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.
The new RPO anniversary season 2026-7 will see many new milestones for the Orchestra. One important personal milestone for Music Director, Vasily Petrenko, will be his debut at London’s Cadogan Hall. Vasily comments: “This is the first season in which I will be...
As he prepares to return to the BBC Proms in August with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vasily reflects on what the festival means to him: “It's always a pleasure to return to Europe’s largest classical music festival. It's very special to play in the Royal Albert...
This week, Vasily Petrenko is leading the 2026 Academy for Young Conductors in Yerevan, Armenia. With applications received from young conductors spanning 22 countries, Vasily reflects on his work for the week ahead – he comments: “My job there is not to judge, it is...