Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky dead at 87

Russian conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky has died at the age of 87, Moscow’s Bolshoi theatre announced on Saturday.

“The Bolshoi is in mourning”, read the announcement on Twitter. “Today, 16 June, Gennady Rozhdestvensky passed away at the age of 87.”

Born in Moscow in 1931, Rozhdestvensky – who was also a pianist and a composer – was general artistic director of the Bolshoi 2000-2001.

During a career that spanned more than 50 years, he was chief conductor of a number of orchestras, both inside and outside Russia, including the Bolshoi orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic.

He was awarded the title People’s Artist of the USSR in 1976, the highest cultural distinction in the former Soviet Union.

His repertoire was wide, but he was perhaps best known for his interpretations of Russian composers, such as Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Sofia Gubaidulina and Alfred Schnittke.

Rozhdestvensky also taught at Moscow’s Conservatory of Music since 1974, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.

The Bolshoi’s current director, Vladimir Urin, told the news agency: “When you remember Gennady Rozhdestvensky, you realise what a powerful personality has departed from the world of music.”

The London Symphony Orchestra tweeted: “Sad to hear of the death today of the great Gennady Rozhdestvensky. We had a long and fruitful relationship ... Farewell Maestro.”