, I am occupied with composers of the late 19th century. from the beginning of the 20th century. century, " says Vedernikov, when the question falls on his personal taste in music. Pop and rock music say absolutely nothing to him. "To me, it all sounds primitive and the same. If I listen to anything other than classical, it's either jazz or folk.”
"What can't happen in Odense?”Alexander Vedernikov makes his way past Odense after conducting the evening before in Aarhus. A concert that received six out of six stars in Jyllands-Posten, and which was described as one of the great evenings. The reviewer wrote enthusiastically: "you almost felt Vedernikov as an orchestral magician and thought: What can't happen in Odense?”. This will soon be a great opportunity to experience. Alexander Vedernikov will conduct his first concert as chief conductor on the 3rd. december at Odense Koncerthus.
FactsAlexander Vedernikov, Russian conductorEducated at the Moscow Conservatory
Music director and chief conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre from 2001 to 2009.
Guest conductor of bl.a. Staatskapelle Dresden, Tokyo Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra as well as DR Symphony Orchestra and Odense Symphony Orchestra
Has conducted opera at La Scala in Milan as well as in opera houses in Rome, Bologna, Turin and Vendig. Debuted at the Bastille Opera in Paris in 2005.
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