Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s recording of Dimitry Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 won the 2011 Gramophone Award for best orchestral recording. It was Petrenko and the orchestra’s second award (they won in 2009 for their recording of Tchaikovsy’s Manfred Symphony). But for many people this might be the first time they’ve heard of the young St. Petersburg native. Too bad for them, because Petrenko and the Liverpudlians have been making thrilling music since 2006, the year he was appointed the orchestra’s Principal Conductor.
The young Russian is the latest in a long line of great conductors, including John Pritchard, Charles Groves, Walter Weller, Marek Janowski and Gerard Schwarz, who have led the orchestra. The orchestra’s management was wise to name him Chief Conductor and extend his contract to 2015, so Petrenko continues to triumph. He’s also Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and will take up the post of Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2013 season.
Petrenko and the orchestra’s discography are rapidly expanding. As might be expected Russian repertoire dominates, but they have also recorded music by Liszt, Tavener and Wolf-Ferrari. The shining jewels of the Petrenko discography are the Shostakovich symphonies recordings he has made for Naxos. Our featured recording, a pairing of Symphony No. 6 and No. 12, “The Year 1917,”is the latest in Petrenko and the orchestra’s complete cycle of Shostakovich symphonies. The Petrenko recordings of Shostakovich are revelations and rival the legendary recordings of Rudolf Barshai, Yevgeny Mravinsky and Kurt Sanderling.
by Craig Zeichner, Ariama Editor
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