Saulius Sondeckis (Saulius Sondeckis) |

Saulius Sondeckis

Saulius Sondeckis was born in 1928 in Siauliai. In 1952 he graduated from the Vilnius Conservatory in the violin class of A.Sh. Livont (a student of P.S. Stolyarsky). In 1957-1960. studied at the postgraduate course of the Moscow Conservatory, and also took a master class in conducting with Igor Markevich. From 1952 he taught violin at Vilnius music schools, then at the Vilnius Conservatory (since 1977 professor). With the orchestra of the Čiurlionis School of Arts, he won the Herbert von Karajan Youth Orchestra Competition in West Berlin (1976), receiving rave reviews from critics.

In 1960 he founded the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra and until 2004 led this renowned ensemble. Founder (in 1989) and permanent director of the Chamber Orchestra “Camerata St. Petersburg” (since 1994 – State Hermitage Orchestra). Since 2004 he has been Principal Guest Conductor of the Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra. Principal Conductor in Patra (Greece, 1999–2004). Member of the jury of major international competitions, including them. Tchaikovsky (Moscow), Mozart (Salzburg), Toscanini (Parma), Karajan Foundation (Berlin) and others.

For more than 50 years of intensive creative activity, Maestro Sondeckis has given more than 3000 concerts in dozens of cities in the USSR, Russia and CIS countries, in almost all European countries, in the USA, Canada, Japan, Korea and many other countries. He was applauded by the Great Halls of the Moscow Conservatory and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Vienna Musikverein and the Parisian Pleyel Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw … The partners of S. Sondetskis were outstanding musicians of the XX-XXI centuries: pianists T. Nikolaeva, V. Krainev , E. Kissin, Yu. Frants; violinists O.Kagan, G.Kremer, V.Spivakov, I.Oistrakh, T.Grindenko; violist Yu.Bashmet; cellists M. Rostropovich, N. Gutman, D. Geringas; organist J. Guillou; trumpeter T.Dokshitser; singer E. Obraztsova; The Moscow chamber choir conducted by V. Minin, the Latvian chamber choir “Ave Sol” (director I. Kokars) and many other groups and soloists. The conductor has performed with the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the Philharmonic Orchestras of St. Petersburg, Berlin and Toronto, as well as with the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Orchestra of Radio France.

The maestro and the bands he leads have always been welcome guests at the most prestigious music forums, including festivals in Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Lucerne, the Stockholm Royal Festival, the Ivo Pogorelich festival in Bad Wörishofen, the “December evenings of Svyatoslav Richter” and the festival for the 70th anniversary of A. Schnittke in Moscow…

The compositions of J.S. Bach and W.A. Mozart occupy a special place in the conductor’s extensive repertoire. In particular, he performed a cycle of all Mozart’s clavier concertos with V. Krainev in Vilnius, Moscow and Leningrad, and recorded the opera Don Giovanni (live recording). At the same time, he collaborated with many outstanding composers – his contemporaries. His recording of D. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13 was highly appreciated. The conductor conducted world premieres of a number of works by A. Schnittke, A. Pärt, E. Denisov, R. Shchedrin, B. Dvarionas, S. Slonimsky and others. No. 1 – dedicated to S. Sondetskis, G. Kremer and T. Grindenko, Concerto grosso No. 3 – dedicated to S. Sondetskis and the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, to the 25th anniversary of the collective), P. Vasks and other composers.

Saulius Sondeckis was awarded the title of People’s Artist of the USSR (1980). Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR (1987), the National Prize of Lithuania (1999) and other awards of the Republic of Lithuania. Honorary Doctor of Siauliai University (1999), Honorary Citizen of Siauliai (2000). Honorary Professor of the St. Petersburg Conservatory (2006). President of the Hermitage Academy of Music Foundation.

By the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev dated July 3, 2009, Saulius Sondeckis was awarded the Russian Order of Honor for his great contribution to the development of musical art, the strengthening of Russian-Lithuanian cultural ties and many years of creative activity.

Source: Moscow Philharmonic website