Tchaikovsky State Symphony Orchestra,
Stefan Vladar

The Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1930. Until the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Orchestra was the official orchestra of the Soviet Radio Network. Alexander Orlov became the Orchestra’s first director in 1930 and is credited with developing a diverse and voluminous repertoire. From 1937 to the present, a series of outstanding directors have contributed to the Orchestra’s distinctive artistic style and personality: Nikolay Golovanov (1937–1953), Alexander Gauk (1953–1961), Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1961–1974). In 1974, Vladimir Fedoseyev assumed leadership, and turned the Orchestra into one of Russia’s most widely acclaimed ensembles.

Over the years, a distinguished group of composers, guest conductors and soloists have played an integral role in the development of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra: Stokowski, Mravinsky, Cluytens, Sebastian, Abendrot, Feitelberg, Zecchi and Sanderling are among the artists who have led the ensemble. Emil Gilels, Yury Bashmet, Victor Tretyakov, Gidon Kremer, Misha Maisky, Oleg Maisenberg, Lisa Leonskaja and more contemporary musicians (among them Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, and Mikhail Pletnev) have supported the Orchestra from the very beginning of their career as musicians. In 1993, the Orchestra was renamed by the decree of the Russian Ministry of Culture and became Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio. Awarding the Orchestra the name of this great Russian composer was recognition of its role in promoting much of the music written by Tchaikovsky. 

The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra traditionally participates in the legendary international Tchaikovsky Competition and also in the musical evenings which take place in the Tchaikovsky museums in Klin and Votkinsk. The Orchestra has given premieres of the new works of such prominent composers as Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Myaskovsky, Prokofiev, Gliere, Sviridov, Boris Tchaikovsky and Gubaidulina. It has also premiered works of the best composers from the former Soviet Union such as Taktakishvili, Toradze, Oganesyan, Melikov, Barkauskas, Tormis and many more. Engagements abroad have included appearances in London, Tokyo, Paris, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Geneva, Stockholm, Rome, Oslo, Prague and many other major cities. The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is the only Russian orchestra consistently invited to open the concert season in the prestigious Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. 

The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is a frequent participant in numerous festivals; Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Bruckner Festival in Linz, Mozart Festival in Salzburg, Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Klang Bogen in Vienna, Rachmaninov Festivals in Los Angeles, Carinthian Summer in Villach, Millennium in Athens, Scriabin Festival in Graz, Festival of Modern Music in Paris, Festival of Prokofiev, Russian Modern Music in Germany, Jeunesse Festivals in Vienna, Grieg Festival in Bergen as well as festivals in Hong Kong, Rome, Bregenz, Baden-Baden, Zurich and Edinburgh. In 1990, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra was the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Salzburg Festival in honour of the Festival’s 70th anniversary. 

For more than 40 years, Vladimir Fedoseyev has led the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra in the tradition of his predecessors. His interpretations are famous for their depth, artistic passion and great sensitivity for the national character of Russian music. Maestro Fedoseyev has created in the Orchestra a specific melodious emotional style that distinguishes it from others and has helped it to earn worldwide acclaim. Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra have recorded extensively for a variety of labels including Ariola, JVC, Musica, Philips, Pony Canyon, Relief Records and Sony Classical.

Intrada is a leading Russian-based vocal ensemble of a new generation directed by Ekaterina Antonenko. Intrada enjoys performing early music in collaboration with world-renowned artists – The Tallis Scholars and Peter Phillips, Il Giardino Armonico and Giovanni Antonini, Le Poème Harmonique and Vincent Dumestre, I Fagiolini and Robert Hollingworth, The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Frieder Bernius, Jean-Christophe Spinosi, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Stefano Montanari, etc.

Intrada is regularly invited to perform with Moscow’s leading orchestras under renowned conductors, such as the Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski, Moscow Soloists under Yuri Bashmet, Russian National Orchestra under Mikhail Pletnev – venues, including Moscow and St.-Petersburg Philharmonic, Mariinski Concert Hall, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Moscow International House of Music and the Moscow Kremlin. Intrada is a regular guest at the Moscow festival December Nights founded by Svyatoslav Richter at the State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts.

Intrada performed at the Schlosskapelle Dresden in the frames of Dresdner Kunstfest 2015. Intrada appeared at the Musikfest Erzgebirge 2016 and at the Dresden Music Festival in 2017 and 2019. Following an invitation of the Deutschlandsradio Kultur the group performed at the Wartburg Castle in 2018. Intrada appeared in the first concert series of the Lausitz-Festival in 2019. In 2021 the group gave a concert at the Live From London – Christmas festival.

Intrada premiered a number of contemporary music compositions in Russia, including Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir and the Moscow premiere of David Lang’s The Little Match Girl Passion. In 2014 a joint concert of The Tallis Scholars and Intrada dedicated to the memory of Sir John Tavener took place at the Moscow Conservatory Great Hall featuring the second world performance of Tavener’s Requiem Fragments (solo soprano – Julia Lezhneva). The group performed world premieres of works by Klaus Lang, Alexey Sysoev, Vladimir Rannev, Ilya Demutsky, Franck Christoph Eznikian and Arman Guschan. In February 2020 VOCES8 and Intrada gave a world premiere of Ivan Moody’s Trasfiguration during their joint concert at the Anglican church in Moscow.