One of the world’s most sought-after guest conductors, Alexander Vedernikov, has died at the age of 56 as a result of COVID-19 complications.
Prior to his death, he spent a short period on a ventilator, but it was in vain.
He was due to take to the stage for a performance of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony tonight.
Great talent
In 2016, the esteemed Russian conductor joined Det Kongelige Teater after a seven year stint as chief conductor at the Odense Symphony Orchestra. Before that, he had been musical director at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
In 2009 he made headlines in a dramatic exit from his role at the Bolshoi Theatre, claiming that it was putting “bureaucratic interests before artistic ones”.
A graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, he previously conducted some of the world’s most famous orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
