Moscow State Symphony Orchestra

This article is a copy of IMG Artists blurb

The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra(MSSO) (ru: Московский государственный академический симфонический оркестр)[1] was founded in 1943 by Lev Steinberg. Under the subsequent leadership of Nikolai Anosov and Leo Ginzburg, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra developed relationships with several prominent Russian Twentieth Century musicians and composers, including many premieres of Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Nikolai Myaskovsky, and Reinhold Gliere. The Orchestra also performed under the directorship of Veronika Dudarova.

Since Pavel Kogan assumed the positions of Music Director and Chief Conductor in 1989, the MSSO has expanded its repertoire beyond the classics of Russian and Western symphonic literature to include contemporary compositions from both Russia and abroad. A landmark of the MSSO was to present cycles of “Complete symphonies…” by composers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these cycles were recorded and received the critical praise from both Russian and Western listeners. Among contemporary composers whose music was premiered by the MSSO are Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Andrei Petrov and Georgy Dmitriev. The MSSO has also collaborated with such artists as Yevgeny Svetlanov, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Alexander Orlov, Natan Rachlin, Samuil Samosud, Valery Gergiev, Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich, Vladimir Sofronitsky, Sergey Lemeshev, Ivan Kozlovsky, Sviatoslav Knushevitsky, Sviatoslav Richter, Daniil Shafran, Maxim Vengerov, Vadim Repin, Denis Matsuev, Yefim Bronfman and Angela Gheorghiu.

In addition to its regular appearances at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and performances throughout Russia, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra has performed at major musical centers throughout the world. The MSSO has engaged in extensive international touring, visiting over 50 countries under Kogan and performing 20-50 concerts abroad each year, including Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Japan, Hong Kong, North Korea, South Korea, Australia, and the United States.

The Moscow State Symphony Orchestra also appears regularly at major Russian and European festivals including the Moscow Autumn Festival, the Russian Winter Festival, St. Petersburg’s White Nights, the Moscow Stars Festival, Prague Spring, and festivals in Helsinki, Dubrovnik, Montreaux, Lugano, Locarno, Merano, Munich, Flanders, and Saint-Requier.

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