The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra

The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1930 as the first symphony orchestra of the Soviet Union and has consistently demonstrated its right to its title as one of the world’s finest ensembles – a right it has won over the course of history and through its intensive concert programming. Its high international standing is the result of collaboration with such outstanding Russian conductors as Alexander Orlov, Nikolai Golovanov, Alexander Gauk and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Ever since 1974 the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra has been Vladimir Fedoseyev. The ensemble has been entrusted with the premiere performances of works by Nikolai Myaskovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Aram Khachaturian, Georgy Sviridov, Boris Tchaikovsky and Dmitry Shostakovich. The orchestra’s history book lists the names of such conductors as Leopold Stokowski and Hermann Abendroth, Lorin Maazel and Kurt Masur and Yevgeny Mravinsky and Carlo Zechhi. Outstanding soloists of the past and present to have appeared with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra include Sviatoslav Richter, David Oistrakh, Antonina Nezhdanova, Sergei Lemeshev, Irina Arkhipova, Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Mirella Freni, Viktor Tretyakov, Pinchas Zukerman, Yuri Bashmet, Oleg Maisenberg, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Alexander Kniazev. In 1993 the orchestra was renamed in honour of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The map of the orchestra’s tours basically encompasses the entire globe, though its most important activities are its concerts in Russian towns and cities ranging from Smolensk to Vologda, Cherepovets to Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk to Sarov, Perm to Veliky Novgorod, Tyumen to Yekaterinburg... The orchestra marked the opening of the 2011–2012 season with three concerts at the Musikverein in Vienna. The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra turned eighty years of age in 2010. The orchestra concluded its anniversary year with concerts in capital cities throughout Europe; audiences were treated to an exclusive programme of works by Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Sviridov, Ledenyov, Boris Tchaikovsky and Weinberg, who have all written works specially for the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra over the years. In addition to performances at major venues throughout the world, the ensemble continues its active educational programme, organising music evenings at the Tretyakov Gallery and the Lomonosov Moscow State University. The orchestra opened the 2012–2013 season with a major tour commemorating Vladimir Fedoseyev’s anniversary.