Chief Conductor, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko took up the baton as Principal Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2006. He is the youngest person in the long and illustrious history of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to have held the position. In 2009, when signing an extended contract until 2015, his titled changed to Chief Conductor.
Born in St Petersburg in 1976, Petrenko is recognised as one of the exceptional musicians of his generation. He started his music education at the St Petersburg Capella Boys Music School – the oldest music school in Russia. He then studied at the St Petersburg Conservatoire.
Between 1994 and 1997, while still in his teens, he was Resident Conductor at the St Petersburg State Opera and Ballet Theatre in the Mussorgsky Memorial Theatre, during which time he gained an enormous amount of operatic experience and now has over 30 operas in his repertoire.
Since then, Petrenko has gone on to work with many of the world’s finest orchestras, earning international acclaim – and top prizes – for his inspirational performances.
Since coming to Liverpool, Vasily Petrenko has made a deep impression on the City and his galvanising effect on the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has attracted unanimous critical acclaim and awards for the Orchestra’s concerts and recordings, drawing new and younger audiences to classical music.
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was listed as one of three 'Up-and-Coming' orchestras in the world by a panel of leading international critics in Gramophone magazine's December 2008 issue.
In 2009, the Orchestra and new music group Ensemble 10/10 were jointly awarded Ensemble of the Year in the 20th Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, the most prestigious accolade for live classical music-making in the United Kingdom. Vasily Petrenko was awarded the Classic FM/Gramophone Young Artist of the Year 2007.
Petrenko’s impact and outstanding contribution to the musical life of the City of Liverpool has been recognised through the conferment in 2009 of two honorary degrees: Doctor of Music by the University of Liverpool and Doctor of Letters, and his installing as a Visiting Professor at Liverpool Hope University. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool awarded Petrenko the status of ‘Honorary Scouser’ in 2009 and he was named Personality of the Year at the 2008 Liverpool Scouseology Awards, in association with BBC Radio Merseyside.
In December 2008, Petrenko was also appointed Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
A football aficionado, Vasily is a supporter of Zenit St. Petersburg and takes a keen interest in Merseyside’s three clubs, Liverpool, Everton and Tranmere Rovers.
What the Papers Say…
“In taking up his post as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's principal conductor in 2006, Vasily Petrenko announced his intention of turning the orchestra into an ensemble of international stature. If this great concert was anything to go by, he has, by and large, succeeded. Petrenko's ability to sustain such an unremitting emotional pitch without straying into incoherence was remarkable, though he could not have done so without an orchestra whose playing is now formidable in its intensity.”
Tim Ashley, The Guardian – 5 Star Review
“They seek him here, they seek him there. Everybody wants Vasily Petrenko, the blond, galvanising young Russian who, in two years as principal conductor, has transformed the artistic profile of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Feel that crackle of electricity...the orchestra’s ensemble spirit is so tight that you could cut yourself on the music’s edges.”
Geoff Brown, The Times
“Petrenko and the Phil are a force to be reckoned with.”
Lynne Walker, The Independent
"The Liverpudlians could easily be mistaken for a crack Russian orchestra – weighty sonority in the long string melodies, brilliant articulation, blazing brass. But the key ingredient is the commitment of the playing, the sense of an orchestra at its peak."
Andrew Clark, Financial Times
"Vasily Petrenko and the RLPO here notch up another commanding success with a dynamic recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No 11... The RLPO is on top form here, sensitive to the symphony's darker colours as well as to the warning blasts and aggression of the finale. This is a gripping, visceral performance."
Geoffrey Norris, The Telegraph
