Alexander Vedernikov facts for kids

Alexander Alexandrovich Vedernikov (born January 11, 1964 – died October 29, 2020) was a famous Russian conductor. He was like the leader of an orchestra, guiding musicians to play beautiful music. He worked with many important music groups, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark, and the Royal Danish Opera.

Who Was Alexander Vedernikov?

Alexander Vedernikov was born in Moscow, Russia. His father, Alexander Filipovich Vedernikov, was a well-known singer at the Bolshoi Theatre. His mother, Natalia Nikolaevna Gureeva, taught organ music at the Moscow Conservatory. Alexander grew up with his two siblings in a small apartment.

His Early Career

Alexander Vedernikov studied music at the Moscow Conservatory. He graduated in 1988. He learned from famous conductors like Leonid Nikolaev and Mark Ermler.

After finishing school, he started working as a conductor.

• From 1988 to 1990, he worked at the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre.
• He was also an assistant conductor for the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio from 1988 to 1995.
• In 1995, he created his own group called the Russian Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra. He was its main leader until 2004.

Leading the Bolshoi Theatre

In 2001, Alexander Vedernikov became the music director of the Bolshoi Theatre. This is one of the most famous opera and ballet theaters in the world. He worked to make the theater more modern.

He conducted many important shows there:

• He led the first new production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov since 1948.
• He also conducted the first Bolshoi productions of Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur and Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel.
• He led famous operas like Puccini's Turandot and Verdi's Falstaff.
• He even conducted a brand new opera called The Children of Rosenthal in 2004/05.
• He also led Prokofiev's War and Peace and his ballet Cinderella.

Vedernikov worked at the Bolshoi until 2009. He decided to leave because he had different ideas from the theater's management.

International Performances

Alexander Vedernikov also conducted in many other famous theaters around the world.

• In 1996, he made his first appearance at the Covent Garden in London. He conducted Prokofiev's Cinderella and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
• He conducted at the Komische Oper Berlin in Germany.
• In 2005, he led Boris Godunov at the Paris Opera in France.
• In 2011, he conducted Eugene Onegin at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. This was his first time performing there.
• In 2013, he conducted Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring with the BBC Orchestra in London. People noticed how energetic he was when he conducted!

Later Career

In 2009, Vedernikov became the chief conductor of the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark. He stayed with them until 2018 and became an honorary conductor.

In 2016, the Royal Danish Opera announced he would be their new chief conductor starting in 2018. In February 2019, he also became the music director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Russia.

Sadly, Alexander Vedernikov passed away on October 29, 2020. He died from COVID-19 during the pandemic.

What Music Did He Record?

Alexander Vedernikov recorded many musical works. You can find his recordings on labels like Pentatone, Hyperion, and Naive.

Some of his recordings include:

• Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmila (an opera)
• Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (a famous ballet)
• Rimsky-Korsakov: The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and the Maiden Fevroniya (an opera, recorded on DVD)
• Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin (an opera, recorded in 2020)

See also

In Spanish: Aleksandr Vedérnikov para niños