# Teodor Currentzis

Teodor Currentzis (Greek: Θεόδωρος Κουρεντζής Greek:; born 24 February 1972) is a Greek and Russian conductor, musician and actor.

## Biography

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.
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. In 2009, Currentzis acted in Ilya Khrzhanovsky's film Dau (Russian: Дау) based on the biography of the physicist Lev Landau. In February 2011, Currentzis became music director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theatre, to which he brought both of his MusicAeterna groups.
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). In September 2021, the SWR announced a 3-year extension to Currentzis' contract. 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. The contract was not renewed upon his own request, and not for political reasons "as some had speculated or hoped".

## Controversies related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine

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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 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. Similar cancellations took place in Munich, Paris, Vienna, and Hamburg.

## Critical reception

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.

## Awards

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.
* 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

## Productions

* 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.
* 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.

## Discography

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

## Filmography

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