An acclaimed Russian conductor reconnects with Tchaikovsky. This fall, Russian-born conductor Semyon Bychkov inaugurated a multiseason, international project devoted to Tchaikovsky, Beloved Friend. It began with a concert series with the BBC Symphony in October, and will continue with the NY Philharmonic’s three-week festival, “Beloved Friend: Tchaikovsky and His World,” in January and February of next year. In September, Russian Life Editor Paul Richardson caught up with Bychkov via Skype, at his home in France.
How long have you been conducting. Is it over 40 years now?
It is longer than that. I am over 60 now, and began conducting at 17, with the choir in Leningrad.
And how many times in those 40+ years would you say you have conducted Tchaikovsky?
He has been a presence throughout all those many years.
So we can just say a lot, then?
Yes, many times.
And what brought you “back” to Tchaikovsky with this Beloved Friend project?
It was a coming together of many things. First there was a request to conduct Tchaikovsky in New York… then the request to record the full cycle of his symphonies [with Decca]… and then I wanted to conduct this with the BBC… So it all sort of came together.
It’s like that sometimes in the arts…
Yes, when it rains, it pours.
Why is it you feel that Tchaikovsky resonates so well with Americans?
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