“Sinaisky, whose conducting is precise, sensuous and who has a near perfect technique must have sharpened the senses of the Gewandhaus. This orchestra rarely plays with such boundlessly generosity, with such flexible dynamic range, with such voluptuous use of colour, so rich in detail and with such a grasp of structure. A truly great Shostakovich – moving, truthful and unsettling.” Leipziger Volkszeitung
Vassily Sinaisky’s international career was launched in 1973 when he won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Karajan Competition in Berlin. His early work with Kirill Kondrashin at the Moscow Philharmonic and with Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatoire provided him with an incomparable grounding. Soon after his success at the Karajan Competition, Sinaisky was appointed Chief Conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, a post he held from 1976 to 1987. He then became Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic, leading numerous high-profile projects with the Orchestra both in Russia and on tour around the world.
In 1996, Sinaisky was appointed Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, a post he holds to this day. Memorable projects with the Orchestra have included the Shostakovich and his Heroes festival in 2006, tours to Europe and China, and annual appearances at the BBC Proms. Sinaisky has also held the positions of Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic and Music Director of the Russian State Orchestra.
In 2006 Sinaisky was announced as the new Principal Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Sweden, coinciding with an ambitious new development plan for the orchestra. In recent seasons Sinaisky and the Orchestra have toured to the UK and to Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, while recent projects have included performances of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the Danish Radio Choir in Malmö and Copenhagen.
The 2009/10 season saw Sinaisky take on a further position as Conductor in Residence at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, where he conducts a number of major new operatic productions and symphonic concerts over the next seasons. Most recently Sinaisky conducted Mahler Symphony No.2 with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, and a much acclaimed production of Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta that also visited the Dresdner Musikfestspiele.
As a guest conductor, Sinaisky has worked with such orchestras as the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Highlights of the upcoming seasons include returns to the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Berlin Radio Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony, Russian National Orchestra and St Petersburg Philharmonic.
Sinaisky has a distinguished pedigree as an operatic conductor. In addition to his projects at the Bolshoi Theatre, Sinaisky recently conducted Boris Godunov at San Francisco Opera with Samuel Ramey. Other projects have included productions of Carmen and Der Rosenkavalier for English National Opera. Sinaisky’s conducting of a new production of Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at the Komische Oper Berlin received unanimous critical acclaim in the international press.
Vassily Sinaisky’s most recent recording project has been a complete set of the symphonies of Franz Schmidt for Naxos with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra. Sinaisky’s other recordings include many with the BBC Philharmonic including works by Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Shchedrin, Glinka, Liadov, Schreker and Szymanowski. Vassily Sinaisky is a noted and influential teacher, and holds the position of Professor of Conducting at the St Petersburg Conservatoire.
Vassily Sinaisky is represented by Intermusica. July 2010 / 562 words. Not to be altered without permission.
BBC Philharmonic at the BBC Proms / Moeran, Finzi & Elgar
"Conductor Vassily Sinaisky gave a dynamic, energised performance of Elgar's Second Symphony with the BBC Philharmonic, a fitting memorial to Ted Downes, the BBC Phil's principal conductor throughout the 80s, in the British symphony he loved more than any other."
The Guardian, July 2009
"…this was a triumph, not least for Vassily Sinaisky, the BBC Philharmonic’s chief guest conductor, who proved beyond doubt that being Russian needn’t stop you understanding and loving the symphony’s very British and 1930s mix of folk nostalgia and personal sorrow — and the jitters and shellshock of war."
The Times, July 2009
Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Liebermann, Elgar and Tchaikovsky
“It was clear from the vivacious first bars of Liebermann’s “Furioso” that a musician of the highest order stood on the podium. The 61 year old Vassily Sinaisky comes unmistakably from the Russian tradition of Rozhdestvensky, Kondrashin, Svetlanov and Mravinsky, who combined clarity of structure with energy, and treated the music with absolute reverence, unlike so many conductors of the younger generation. In the Elgar, Sinaisky clearly held the soloist in high esteem, as did the visibly moved orchestra... Against this background, Tchaikovsky’s 6th Symphony, the Pathétique, came across as a concentrated anticipation of the horrors of the 20th century; from the darkness of the opening movement, through the march of the 3rd movement that gradually burned itself out, sinking back into the darkness of the closing movement. It goes without saying with this conductor that his interpretation developed from an intimate knowledge of the score, bringing out both the subtleties and the moments of unrestrained outcry with equal success. A great evening.”
Berliner Zeitung, December 2008
Malmö Symphony Orchestra
"The Malmö Symphony Orchestra is entering a new era with Vassily Sinaisky as its principal conductor. It was undoubtedly a good Swedish regional orchestra previously, and it has provided me with many good musical experiences in the fifteen years that I have followed it. But something else is happening now; it now deserves a place on the European music scene as an orchestra of distinction.”
Skånska Dagbladet, December 2008
LA Philharmonic / Berlioz, Rachmaninov
“Sinaisky distinguished himself from the outset... The conductor never compromised on virtuosity, but he larded these strains with a touching humanity that made the music all the more compelling. Thus the lush string sound of the first movement also contained a touching valedictory quality, the heady swirls from the woodwinds in the second movement sounded slightly haunted, and real tenderness softened the edge of the ferocious playing in the finale.
I spied architect Frank Gehry in the house and couldn't help but think how right pleased he must be with his Disney Hall after a performance like this. He certainly should be.”
David Mermelstein, Los Angeles Daily News, February 2007
BBC Scottish Symphony / Mahler Symphony No.5
“Here was a conductor who, with the presence of a rejuvenated Klemperer, possessed an almost infallible grasp of the symphony's structure. Nothing straggled. No effect was exaggerated. The great Tannhauser theme simply grew out of the texture of the second movement and receded into it again. The woodwind and pizzicato strings in the scherzo mingled to perfection.
Fine detail was everywhere, never impeding the music's progress but enhancing it. The contours of the adagietto were lovingly gauged, sliding into the finale like a dream awakening.”
The Herald, March 2006
BBC Philharmonic / ‘Shostakovich and his Heroes’ festival
“…The real hero of the cycle, however, was Vassily Sinaisky, for whom the BBC Philharmonic played with splendid precision and imagination in five of the 12 concerts.”
The Independent, March 2006
“The whole retrospective has been among the most significant events in British music-making in recent years, matchless in its scope and concentration, and redefining, almost from scratch, our understanding of one of the 20th century's greatest, most complex composers.”
The Guardian, February 2006
"This towering performance, with Vassily Sinaisky conducting the BBC Philharmonic, was a forceful reminder of its musical validity as well as its inherently subversive politics... Without losing sight of the score's architectural coherence, Sinaisky pulled all the threads together to create a terrifying portrait of a world in which both positivism and emotion are brutalised. The BBCPO played as if their lives depended on it, and the orchestral sound, with screaming woodwind and savage brass, was pulverising and blindingly clear."
The Guardian, January 2006
"The Shostakovich centenary year will be very remarkable indeed if it produces another performance of the Fourth Symphony to match Saturday night's viscerally penetrating one by the BBC Philharmonic under Vassily Sinaisky. Taut, tense and terrifying..."
The Telegraph, January 2006
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin, Prokofiev
“This concert marked Sinaisky’s debut with the LPO. It was auspicious. The eloquent flow of his conducting opened up a wealth of instrumental detail and colour that emerged as though for the first time. Achieving that in a work as familiar as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherezade is a considerable feat, and the drama and precision of the rhythmic figuration was brilliantly executed…”
The Guardian, November 2004
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra / Shostakovich Symphony No.10
“Sinaisky, who’s conducting is precise, sensuous and who has a near perfect technique must have sharpened the senses of the Gewandhaus. This orchestra rarely plays with such boundlessly generosity, with such flexible dynamic range, with such voluptuous use of colour, so rich in detail and with such a grasp of structure. A truly great Shostakovich – moving, truthful and unsettling.”
Leipziger Volkszeitung, May 2004
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra / Shostakovich Symphony No.7
“He built the notorious “invasion” theme from a distant whisper – heard impeccably in the Disney Hall acoustics – into a terrifying, sickening war machine… He oversaw all the big orchestral sections with masterly control. The orchestra played splendidly.”
Los Angeles Times, March 2004
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in residence at Luzern Festival / Stravinsky
“…Sinaisky set his interpretation with nimble tempi and pointed tone, which provided a refreshing counterpoint to Stravinsky’s neo-classical writing – and the orchestra took up this approach brilliantly…”
Neue Zürcher Zeitung, September 2003
“The balance in sound was evenly spread, the brass fitting perfectly with the string sound, but not masking it … Vassily Sinaisky brought out lyrical, soft sounds, as well as clean-cut corners and strong lines from the orchestra, so that there were always moments of dynamic tension…”
Neue Luzerner Zeitung, September 2003
English National Opera / Strauss Der Rosenkavalier
“…Sinaisky lingers over the score with great fondness, as if trying to capture its beauty before it, too, is dissolved by time. This is everything a Rosenkavalier should be…”
The Guardian, March 2003
“…Vassily Sinaisky is a born Straussian … the beauty of Sinaisky’s interpretation is its seamlessness … ENO needs conductors of his experience…”
The Financial Times, March 2003
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / BBC Proms / Respighi and Stravinsky
“Played to perfection by Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, this performance was conducted with furious energy by Vassily Sinaisky … La Boutique Fantasque … was pure joy.”
The Guardian, August 2002
“…the orchestration is brilliant, and Sinaisky, and a now vast orchestra, revelled in it. So did we”
The Evening Standard, August 2002