Gennady Rozhdestvensky facts for kids
Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky (born May 4, 1931 – died June 16, 2018) was a famous Soviet and Russian conductor. He was known for leading many orchestras and helping new music be heard.
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About Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Early Life and Family
Gennady Rozhdestvensky was born in Moscow. His parents were also very musical. His father, Nikolai Anosov, was a well-known conductor and teacher. His mother, Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya, was a talented singer.
Gennady's birth name was Gennady Nikolayevich Anosov. But he decided to use his mother's maiden name, Rozhdestvensky, for his career. He did this so people would know he earned his success on his own, not because of his famous father. His younger brother, P.N. Anosov, kept their father's name.
Education and First Steps
Gennady studied music at the Moscow Conservatory. He learned conducting from his father and piano from Lev Oborin.
He became famous very early. At just 20 years old, he conducted the ballet The Nutcracker at the Bolshoi Theatre. This helped him quickly become a respected conductor.
Important Performances
Gennady Rozhdestvensky was known for performing many new musical works. He introduced pieces by Soviet composers, like Edison Denisov's Le soleil des Incas in 1964. He also led the first performance in Russia of Benjamin Britten's opera A Midsummer Night's Dream.
He also brought new music to the Western world. At the 1962 Edinburgh International Festival, he conducted the first Western performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony.
Leading the Bolshoi Theatre
In 2000, Rozhdestvensky became the main artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre. This is a very famous theater in Russia. In 2001, he led the first performance of the original version of Sergei Prokofiev's opera The Gambler.
However, he resigned not long after. He mentioned problems with singers and performances, and negative reports from the Moscow news.
Music Written for Him
Some composers wrote music especially for Gennady Rozhdestvensky. These include Sofia Gubaidulina's symphony Stimmen... Verstummen.... Also, several works by Alfred Schnittke, like his Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 8, and Symphony No. 9, were dedicated to him.
His Conducting Style
Gennady Rozhdestvensky was known as a very flexible conductor. He was a highly educated musician with a smooth way of leading an orchestra. When he conducted, he made sure the audience understood the structure and feelings of the music. His style mixed logic, natural talent, and sudden inspiration.
In the Soviet Union, he made many recordings. He worked with three of the biggest soloists of his time: David Oistrakh (violin), Sviatoslav Richter (piano), and Mstislav Rostropovich (cello).
Music and Challenges in the Soviet Union
Rozhdestvensky is featured in a documentary called "The Red Baton." This film shows the difficulties musicians faced in the Soviet Union. In the film, he talks about how politics affected his life and the lives of other famous musicians like Shostakovich and Prokofiev. He also discusses the art of conducting. The documentary includes clips of him teaching students and rehearsing with orchestras. You can also see him conducting pieces like Shostakovich's 7th Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.
Interpreting Shostakovich
Gennady Rozhdestvensky was especially famous for performing the music of Dmitri Shostakovich. In 2016, he won the 7th International Shostakovich Prize for his amazing performances of Shostakovich's works.
In 1964, he conducted the 4th symphony in Edinburgh. This was its first performance outside the Soviet Union. His 1983 recording of the 8th symphony is considered a classic. He also helped edit a collection of Shostakovich's works published in 1984. This included the Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 4.
Personal Life
Gennady Rozhdestvensky was married twice. His first wife was the ballerina Nina Timofeeva. In 1969, he married the pianist Viktoria Postnikova. They recorded Tchaikovsky's piano concertos together. Their son, Sasha Rozhdestvensky, is a violinist. In 2007, Gennady and Sasha recorded violin concertos by Glazunov and Shostakovich.
He received many important awards during his life. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1976. He also received the title Hero of Socialist Labour in 1990. Gennady Rozhdestvensky passed away on June 16, 2018.
Orchestras He Led
Gennady Rozhdestvensky worked with many orchestras throughout his career:
- 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
- 2011–2018: Iceland Symphony Orchestra (guest conductor)
- 2011–2018: Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (chief guest conductor)
With the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra, he recorded all the symphonies by Dmitri Shostakovich, Alexander Glazunov, Anton Bruckner, Alfred Schnittke, and Arthur Honegger. He also performed all the symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams in Leningrad in the late 1980s. These recordings were later released as a complete CD set.
He also conducted many of the world's greatest orchestras. These include the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Awards and Honours
Gennady Rozhdestvensky received many important awards for his contributions to music:
- Hero of Socialist Labour (1990)
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th classes (2001-2017)
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour, twice (1967, 1981)
- Order of Lenin (1990)
- Order of Saints Cyril and Methodius (Bulgaria, 1972)
- Officer of the Legion of Honour (France, 2003)
- Order of the Rising Sun, 3rd class (Japan, 2002)
- Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1959)
- People's Artist of the RSFSR (1966)
- People's Artist of the USSR (1976)
- Lenin Prize (1970)
- Russian Federation State Prize in Literature and Art (1995)
- Honorary Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1975)
- Honorary Academician of the British Royal Academy of Music (1984)
- Grand Prix of Le Chant du Monde
- Diploma of the Académie Charles Cros in Paris (1969) – for performing all of Prokofiev's symphonies
- Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (2014)
See also
In Spanish: Guennadi Rozhdéstvenski para niños
