Teodor Currentzis

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.{{cite web | title=Theodor Currentzis about his teacher | website=Musin Ilya | url=https://ilyamusin.wixsite.com/maestro/teodor-kurentzis-o-svoyom-uchitele?lang=en | access-date=14 February 2024}}

From 2004 to 2010, Currentzis served as principal conductor of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, where in 2004 he founded the Orchestra MusicAeterna and later the Chorus MusicAeterna.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

In 2009, Currentzis acted in Ilya Khrzhanovsky's film Dau ({{langx|ru|Дау}}) based on the biography of the physicist Lev Landau.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} In February 2011, Currentzis became music director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, to which he brought both of his MusicAeterna groups.{{Cite news|date=27 December 2010|publisher=russkiymir.ru|title=Teodor Currentzis to Head Perm Opera and Ballet Theater|url=http://www.russkiymir.ru/russkiymir/en/news/common/news1954.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727114533/http://www.russkiymir.ru/russkiymir/en/news/common/news1954.html|archive-date=27 July 2011}}

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).{{cite news | url=http://www.swr.de/unternehmen/kommunikation/5-teodor-currentzis-wird-chefdirigent-des-swr-symphonieorchesters/-/id=10563098/did=19322874/nid=10563098/ee1mro/index.html | title=Teodor Currentzis wird Chefdirigent des SWR Symphonieorchesters | work=SWR Classic | date=5 April 2017 | accessdate=6 April 2017 | archive-date=7 April 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170407214812/http://www.swr.de/unternehmen/kommunikation/5-teodor-currentzis-wird-chefdirigent-des-swr-symphonieorchesters/-/id=10563098/did=19322874/nid=10563098/ee1mro/index.html | url-status=dead }} In September 2021, the SWR announced a 3-year extension to Currentzis' contract.{{cite news | url=https://www.swr.de/swr2/musik-klassik/teodor-currentzis-chefdirigent-des-swr-symphonieorchester-hat-seinen-vertrag-um-drei-jahre-verlaengert-100.html | title=Teodor Currentzis bleibt weitere drei Jahre Chefdirigent des SWR Symphonieorchesters | work=SWR2 | date=15 September 2021 | access-date=17 September 2017 | archive-date=16 March 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316053442/https://www.swr.de/swr2/musik-klassik/teodor-currentzis-chefdirigent-des-swr-symphonieorchester-hat-seinen-vertrag-um-drei-jahre-verlaengert-100.html | url-status=dead }} 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.{{cite press release | url=https://www.swr.de/swrclassic/symphonieorchester/francois-xavier-roth-wird-chefdirigent-swr-symphonieorchesters-ab-2025-100.html | title=François-Xavier Roth wird Chefdirigent des SWR Symphonieorchesters ab 2025 | publisher=SWR | date=30 September 2022 | access-date=3 October 2022}} The contract was not renewed upon his own request, and not for political reasons "as some had speculated or hoped".{{Cite news |last=Thaler |first=Lotte |date=22 November 2022 |title=Umstrittener Dirigent: Es geht nicht um Putin, es geht um Kunst |language=de |work=FAZ.NET |url=https://www.faz.net/aktuell/feuilleton/buehne-und-konzert/teodor-currentzis-dirigiert-in-baden-baden-es-geht-nicht-um-putin-18477229.html |access-date=22 November 2022 |issn=0174-4909}}

Although initially celebrated for his innovative interpretations, Teodor Currentzis has attracted growing scrutiny since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He has made no public statement condemning the war, continues to reside in Russia, and remains financially supported by the state-owned VTB Bank. Such patronage has led some European cultural institutions to question Currentzis’s proximity to the Russian regime.{{Cite web |title=Kölner Philharmonie Cancels Teodor Currentzis’s Concert |url=https://operawire.com/kolner-philharmonie-cancels-teodor-currentziss-concert/ |website=OperaWire |access-date=20 December 2024}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/amp/5421869|title=ПМЭФ — и точка|publisher=Коммерсантъ|access-date=20 December 2024|language=ru}}

In February 2024 Wiener Festwochen cancelled a performance by Currentzis due to concerns raised by Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, who was also scheduled to perform at the festival, around Currentzis's links to Russia – namely VTB Bank sponsoring a Currentzis-led Russian ensemble, and the Russian citizenship awarded to Currentzis by Vladimir Putin.{{Cite web |last=Hernández |first=Javier C |date=13 February 2024 |title=Performance by Maestro With Russian Ties Is Canceled in Vienna |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/13/arts/music/teodor-currentzis-canceled.html |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=The New York Times}}

At the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), VTB Bank head Andrey Kostin publicly affirmed his support for Currentzis. While addressing the audience, Kostin noted that after the start of the invasion on 24 February 2022, Currentzis had requested a meeting. Kostin recalled having initially considered the cost savings if Currentzis were to leave Russia for international stages but quoted Currentzis as declaring, “he is not a traitor and he stays.” Currentzis was present on stage behind Kostin during the speech, and the endorsement was met with applause.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/amp/5421869|title=ПМЭФ — и точка|publisher=Коммерсантъ|language=ru|access-date=20 December 2024}}

In December 2023, during a major Russian missile attack on Ukraine, Currentzis performed a Soviet Russian patriotic song “Moscow Nights” at the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, drawing criticism for the perceived insensitivity of the timing and repertoire.{{Cite web |title=While Putin bombs Ukraine, Currentzis conducts Midnight in Moscow |url=https://slippedisc.com/2024/01/while-putin-bombs-ukraine-currentzis-conducts-midnight-in-moscow/ |website=slippedisc.com |publisher=Norman Lebrecht |access-date=2 January 2024}}

In June 2024, it was reported that VTB intended to build a major concert hall in Saint Petersburg to serve Currentzis and his orchestra, musicAeterna, further solidifying their connection to Russian state-affiliated entities.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fontanka.ru/2024/06/06/73671170/|title=Курентзис и 2,5 тысячи мест. «Фонтанка» узнала, что за концертный зал построят на Ново-Адмиралтейском острове|publisher=Фонтанка.ру|date=6 June 2024|language=ru|access-date=20 December 2024}} Meanwhile, European venues and festivals have canceled or declined to host his performances since the outbreak of the war. For example, the Kölner Philharmonie canceled a January 2023 concert, expressing that, months into the conflict, it expected a clear stance on the situation. It added that Currentzis’s ongoing ties to Russian funding implied a close relationship with the regime.{{Cite web |title=Kölner Philharmonie Cancels Teodor Currentzis’s Concert |url=https://operawire.com/kolner-philharmonie-cancels-teodor-currentziss-concert/ |website=OperaWire |access-date=20 December 2024}} Similar cancellations took place in Munich, Paris, Vienna,{{Cite web|title=Kölner Philharmonie Cancels Teodor Currentzis’s Concert|url=https://operawire.com/kolner-philharmonie-cancels-teodor-currentziss-concert/|website=OperaWire|access-date=20 December 2024}} and Hamburg.{{Cite web|title=Elbphilharmonic Cancels Teodor Currentzis’ Concert|url=https://operawire.com/elbphilharmonic-cancels-teodor-currentzis-concert/}}

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.

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 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro.
• 2011: Best Conductor of an opera for Berg's Wozzeck at the Bolshoi Theater.[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/arts_n_ideas/article/foreigners-scoop-awards-at-golden-mask-awards/435230.html "Foreigners Scoop Awards at Golden Mask Awards"] The Moscow Times, 18 April 2011
• 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

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• 2004/05 – Verdi's Aida directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov.
• 2005/06 – Concert performance and CD record of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.
• 2006/07 – Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro directed by Tatjana Gürbaca.
• 2006/07 – Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk directed by Henrich Baranovsky.
• 2007 – Prokofiev's Cinderella.
• 2008/09 – Verdi's Macbeth directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov in Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre and Opéra Bastille.
• 2009/10 – Berg's Wozzeck directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov in Bolshoi Theatre.
• 2009/10 – Mozart's Don Giovanni directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov in Bolshoi Theatre and Aix-en-Provence Festival.
• 2010 – Mieczysław Weinberg's The Passenger at the Bregenzer Festspiele directed by David Pountney.
• 2010 – Alexey Syumak's The Requiem in the Moscow Art Theatre.
• 2011 – Mozart's Così fan tutte in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.
• 2012 – Tchaikovsky's Iolanta and Stravinsky's Persephone in the Teatro Real, Madrid.
• 2012 – Verdi's Macbeth in the Bavarian State Opera, Munich.
• 2012 – Prokofiev's Chout.
• 2013 – Purcell's The Indian Queen in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre with coproduction of Teatro Real and English National Opera.
• 2014 – Dmitry Kurlyandsky's Nosferatu in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.{{cite news | url=https://www.ft.com/content/20a647f2-f551-11e3-afd3-00144feabdc0 | title=Nosferatu, Perm Opera Ballet Theatre, Russia – review | work=Financial Times | author=Susan Moore | date=20 June 2014 | accessdate=6 April 2017}}
• 2014 – Mozart's Don Giovanni in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.
• 2015 – Shostakovich's Orango at Diaghilev Festival.
• 2016 – Verdi's La Traviata directed by Robert Wilson in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.
• 2017 – Mozart's La clemenza di Tito at Salzburg Festival
• 2018 – Arthur Honegger's Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher at Diaghilev Festival.
• 2018 – Prokofiev's Cinderella in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.
• 2018 – Alexey Symak's Cantos in the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre.

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Recordings are with Sony Classical unless otherwise noted:

• Purcell: Dido and Aeneas (Alpha, 2008)
• Mozart: Requiem (Alpha, 2011)
• Shostakovich: Symphony No. 14 (Alpha, 2011)
• Shostakovich: Piano Concertos; Sonata for Violin and Piano (Harmonia Mundi, 2012)
• Mozart: Le nozze di Figaro, 2014
• Rameau: The Sound of Light, 2014
• Mozart: Così fan tutte, 2014
• Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps, 2015
• Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Stravinsky: Les Noces, 2016
• Mozart: Don Giovanni, 2016
• Artyomov: Symphony Gentle Emanation (Divine Art, 2016)
• Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, 2017
• Mahler: Symphony No. 6, 2018
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5, 2020
• Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, 2021

• Iolanta/Perséphone (Teatro Real, 2012)
• Purcell: The Indian Queen (Sony Classical, 2015)
• Dau: Lev Landau (Ilya Khrzhanovsky, 2019)

• Valeri Gergiev, Russian conductor
• Anna Netrebko, Russian opera singer

• {{official|http://www.teodor-currentzis.com/}}
• [https://www.sonyclassical.de/kuenstler/artist-products/teodor-currentzis-3 Teodor Currentzis] Sony Classical
• [https://van-us.atavist.com/teodor-currentzis/ "The Magnet"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130204540/https://van-us.atavist.com/teodor-currentzis |date=30 November 2020 }}, by Hartmut Welscher, VAN Magazine, 1 June 2017.

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{{succession box | title=Principal Conductor, Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre | before=Alexey Liudmilin | years=2004–2011 | after=Ainars Rubikis}}

{{succession box | title=Music Director, Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre | before=Georgy Isaakyan | years=2011–2019 | after=Artyom Abashev}}

{{succession box | title=Chief Conductor, SWR Symphonieorchester | before=(no predecessor) | years=2018–present | after=incumbent}}

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Category:1972 births

Category:Living people

Category:Music directors (opera)

Category:Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre

Category:Greek conductors (music)

Category:Greek classical musicians

Category:Naturalized citizens of Russia

Category:21st-century Greek conductors (music)

Category:Musicians from Athens

Category:Recipients of the Golden Mask