Presented by Barry Moore, The Qobuz Minute sweeps you away to the 4 corners of the musical universe to bring you an eclectic mix of today's brightest talents. Jazz, Electro, Classical, World music ... Teodor Currentzis
Teodor Currentzis is a Greek-Russian conductor famed for the
unorthodox operatic interpretations he has issued from the
relatively remote cities of Novosibirsk and Perm. The Guardian has
called him "the conducting equivalent of Glenn Gould morphed with
Kurt Cobain." Born in Athens in 1972, Currentzis studied piano and
violin as a child. A prodigy, he entered Greece's National
Conservatory at 12, as a violinist, switching to composition
several years later. In the 1994 he moved to Russia and began
studying conducting with the nonagenarian Ilya Musin at the State
Conservatory in St. Petersburg, graduating in 1998. He pointed out
that with Greece's long history of military dictatorship, including
the one in force when he was born, a move to Russia was in no way
surprising, and indeed he has become an icon of intellectual
freedom in the music sphere among progressive forces in his adopted
country. He is a naturalized Russian citizen. In 2004, while he
held the position of music director of the Novosibirsk State Opera
and Orchestra, Currentzis founded and became artistic director of
MusicAeterna, leading both the choir and ensemble in period-style
performances. In 2006, he also started the Territoria Modern Art
Festival in Moscow. Remaining in Novosibirsk until 2010, Currentzis
became the artistic director of the Perm State Opera and Ballet
Theater. He was the recipient of the Golden Mask theatrical award,
and he received awards for his performances of Henry Purcell's The
Indian Queen, Alban Berg's Wozzeck, Sergey Prokofiev's Cinderella,
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le nozze de Figaro. Currentzis
remains director of MusicAeterna and has toured Europe with new
productions of Purcell's The Indian Queen and other Baroque operas.
He made several recordings of the Alpha label, beginning in 2008,
and including one of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 14, Op. 135, one
of his few non-operatic releases. But it is his approach to Mozart
that has made headlines and attracted the attention of the
multinational Sony label. With blistering tempi, furious attacks
influenced by his historical Baroque performance background, and an
international group of singers handpicked to keep up with him,
Currentzis' cycle of Mozart operas (Don Giovanni was recorded in
Perm in 2016) has excited, and to an extent polarized, critics and
listeners. Currentzis, who reportedly changes romantic partners
annually like some do their automobiles, has stated that he is
happy in Perm, in the Ural mountains, and has no plans to leave. Similar artists
Albums
16
albums sorted by Most acclaimed
£16.99
£14.49
Symphonies - Released October 27, 2017 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Gramophone Record of the Month -
Diapason d'or / Arte -
Choc de Classica -
5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
An album, a symphony: you would think that we had returned to the days of the Long Play, and the era of Mravinsky, Doráti, Markevitch, Karajan as well as many other performers and interpreters who have marked the discographic history of the last symphony from Piotr Ilitch Tchaikovsky. The album cover also seems to confirm it: it brings to mind the old RCA covers from the 50s and 60s. Sony Classical, being very supportive of the artistic endeavours of the Greco-Russian master, didn't hesitate to bring out a roughly 45-minute album - they had done better with the Rites of Spring (2015), which was feted in the press. Here, Teodor Currentzis continues his exploration of Tchaikovsky's world, with the Pathétique, putting the accent on the dynamic contrasts, sometimes naturally, sometimes by technical means (adagio lamentoso), and bringing to bear some methods that are normally specific to pop music. He exploits the sombre tone of the work, even above its rhythmic energy, and looks to create atmospheres that one could often call morbid. For record-lovers, this release is a great opportunity to revisit his discography, and for all other ardent Qobuz users it is an opportunity to rediscover this true emblem of the orchestral repertoire. © TG/Qobuz
£27.99
£23.49
Opera - Released February 14, 2014 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
4F de Télérama -
4 étoiles de Classica -
Hi-Res Audio
There are many splendid recordings of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro that appeal to every taste, but there are relatively few that can be categorized as historically authentic, in the truest sense of the term. Of these, the 2014 Sony release by Teodor Currentzis and Musicaeterna may be the most thoroughly researched and carefully restored version available. Taking pains to consult original sources, and to use period instruments or modern replicas (including a fortepiano, a lute, and even a hurdy-gurdy), Currentzis creates a Classical sound that works brilliantly with the score as written and as Mozart intended, and makes the music as vivid and exciting as possible. Currentzis also has called for a historical approach to singing, and embellishments that were typical of Mozart's day are employed, as well as a more intimate delivery and purer vocal style with less vibrato. The cast may not feature international stars, but the artists are well-suited to Currentzis' goals of presenting Figaro in true period practice. Prominent in this production are Andrei Bondarenko as Count Almaviva, Simone Kermes as the Countess, Fanie Antonelou as Susanna, Mary-Ellen Nesi as Cherubino, and Christian van Horn as Figaro, who give their roles distinctive characterizations along with their impeccable vocal production. Sony's recording is rich in details and close enough to the musicians to give a front-row feeling. Le nozze di Figaro is presented on three CDs in a deluxe hardcover book that includes an interview with the conductor and the complete libretto in English, Italian, German, and French.
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Ballets - Released October 9, 2015 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
5 de Diapason -
4F de Télérama
In describing his interpretation of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps, Teodor Currentzis emphasizes the essential Russian origins of the music, and points out the folk influences that give it its cultural resonance. This is indeed the case, since the Russian and Lithuanian folk songs that Stravinsky used have been identified, and the score overflows with themes and melodic fragments that evoke an ancient tribal culture. This is perhaps the reason so much of this elastic performance of Le Sacre du printemps feels like a melodically based interpretation, rather than a sharp, rhythmic exploration, with more attention paid to articulation and phrasing than to accentuation and rhythm. While Currentzis and Musica Aeterna produce punchy moments in the expected places, they tend to slacken in subdued sections and deprive the work of the overwhelming drive and ruthless violence it needs. Opinions may vary over Currentzis' melodic approach, mainly in Part I, though from the Glorification de l'Élue to the Danse Sacrale in Part II, the orchestra kicks into gear and produces the necessary propulsion and volatility to make a convincing ending.
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Symphonic Music - Released January 8, 2016 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
5 de Diapason -
Qobuzissime
Testament to the versatility and musical command that Teodor Currentzis and his unique orchestra and choir possess, this new album brings together two diverse masterworks from two titans of Russian music. Although they have been acquainted for a long time prior, this recording represents the first musical collaboration between Teodor Currentzis and the exceptional violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. The instant artistic rapport (an “artistic wedding” of sorts) between these two maverick musicians can be heard in this dynamic new recording of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto - one of the most popular works in the violin repertory. Currentzis’ authentic approach to the folk influences in Stravinsky’s music (as revealed in Le Sacre du printemps) is again very present in his interpretation of Les Noces. This work for percussion, pianists, chorus, and vocal soloists - originally composed as ballet music - is probably one of Stravinsky’s most rarely recorded works. The work is based on a Russian peasant wedding, which the cover artwork references. Exceptional to this new recording is that the MusicAeterna choir members are all native-Russian speakers who bring another level of understanding and authenticity to the work. After her prominent participation in the “Rameau – The Sound of Light” recording, Nadine Koutcher – freshly crowned “2015 Cardiff Singer of the Year” - returns to sing the leading soprano solo part in Les Noces
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£9.99
Classical - Released March 17, 2011 | Alpha
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Hi-Res Audio
£27.99
£23.49
Full Operas - Released November 14, 2014 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet + Video
Distinctions
4F de Télérama
£14.99
£12.99
Classical - Released October 17, 2014 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
5 Sterne Fono Forum Klassik
£16.99
£14.49
Classical - Released October 26, 2018 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
Distinctions
Gramophone Editor's Choice
With Symphony No.6 in A Minor "Tragic" written in 1904 (the title, for once, is not a publisher's gimmick, but was indeed given by Mahler in the programme for the first performance in Vienna in 1906), Mahler almost returns to the classical symphony format; we find more voices in the score (a technique that he had already used in No. 5) and a four-movement structure (whereas No. 5 was articulated in five movements thrown into three "parts", with the absence of a programme or philosophical content). Admittedly, the orchestra remains huge, with four woodwinds, eight horns, and six trumpets, not to mention an impressive arsenal of percussion instruments including alpine bells, hammer and xylophone, which he never used elsewhere; in this respect, Mahler contributed to putting an end to the late romantic trend of gigantic works for titanic orchestras. It must be said that the last movement, which lasts at least half an hour, is of a truly tragic expression with its indelible darkness. This frightened the critics, who found the work somewhat bloated. It is therefore up to the conductor to make the score as transparent as possible, the contrapuntal lines readable and the orchestral colours perceptible through the orchestral immensity. Equipped with his MusicAeterna, Teorod Currentzis embarks on the adventure. © SM/Qobuz
Opera - Released February 14, 2014 | Sony Classical
Booklet
Distinctions
Hi-Res Audio
Download not available
£9.99
Symphonic Music - Released March 25, 2010 | Alpha
Booklet
Distinctions
4F de Télérama
£27.99
£23.49
Full Operas - Released November 4, 2016 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
Booklet
£14.99
£12.99
Classical - Released October 17, 2014 | Sony Classical
Hi-Res
£12.99
Classical - Released November 13, 2015 | Sony Classical
£12.99
Classical - Released October 17, 2014 | Sony Classical
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Classical - Released November 27, 2015 | Sony Classical
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Artist
Teodor Currentzis in the magazine
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The Qobuz Minute #25
Presented by Barry Moore, The Qobuz Minute sweeps you away to the 4 corners of the musical universe to bring you an eclectic mix of today's brightest talents. Jazz, Electro, Classical, World music ... -
The Qobuz Minute #1
The first edition of The Qobuz Minute in English - 5 unmissable releases and as much music news as we can fit into 5 minutes.
