BBC Meet the Artist: Alexander Vedernikov

                In 2009, Russian conductor Alexander Vedernikov left his position as music director at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia, claiming that it was placing bureaucratic interests before art interests. Three years later, he is now conducting the English Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. BBC Music Magazine journalist Elizabeth Davis conducted an interview of Vedernikov before a concert not a short while ago. This “Meet the Artist” interview of Alexander Vedernikov presents a specific rhetoric aimed towards those classically educated or at the very least knowledgeable on Russian composers.

                As with all musicians, Vedernikov has certain opinions on how different types and styles of symphonic music should be played. Throughout the interview, Davis analyzes how Vedernikov is influenced by things such as his nationality, experience with different orchestras, and even the composers of the music. For example, when Davis asked Vedernikov to compare English and Russian orchestras, Vedernikov notes that because the bulk of his performances are from Russian composers, generally the Russian orchestras should be more advanced (obviously) in Russian music- “if they are technically skilled enough”. However, Vedernikov also comments that since arriving to England, he believes that the English are also very technically skilled, and although do not have the knowledge Russian orchestras do on Russian music, they are “very smart- if you have told them something once about one section, they’re able to extrapolate that to other things”.

                Because this was an interview in BBC’s “Meet the Artist” section of the Music Magazine, Davis used specific rhetoric that directly relates to interviews. For example, it is safe to assume that the ethos of Vedernikov is both built up and assumed throughout the interview. Davis provides that Vedernikov was already famous for leaving the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia, and the interview just adds more dimensions to the already well-known conductor. Intended for readers of BBC Music Magazine or simply just classical music adherents, this article certainly was able to achieve its purpose of informing the world a little more about the man who left his home country to pursue his passion.