The event was a real success with many guests from the local business community eager to hear about the young Russian conductor's experience and 'take' on success.

 

Vasily Petrenko took up the post of Principal Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2006. Hailed as 'Liverpool's latest signing' he has proved a force for good and has been attracting a growing and younger audience to the classical concerts at the Liverpool Phil.

 

Answering questions by Matt Johnson, Mando Group Chairman, Petrenko talked about how his education at the prestigious St Petersburg Conservatoire trained him to become a conductor from an early age, but also importantly, taught him how to succeed. A confident and charismatic speaker, he went on to talk of his father's Dixieland double bass playing and his mother's musical education, before going on to explain that had he not been a conductor he may have pursued a career as an Olympic swimmer, had it not been for the decision that music would be with him throughout his whole life.

 

Explaining how he was pleased to take up the position with the RPLO prior to such a significant time for Liverpool, Petrenko spoke of the energy that he finds in Liverpool as it celebrates it’s 800th birthday and prepares to be European Capital of Culture.  ‘The energy of the people here is something unique, something you do not find in many other cities in the world.’

 

Petrenko is currently living in Liverpool and using the city as his base whilst working at the RLPO and performing in other cities in Europe. He has a busy schedule, and loves his work, mentioning that he constantly has music playing in his head ‘Even while I sit here and talk to you, I can listen to music playing, I am always working on my music.’

 

Petrenko chose the Russian film Alexander Nevsky  as an inspiring film on leadership, likening likened the role that the conductor plays to a leader who needs to work to bring a large group of people together and how the relationships he builds are important in order to achieve the results that he seeks in the music.  

 

Following the interview the audience enjoyed the classic ‘Russian’ epic tucking into their free popcorn.

 

 

To watch the film of the whole interview with Vasily Petrenko go to www.directorscut.org.uk