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Teodor Currentzis

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Teodor Currentzis
Currentzis at the Perm Opera, 2015
Born (1972-02-24) 24 February 1972 (age 54)
Athens, Greece
Citizenship
  • Greece
  • Russia
[1]
Occupations
  • Conductor
  • composer
  • actor
  • recording artist
StyleClassical music
Websitewww.teodor-currentzis.com

Teodor Currentzis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Κουρεντζής [θeˈoðɔros kurenˈdzis]; Russian: Теодoр Курeнтзис; born 24 February 1972) is a Greek and Russian conductor, musician and actor. He is artistic director of the ensembles musicAeterna and Utopia and was chief conductor of the SWR Symphonieorchester from 2018 to 2024.

Biography

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Currentzis was born in Athens, and at the age of four began to take piano lessons. At age seven, he began violin lessons. He entered the National Conservatory, Athens at the age of twelve, in the violin department. In 1987, aged fifteen he began composition studies under Professor George Hadjinikos, and then in 1989 under Professor B. Shreck. From 1994 to 1999, Currentzis studied conducting supported by a scholarship from the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation in the St. Petersburg State Conservatory with Ilya Musin.[2]

From 2004 to 2010, Currentzis served as principal conductor of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, where in 2004 he founded the musicAeterna orchestra and later the musicAeterna choir.[citation needed] In 2009, Currentzis acted in Ilya Khrzhanovsky's film Dau (Russian: Дау) based on the biography of the physicist Lev Landau.[citation needed] In February 2011, Currentzis became music director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, to which he brought both of his musicAeterna ensembles.[3]

In 2011, Currentzis became principal guest conductor of the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra. Effective with the 2018–2019 season Currentzis became the first chief conductor of the SWR Symphonieorchester (created by the merger of the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra).[4] In September 2021, the SWR announced a 3-year extension to Currentzis' contract.[5] In September 2022, the SWR announced that Currentzis was to stand down as chief conductor of the SWR Symphonieorchester at the close of the 2024–2025 season.[6] The contract was not renewed upon his own request, and not for political reasons "as some had speculated or hoped".[7]

Impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Currentzis faced public scrutiny and had concerts cancelled in Europe due to his professional activities in Russia and his lack of a public stance on the war.[8] His ensemble musicAeterna has been supported by the state-owned VTB Bank since 2019.[9] In April 2022, a benefit concert entitled "A Symbol of Hope and Peace" was due to take place in aid of those in need in Ukraine, and Currentzis and his ensemble were set to perform. The Vienna Konzerthaus canceled the concert the day before, insisting that the ensemble secure "independent funding."[10] In June 2022, VTB chief Andrey Kostin stated during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Currentzis had met with him following the invasion and expressed his intention to remain in Russia.[11]

Currentzis has defended his refusal to issue a political statement. Arguing that politicians seek to instrumentalize artists for propaganda, he stated that musicians "have no flags" and his mission is to unite people through music rather than divide them.[12] In a 2025 interview with Der Spiegel, he expressed frustration at the pressure to publicly denounce the invasion and asserted his fundamental "right to silence". His ensemble's manager, Ilja Chakhov, further defended this position and stated that Currentzis chose to remain in Russia out of loyalty to his life's work, the ensemble musicAeterna and its 250 musicians, "several of whom had been with the ensemble for twenty years."[13]

Some European cultural venues and festivals cancelled scheduled performances or declined to host performances by Currentzis and his ensembles. In January 2023, the Kölner Philharmonie cancelled a concert, stating that months into the conflict, they expected Currentzis to issue a clear statement on the political situation.[8] Similar cancellations occurred in Munich, Paris, and Hamburg that same year.[14] In contrast, other European institutions, including the Salzburg Festival, chose to continue hosting Currentzis.[8] In February 2024, the Wiener Festwochen cancelled a performance by Currentzis after Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv refused to perform as part of the same festival programme as Currentzis.[15]

In June 2024, it was reported that VTB intended to finance the construction of a new concert hall in Saint Petersburg, which was to serve as a venue for musicAeterna.[9]

By 2026, the debates surrounding Currentzis's political ties have become less heated, and he retains a group of European promoters who continue to organize his concerts at major venues such as the Elbphilharmonie and the Isarphilharmonie.[16]

Critical reception

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Currentzis has the image of a punk "messiah and rebel," wearing lace-up boots, skinny jeans and a T-shirt on stage. He has been labeled eccentric for conducting from within the orchestra, leaving his stand. However, as of 2022 he has chosen to take on more traditional dress, appearing in black suits with white cuffed shirts, elegant evening shoes and a neat haircut.[7]

Awards

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Currentzis has won the Russian national theatre award Golden Mask nine times:

  • 2007: Special Awards of the Musical Theatre Jury for Prokofiev's Cinderella.
  • 2008: Special Award of the Musical Theatre Jury For Impressive Achievements in Musical Authenticity in Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.
  • 2011: Best Conductor of an opera for Berg's Wozzeck at the Bolshoi Theater.[17]
  • 2013: Best Conductor of an opera for Mozart's Così fan tutte
  • 2013: Best Conductor of a ballet for Prokofiev's Chout
  • 2015: Best Conductor of an opera for Purcell's The Indian Queen
  • 2017: Best Conductor of an opera for Verdi's La Traviata
  • 2018: Best Conductor of a ballet for Prokofiev's Cinderella
  • 2018: Special Awards of the Musical Theatre Jury for Cantos, Aleksey Syumak's opera

Productions

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Discography

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Recordings are with Sony Classical unless otherwise noted:

Filmography

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References

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  1. ↑ Hernández, Javier C (13 February 2024). "Performance by Maestro With Russian Ties Is Canceled in Vienna". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "Theodor Currentzis about his teacher". Musin Ilya. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. ↑ "Teodor Currentzis to Head Perm Opera and Ballet Theater". russkiymir.ru. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Teodor Currentzis wird Chefdirigent des SWR Symphonieorchesters". SWR Classic. 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. ↑ "Teodor Currentzis bleibt weitere drei Jahre Chefdirigent des SWR Symphonieorchesters". SWR2. 15 September 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  6. ↑ "François-Xavier Roth wird Chefdirigent des SWR Symphonieorchesters ab 2025" (Press release). SWR. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  7. 1 2 Thaler, Lotte (22 November 2022). "Umstrittener Dirigent: Es geht nicht um Putin, es geht um Kunst". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Salazar, Francisco (5 October 2022). "Kölner Philharmonie Cancels Teodor Currentzis's Concert". OperaWire. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  9. 1 2 Кудин, Николай (6 June 2024). "Курентзис и 2,5 тысячи мест. «Фонтанка» узнала, что за концертный зал построят на Ново-Адмиралтейском острове" [Currentzis and 2,500 seats. "Fontanka" learned what kind of concert hall will be built on Novo-Admiralteysky Island] (in Russian). Фонтанка.ру. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  10. ↑ red, wien ORF at/Agenturen (11 April 2022). "Kein Currentzis-Benefizkonzert im Konzerthaus". wien.ORF.at (in German). Retrieved 27 May 2026.
  11. ↑ Милова, Евгения (20 June 2022). "ПМЭФ — и точка" [SPIEF — and period] (in Russian). Коммерсантъ. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  12. ↑ Pape, Ulf (26 September 2025). "Ein Tag und eine Nacht mit dem Stardirigenten Teodor Currentzis" [A day and a night with star conductor Teodor Currentzis]. GQ Germany (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  13. ↑ von Boeselager, Matern (11 April 2025). "Dirigieren in der Grauzone" [Conducting in the Gray Zone]. Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  14. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (16 January 2023). "Elbphilharmonic Cancels Teodor Currentzis' Concert". OperaWire. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (15 February 2024). "Wiener Festwochen Cancels Teodor Currentzis' Performance". OperaWire. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  16. ↑ Lemke-Matwey, Christine (13 May 2026). "Teodor Currentzis: Das Schönste und das Schrecklichste der Musik" [Teodor Currentzis: The Most Beautiful and the Most Terrible of Music]. Die Zeit (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  17. ↑ "Foreigners Scoop Awards at Golden Mask Awards" The Moscow Times, 18 April 2011
  18. ↑ Susan Moore (20 June 2014). "Nosferatu, Perm Opera Ballet Theatre, Russia – review". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
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