Kirill Petrenko in conversation with Alexander Bader (17 min.)

Kirill Petrenko, born in Omsk in Siberia, received international acclaim following a performance of Wagner’s Ring des Nibelungen over four consecutive evenings in Meiningen. Subsequently, as chief conductor of the Komische Oper in Berlin between 2002 and 2007, he returned the opera house to its former glory. Petrenko then freelanced in opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the state opera houses in Munich, Vienna and Dresden and made guest appearances with numerous top symphony orchestras. His third concert programme with the Berliner Philharmoniker in December 2012 included works by Stravinsky, Scriabin and Rudi Stephan, a highly talented composer almost unknown today who died at the age of 28 during the First World War. In an interview with the Philharmoniker’s clarinetist Andreas Bader, who previously worked with Petrenko at the Komische Oper, the conductor tells how this exciting programme concept came about. He also describes how he builds his work with an orchestra, what he sees as an effective rehearsal, and how he finds his sound ideal.