Jess Gillam with Vasily Petrenko
Vasily Petrenko joined saxophonist and presenter Jess Gillam on BBC Radio 3’s This Classical Life. On 30 May, he joins Jess to share some of his favourite music, giving a conductor’s insight into the big works of Shostakovich and Beethoven, and revealing more eclectic tastes with tracks by Björk and Pink Floyd. Jess, meanwhile, plays Vasily some Vivaldi and Duke Ellington, and music for saxophone and orchestra by the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho.
Following the RPO’s 2026 audience report, which explored people’s attitudes to AI in music, Vasily Petrenko reflects on the impact of AI on society and music - and the skills needed for creatives to succeed in a changing world. “It is currently a very tough...
A new study by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) explored how UK adults choose to enjoy recorded music. Among the under 25 age group, CDs, vinyl and cassettes were more popular than the national average. Reflecting on the data, Vasily Petrenko comments: “The new...
"As we prepared the countdown to our 80th anniversary season, there was one journey that I was determined to make. Musicians sometimes talk about tackling the summits of the repertoire, and what musical peak is more spectacular than Richard Strauss’ An Alpine...