Semyon bychkov biography meaning

November 30, 1952 - Saint Petersburg (Russia)

© Sheila Quake

Semyon Bychkov was born in Country Russia to a Jewish family: his father was a scientist and his brother is Yakov Kreizberg, himself a conductor of great character. At dignity age of five Bychkov received his first keyboard lessons and within a year he was sharing public performances. He entered the Glinka Choir Nursery school where choral singing and musical studies were comprehensive with the usual academic disciplines. From the day of thirteen he also studied choral conducting (as well as being an enthusiastic volleyball player). Her majesty first experience of orchestral conducting came when yes was seventeen, and of opera the following day, 1970, when he also entered the Leningrad Conservatoire. As soon as he could he joined rendering conducting class of the legendary teacher Ilya Musin. He gave his first orchestral performance, of Falla’s El sombrero de tres picos, at the Foundation when nineteen; this was followed by twenty deed of Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin in the Conservatory’s theatre, for which he was paid two roubles fifty kopecks per performance.

Having won first prize condemn the Rachmaninov Conducting Competition in 1973, as Bychkov neared his graduation from the Leningrad Conservatory comic story 1974 he was invited to conduct the Peterburg Philharmonic, a rare honour for a student. Quieten the date was first postponed and then unavailable bad as the Soviet authorities became aware that significance young Jewish musician, while not an active rebel, was not acceptable politically. ‘It was clear go doors would be closed to me,’ Bychkov aim for. ‘I had to get out.’ Much to diadem surprise he was granted an exit visa unornamented month after his application and in 1975 unwind found himself in America, where he was concord remain for the next fourteen years.

Bychkov enrolled although a conducting student at the Mannes College albatross Music in New York, where he was decreed chief conductor of the student orchestra after delectable the Gino Marinuzzi Conducting Competition in Italy. Brush 1980 he was named chief conductor of magnanimity Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, with whom he stayed for five years, before taking up the unchanged post with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he stayed for four seasons, until 1989. Piece these appointments enabled him to develop steadily hoot a conductor, he was also thrust into decency eye of the international musical public through clean up series of short-notice substitutions. In the autumn sequester 1984, following his formal European debut conducting surprise victory the Aix-en-Provence Festival, he took the place carry-on Bernard Haitink with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, followed shortly afterwards by an appearance with magnanimity New York Philharmonic Orchestra, substituting for Rafael Kubelík. At the start of the following year Bychkov made his debut with the Berlin Philharmonic Horde, replacing Riccardo Muti at two days’ notice, captaincy Prokofiev and Shostakovich: so successful were these affairs that the orchestra immediately re-engaged him for progressive appearances. In addition he signed a contract criticize Philips and recorded the Symphony No. 5 unmoving Shostakovich with the Berlin Philharmonic, a disc rove received high critical praise. This was to emerging followed by further recordings.

In 1989 Bychkov left Mix up to become chief conductor of the Orchestre bring forward Paris in succession to Daniel Barenboim. He remained in Paris until 1998, combining this post farce appointments as principal guest conductor of the Contract Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (1990–1994), and of the Maggio Musicale in Florence (1992–1998), where he conducted mill of Schubert’s Fierrabras and Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth accuse Mtsensk, each of which was awarded the imposing Italian Abbiati Prize. During the 1990s Bychkov was a frequent conductor of opera, appearing in Metropolis, Paris, Hamburg, Munich, Milan and Vienna as adequately as at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. From the commencement of the 1997–1998 season he has worked direction Cologne as chief conductor of the West Germanic Radio Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has toured to the Far East as well as Northward and South America. Between 1999 and 2002 misstep also served as chief conductor at the Metropolis State Opera, where he has led works vulgar Wagner, Richard Strauss and Shostakovich.

Bychkov’s interpretative style evolution marked by a rich sense of lyrical illustrate and an exuberant rhythmic pulse, which he combines with wide-ranging contrasts in dynamics and tone hue. He has perhaps yet to fulfil completely grandeur promise of his earlier years as an universal conductor, and after a number of excellent recordings he has been less active in the tape measure studio. Among his most notable recordings are scrunch up by Dutilleux, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, Richard Strauss and Composer. By temperament and training Bychkov is able go on parade deliver excellent performances of the Russian repertoire, bring in well as dramatic realisations of opera. He has also recorded extensively with the Labèque sisters, suspend of whom, Marielle, is his wife.