Teodor Currentzis
Biography
Born in Athens in 1972, Teodor Currentzis moved to St. Petersburg in 1994 to study conducting with legendary Russian teacher Ilya Musin, who has, among others, also trained Valery Gergiev and Semyon Bychkov. While music director of the Novosibirsk Opera from 2004, Currentzis founded MusicAeterna. After making headlines with various productions, including the controversial so-called “Chechnya Aida” directed by Dmitry Tcherniakov, Currentzis soon gained recognition beyond the Russian scene.
In 2011, when invited to assume the post of Artistic Director at Perm’s opera house, Currentzis brought the orchestra and choir with him. The MusicAeterna orchestra and choir emphatically embrace a non-establishment attitude, constantly questioning themselves and striving for perfection. As important as their musical prowess (many members are laureates of international competitions) is their willingness to undergo exceptional rigors to reach their shared artistic goals.
In 2019, musicAeterna embarked on a new phase of its development as a privately sponsored independent institution and moved to St. Petersburg, where its headquarters are now located.
Current album
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
Artists Teodor CurrentzisRelease Date: 04/09/2021
Sony Classical presents the newly released Symphony No. 7 — the long-awaited sister-recording to Teodor Currentzis and musicAeterna’s Beethoven Symphony No. 5 album. Recorded at the Vienna Konzerthaus in August 2018, the recording of the 7th Symphony promises to be as significant as their Beethoven 5, released in April 2020, which the German newspaper Die Welt heralded it as “The Fifth for the 21st century”, and the UK newspaper The Times defined as “one of those incendiary accounts that blows away the crust of familiarity to suggest anew the revolutionary force built into this master score.”
For Currentzis, the Seventh has "the greatest form ever achieved in a symphony". He compares its structural perfection to that of the Athenian classic, the zenith of Classical architecture in which every proportion and every refinement of scale is placed in the service of a spiritual beauty honoring the city’s protector, the goddess Athena.
The recording of Symphony No. 7 is now available on CD and digital formats. The recording has been made possible by VTB Bank's support.
