National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia

The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia (NPR) was founded in January 2003 by the Ministry of Culture. The Orchestra united top orchestra musicians and gifted youth. During the years of its activities, the NPR has succeeded in becoming one of the best symphonic orchestras of Russia and in gaining admiration from the audience and recognition from the professionals. 

The Orchestra is headed by Vladimir Spivakov, a world-known violinist and conductor. 

The National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia has been collaborated prominent conductors such as Michel Plasson, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Krzysztof Penderecki, James Conlon, Okko Kamu, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Alexander Lazarev, John Nelson, Jan Latham-Koenig, Alexander Vedernikov, Tugan Sokhiev, Ken-David Masur, Simon Gaudenz, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Alexander Soloviev, Gabriel Bebeşelea, Pierre Bleuse and others.

The NPR has performed with many outstanding artists, such as Jessye Norman, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Kiri Te Kanawa, Dmitry Hvorostovsky, Renee Fleming, Juan Diego Florez, Matthias Goerne, Waltraud Meier, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Marcelo Alvarez, Ramon Vargas, Violeta Urmana, Anna Netrebko, Ildar Abdrazakov, Gidon Kremer, Gil Shaham, Natalia Gutman, Alexander Knyazev, Arkady Volodos, Evgeny Kissin, Vadim Repin, Martha Argerich, Boris Berezovsky, Kun Woo-Paik, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Viktoria Mullova and others. 

Among many artists who have worked with the NPR on a regular basis are John Lill, Denis Matsuev, Nikoly Lugansky, Vadim Gluzman, Hibla Gerzmava, Albina Shagimuratova, Anna Aglatova, Vasily Ladyuk, Dmitry Korchak, Nikolay Tokarev, Alexander Romanovsky, Sergey Dogadin, David Garrett, Alexander Ramm. 

The NPR’s repertoire covers the period from early classical symphonies to the newest works of modern composers. In the course of eleven years the Orchestra has presented many exceptional projects, world premieres, unique transcription series and concert cycles. 

In accordance with its status and name, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia gives concerts not only in Moscow, but in various regions of Russia as well. The NPR ends up each season with a tour in Russia. Every year the NPR takes part in the International Music Festival in Colmar, France. The Orchestra has toured extensively over the CIS countries and the Baltic countries, in Europe, the USA, China and Japan. 

In May 2005 the Capriccio Recording Company released CD and DVD of Isaak Schwartz’s Concert for Orchestra, titled Yellow Stars, recorded by the NPR under the baton of Vladimir Spivakov to whom the composer dedicated the work. In 2010–2016 Sony Classical released several NPR’s CDs with music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov, Grieg etc. In 2014–2021, a number of recordings of Russian music were released under the Spivakov Sound label, including Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, a triple album with works by Tchaikovsky (Symphonies No. 4-6, Italian Capriccio, Romeo and Juliet); The Bells and The Spring by Rachmaninoff, as well as his complete piano concertos (with Alexander Romanovsky); the albums Holy Russia (sacred works by Rachmaninoff and Taneyev), Magic in Music and Masterpieces of Russian Music (Lyadov, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin). It is planned to release three Rachmaninoff's symphonies for the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth.

Arsenty Tkachenko, born in Moscow in 1991, graduated from the M. M. Ippolitov-Ivanov State Musical Pedagogical Institute in 2017, majoring in opera and symphony direction (class of Professor Vladimir Ponkin). An award-winner of the 3rd All-Russian Ilya Musin Open Competition for Young Conductors (2012). 

Since 2015 he has been conductor of the Moscow Musical Theater where in 2016 he produced and conducted the premiere of Eduard Artemyev's Crime and Punishment (director Andrei Konchalovsky).In 2015–2018 - conductor of the S.T. Richter Youth Symphony Orchestra in Kaluga. In 2018–2020 - conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra. In December 2018, Arsenty Tkachenko made his international debut on the podium of one of the top music collectives in Hungary – the MÁV Symphony Orchestra (MÁV Szimfonikus Zenekar, Budapest) in the historical hall of the Ferenz Liszt Academy of Music.

As a guest conductor he has worked with the Kuban Symphony Orchestra, the Voronezh Academic Symphony Orchestra, the Karelian State Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, the State Symphony Orchestra Novaya Rossiya. He has collaborated with famous musicians such as Alexander Ghindin, Boris Berezovsky, Dmitry Masleev, Pavel Milyukov, Alexey Volodin, Alexander Knyazev, Alexey Melnikov, Konstantin Emelyanov, Ivan Bessonov, Polina Osetinskaya and others. 

Since the 2017/18 season, he had been a member of the conductor-training group of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, becoming a full-time conductor of the NPR in the 2019/20 season.

Volodin regularly works with the world's top orchestras, among them the New York Philharmonic, Gewandhaus-Orchester Leipzig, Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich and the London Symphony Orchestra. Conductor collaborations include Valery Gergiev, Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vasily Sinaisky, Mikhail Pletnev, Semyon Bychkov, Lawrence Foster and Marek Janowski.

Recent highlights have included Radio-Sinfonieorchester des SWR Stuttgart, Symphonieorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and l'Orchestra dell'Accademia del Teatro alla Scala. Forthcoming engagements include RAI Turin, the Danish National Symphony, the Netherlands Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras as well as the Bamberger Symphoniker and Orquesta Municipal de Santiago de Chile.

Recitals are a prominent part of Volodin's engagements and following on from his critically acclaimed debut at London's international Piano Series, this season he performs at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Teatro Olimpico Vicenza, Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Alte Oper Frankfurt, Munich's Herkulessaal, Berlin's Philharmonie and Amsterdam's Concertgebouw.

Alexei Volodin is a regular artist at Festivals including the Bad Kissingen Sommer, La Roque d'Anthéron, Festival La Folle Journée, Sommets musicaux in Gstaad, White Nights in St. Petersburg and the Moscow Easter festivals.

Volodin has recorded with record labels such as Live Classics (Germany), ABC Classics (Australia) and Challenge Records (Netherlands). His recording of solo Schumann, Ravel and Skriabin works was released by Challenge Records in 2011 and prompted Carsten Dürer to write in Piano News that "this last recording shows that Alexei Volodin is one of the very best pianists of today ... outstanding". His previous release, a recital programme of works by Chopin, won a Choc Classica and was awarded five stars by Diapason. His most recent recording of solo Rachmaninov works was released by Challenge Records in 2013.

Born in 1977 in Leningrad, he studied under Irina Chaklina and Tatiana Zelikman at the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and later with Elisso Virsaladzé at the Moscow Conservatoire. In 2001 he continued his studies at the International Piano Academy Lake Como (Italy). He gained international recognition following his victory at the Géza Anda Piano Competition in Zurich (Switzerland) in 2003.

Alexei Volodin is an exclusive artist for the company Steinway and Sons.