Alexander Vedernikov | |
|---|---|
 Vedernikov in 2005 | |
| Born | Александр Александрович Ведерников Alexander Alexandrovich Vedernikov (1964-01-11)11 January 1964 Moscow, USSR |
| Died | 29 October 2020(2020-10-29) (aged 56) Moscow, Russia |
| Education | Moscow Conservatory |
| Occupation | Conductor |
| Organizations | |
Alexander Alexandrovich Vedernikov (Russian:Александр Александрович Ведерников; 11 January 1964 – 29 October 2020) was a Russian conductor. He held major posts with theBolshoi Theatre theOdense Symphony Orchestra, theRoyal Danish Opera, and theMikhailovsky Theatre.
Born in Moscow, Vedernikov was the son of the bassAlexander Filipovich Vedernikov, who sang at theBolshoi Theatre, and of Natalia Nikolaevna Gureeva, who was a professor of organ at theMoscow Conservatory.[1][2] He grew up with two siblings in a small apartment.[3] Vedernikov graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1988, where he studied withLeonid Nikolaev and also took classes fromMark Ermler.[4] He worked as a conductor in theStanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre from 1988 to 1990. He was also an assistant conductor toVladimir Fedoseyev at theTchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio from 1988 to 1995. In 1995, he established the Russian Philharmonia Symphony Orchestra and served as its artistic director and chief conductor until 2004.[5]
Vedernikov became music director of theBolshoi Theatre in 2001,[6] where he worked on modernising the company.[7] He conducted the first new production of Mussorgsky'sBoris Godunov since 1948.[7] He conducted at the house the first production of Cilea'sAdriana Lecouvreur in 2002, Mussorgsky'sKhovanshchina, Puccini'sTurandot, the original version of Glinka'sRuslan and Ludmila, the first production of Prokofiev'sThe Fiery Angel in 2004, the first Russian performance of the original version of Wagner'sThe Flying Dutchman and Verdi'sFalstaff.[5] He conducted, on a commission from the opera house, the world premiere ofLeonid Desyatnikov'sThe Children of Rosenthal in the 2004/05 season.[3] He led productions of Prokofiev'sWar and Peace and his balletCinderella.[5] He had a contract with the company until 2010, but in July 2009 resigned on the first day of the theater's summer tour, citing disagreements with its management.[8][9]
Vedernikov made hisCovent Garden debut in 1996, where he conducted Prokofiev'sCinderella and Tchaikovsky'sSwan Lake.[3] He conducted at theKomische Oper Berlin Smetana'sThe Bartered Bride, Tchaikovsky'sThe Queen of Spades,Salome by Richard Strauss and Janáček'sThe Cunning Little Vixen.[7] At theParis Opera, he conductedBoris Godunov in 2005, directed byFrancesca Zambello.[5][7] He led Tchaikovsky'sEugene Onegin in 2011. He conducted a double bill of Mascagni'sCavalleria rusticana and Leoncavollo'sPagliacci at theOpernhaus Zürich in 2011, and made his debut at theMetropolitan Opera in New York City, again withEugene Onegin.[7] In 2013, he conducted Stravinsky'sThe Rite of Spring with theBBC Orchestra in a centenary concert at theBarbican in London. A critic noted that he "supplied his own wild-man choreography on the podium".[3]
Vedernikov became chief conductor of theOdense Symphony Orchestra in 2009, with an initial three-year contract,[10][7] which was extended to 2014.[11] In November 2016, the Royal Danish Opera announced Vedernikov's appointment as its next chief conductor, effective from the 2018/19 season.[12] Vedernikov concluded his Odense tenure in 2018, remaining an honorary conductor.[13] In February 2019, he also became music director and principal conductor of theMikhailovsky Theatre.[13]
Vedernikov died on 29 October 2020,[13] fromCOVID-19 during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Russia.[1][3][14]
Vedernikov recorded commercially for such labels as Pentatone, Hyperion and Naive.[15][16][17]
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| Preceded by | Music Director, Bolshoi Theatre 2001–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Paul Mann | Chief Conductor, Odense Symphony Orchestra 2009–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Conductor, Royal Danish Orchestra 2018–2020 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Music Director and Principal Conductor, Mikhailovsky Theatre 2019–2020 | Succeeded by Alevtina Ioffe (musical director) |
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