National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia,
conductor – Simon Gaudenz (Switzerland),
Pavel Nersesian (piano)

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.

Simon Gaudenz first attracted international attention in 2006 when he won the "International Conducting Competition Gennady Rozhdestvensky" in Sofia. This year he has won the German Conductor Prize "Deutscher Dirigentenpreis", which carries in it the highest award of any conductor competition in Europe. He began his conducting career in 2000 when he became Artistic Director of the Basel-based ensemble Camerata Variabile, with whom he performed at various European festivals such as the Berliner Festspiele, the Euroklassik Festival and the European Music Month 2001.

Since 2004, Simon Gaudenz is Music Director of the prestigious Collegium Musicum in Basel, only the second conductor to be given this position in the Swiss Orchestra’s 50 year history.

Simon made his opera début in 2003 with Honegger’s "Les Aventures du Roi Pausole". Subsequently, he was engaged to conduct a new production of Strauss’ "Night in Venice" in Switzerland, in 2006 Verdi’s ”La Traviata” at the Altenburg-Gera Opera House in Germany, and in 2008 in Zeller's "Vogelhändler" in Fricktal Theatre. He made his French debut in the summer of 2005 at the Festival de Gensac near Bordeaux, France.

Known for his extensive classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire, Simon Gaudenz is frequently invited to guest conduct leading European orchestras, and has worked to date with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Orchestre National de France, the Tonhalle-Orchestra Zürich, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonieorchester Basel, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the St. Petersburg State Hermitage Orchestra, the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn, the Bremen Philharmonic, the Stuttgart Philharmonic, the Württemberg Philharmonic as well as the Neubrandenburg Philharmonic, the Mainz State Philharmonic, the Zürich New Music Ensemble, the Nürnberg Symphony Orchestra, the Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt, the Orchestra of the Mozarteum Salzburg and the Stuttgart Philharmonic.

In 2005 he was awarded a stipend from the “Akademie Musiktheater Heute” sponsored by the Deutsche Bank and in 2004 he has been accepted into the highly-competitive conductor training program sponsored by the German National Music Council (Dirigentenforum Deutsche Musikrat). Simon Gaudenz is the recipient of the Aargauer Kuratorium Artist Award in Switzerland.

Simon Gaudenz was born in Basel, Switzerland. He first studied the clarinet and graduated with a soloist diploma in clarinet performance. In addition, he also studied composition with Peter Benary and Dieter Ammann.

His conducting training he received in Germany at the Staatliche Musikhochschule Freiburg and at the Mozarteum Salzburg, where he studied with Dennis Russell Davies, Jorge Rotter and Scott Sandmeier. He completed his studies in masterclasses with Kurt Masur, Reinhard Goebel and Wolf-Dieter Hauschild.

To further his studies outside of Germany, Simon Gaudenz was invited by David Zinman to participate in the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival where he also worked with David Robertson, Julius Rudel, Michael Stern, Sergiu Comissiona, Arnold Östman and pianist Leon Fleisher. In addition, he was Mario Venzago’s assistant with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra (Sweden), and Eliahu Inbal's assistant with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo.

As a soloist and chamber musician he performed in the major music centers of Europe, held the positions of Principal Clarinetist with various Orchestras and appeared with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. He participated in broadcasts and recordings with Radio France, the Bavarian Radio (Bayerische Rundfunk), Südwestrundfunk, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Swiss Radio DRS and Radio Suisse Romande TSR.

Simon Gaudenz currently lives in Munich.