National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia (National Philharmonic of Russia) |

National Philharmonic of Russia

The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia (NPR) was established in January 2003 by the Ministry of Culture of Russia on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin. The orchestra unites the best representatives of the orchestral elite and talented young musicians. For nine years of active creative life, the NPR has managed to become one of the leading symphony orchestras in Russia, to win the love of the public and the recognition of professionals in their country and abroad.

The orchestra is headed by the world famous violinist and conductor Vladimir Spivakov. Outstanding contemporary conductors collaborate and regularly perform with the NPR, including permanent guest conductors James Conlon and Alexander Lazarev, as well as Krzysztof Penderecki, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, George Cleve, John Nelson, Hans Graf, Okko Kamu, Michel Plasson, Eri Klas, Saulius Sondeckis and others.

The NPR considers the succession of the traditions of the three great Russian conductors, Evgeny Mravinsky, Kirill Kondrashin and Evgeny Svetlanov, to be its most important task. By studying the scores marked by these conductors, their audio and video recordings, the NPR seeks to preserve the most valuable of their heritage while shaping its own performing style.

Another important task of the NPR is to support talented young musicians, create conditions for their creative realization and professional growth. In the 2004/2005 season, the orchestra created a group of trainee conductors that has no analogues in the orchestral world. The most outstanding trainee conductors are traditionally given a unique opportunity to perform in concert with the NPR.

Outstanding musicians take part in the concert programs of the NPR, such as world opera stars Jesse Norman, Rene Fleming, Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Kiri Te Kanava, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Maria Gulegina, Juan Diego Flores, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Marcelo Alvarez, Ramon Vargas, Angela Georgiou; renowned instrumental soloists Viktor Tretyakov, Gidon Kremer, Vadim Repin, Gil Shakham, Hilary Khan, Vadim Gluzman, Natalia Gutman, Xavier Phillips, Tatyana Vasilyeva, Arkady Volodos, Barry Douglas, Valery Afanasiev, Boris Berezovsky and many others. John Lill, Denis Matsuev, Alexander Gindin, Olga Kern, Nikolai Tokarev, Khibla Gerzmava, Tatyana Pavlovskaya, Vasily Ladyuk, Dmitry Korchak perform regularly with the NPR, emphasizing their special closeness to the orchestra.

The NPR’s repertoire covers the period from early classical symphonies to the latest contemporary compositions. For nine seasons, the orchestra has presented many extraordinary programs, performed a number of Russian and world premieres, held many unique season tickets and concert series.

Confirming its status and name, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia gives concerts not only in Moscow, but also in various regions of the country, laying routes to the most remote corners. Every year the NPR takes part in the Vladimir Spivakov International Music Festival in Colmar (France). The orchestra regularly tours in the USA, Western Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia, in the CIS and Baltic countries.

In May 2005, Capriccio released a CD and DVD recording of Isaac Schwartz’s concerto for orchestra “Yellow Stars” performed by the NPR under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov, to whom the composer dedicated this work. NPR recorded two CDs at Sony Music, including works by P. Tchaikovsky, N. Rimsky-Korsakov and S. Rachmaninov. In September 2010, Sony Music released an album recording P.I. Tchaikovsky and the Third Piano Concerto by S.V. Rachmaninov performed by Nikolai Tokarev and NPR conducted by Vladimir Spivakov.