The Russian National Orchestra (Orchestra)
Founder and artistic leader - Mikhail Pletnev.
Russian National Orchestra
"They played with such captivating beauty that the audience let out an involuntary sigh of pleasure."
— Evening Standard, London
"...as close to perfect as one could hope for."
— Trinity Mirror
"breathtakingly beautiful."
— Classic CD
"[The RNO is] easily the greatest Russian orchestra of today."
— The Journal, Newcastle
"...an awe-inspiring experience. Should human beings be able to play like this?"
— Gramophone
The Russian National Orchestra was founded in 1990 by pianist and conductor
Mikhail Pletnev and today is widely recognized as one of the world’s top
orchestras. Of its debut at the BBC Proms in London, the Evening Standard
wrote, "They played with such captivating beauty that the audience gave an
involuntary sigh of pleasure." The RNO is also described as "a living
symbol of the best in Russian art" (Miami Herald), "as close to perfect as one
could hope for" (Trinity Mirror), and "astoundingly virtuosic" (Glasgow
Herald).
The first Russian orchestra to perform at the Vatican and in Israel, the RNO
maintains an active international tour schedule, appearing throughout Europe,
Asia and the Americas. The RNO is a frequent visitor to major
festivals such as Edinburgh, Shanghai and the BBC Proms. The
orchestra presents its own RNO Grand Festival each September to open the
Moscow season, and is the founding orchestra of Festival Napa Valley, held every
July in California’s Napa Valley.
RNO concerts are regularly aired on National Public Radio in the United
States, the European Broadcasting Union, and Russia’s Kultura channel. The
orchestra’s critically acclaimed discography, launched with a 1991 CD cited as
the best recording of Tchaikovsky's Pathétique in history, now numbers
more than 80 recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, Pentatone and other prestigious
labels. Notable releases include the complete Beethoven symphonies and piano
concertos on Deutsche Grammophon and Tchaikovsky’s six symphonies for
Pentatone. The orchestra’s Shostakovich project, also on Pentatone, has
been cited as “the most exciting cycle of the Shostakovich symphonies to be put
down on disc, and easily the best recorded” (SACD.net).
The RNO's recording of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and Beintus's Wolf
Tracks, conducted by Kent Nagano and narrated by Sophia Loren, Bill Clinton and
Mikhail Gorbachev, received a 2004 Grammy Award, making the RNO the first
Russian orchestra to win the recording industry's highest honor. The
orchestra’s recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, conducted by Paavo
Järvi, was awarded the prestigious Diapason d’Or de l’Année 2015 as the year's
best symphonic album, and nominated for a 2016 Grammy award.
The RNO is unique among the principal Russian ensembles as a private
institution funded with the support of individuals, corporations and foundations
in Russia and throughout the world. In recognition of its artistry and
path-breaking structure, the RNO was the first non-governmental orchestra to
receive grant support from the Russian Federation.
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