"Verbitsky's tender touch, especially as Orpheus
ascended to its airy conclusion, was a suspenseful prelude to the
concert's grand finale, Bartok's suite from The Miraculous Mandarin."
St. Petersburg Times, Florida
"The peak of the evening lay incontrovertibly in
the keeping of Shostakovich, with impressive Verbitsky taking WASO
through a performance of the Tenth Symphony that got to the heart of
the musical matter.... This is not music to relax to. The scherzo, in
particular, is a tour de force; it has a stringent, ominous quality.
And Verbitsky, with his finger firmly on the pulse of the music, took
his forces through a reading that riveted the attention."
The West Australian
"Verbitsky highlighted the multicolored layers
in Respighi's glistening Three Boticelli Pictures and the players
responded with most delicately etched sound pictures." The
Courier-Mail Queensland, Ausrtralia
"An on-form WASO with Vladimir at the helm
essayed Sibelius' Symphony No. 2 in fine style with some of the year's
most impressive playing in a reading that was invariably cogent and
lucid."
The West Australian
"...Verbitsky gave us a reading of pure delight,
the lilting essence of the piece captured and conveyed to the nth
degree by unusually responsive WASO"
The West Australian
"Conductor Vladimir Verbitsky found great drama,
emotion - and more than a modicum of subtlety - in Tchaikovsky's
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, opus 64. Indeed, at times, it seemed as if
the Tucson musicians had transformed themselves into a well-oiled,
passionate Slavic machine. ... More often than not, Verbitsky
conducted without baton, urging the orchestra with gestures with his
entire body. ...it was Tchaikovsky at its most effective."
The Arizona Daily Star
"Russian guest conductor Vladimir Verbitsky
conquered the recognition of the audience through an impressive and
insightful performance...Under convincing baton of Verbitsky the
Luzern Symphony Orchestra was driven to a sparkling and truly
outstanding performance. Technically clean, with balanced sound and
impressive in its musical message Verbitsky offered all of himself to
the audience".
Luzern Newspaper
"I can not recall a more satisfying account by
the WA Symphony Orchestra of a major work by Strauss than Vladimir
Verbitsky's direction of Zarathustra. ... Paying the keenest attention
to detail without for a moment losing sight of the work's grand
design, Verbitsky - positively reveling in the flare of brass and the
fashioning of enormous tonal climaxes - coaxed from his forces a
reading to remember. ...an inspired Verbitsky took his musicians to
the heights..." The West Australian
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Vladimir Verbitsky was
born in Leningrad (St.Petersburg) and graduated from that city's
famous Conservatoire in piano as well as choral, operatic and
symphonic conducting. Following his graduation, he studied with
Yevgeny Mravinsky, the renowned Chief Conductor of the Leningrad
Philharmonic, who took the closest interest in his musical
development.
Vladimir Verbitsky made his Moscow debut at the invitation of the
legendary Russian pianist Emil Gilels, and their musical association
continued through numerous concert appearances. In Russia he regularly
conducts the major Moscow and St. Petersburg orchestras. as well as
continuing his long association with the Voronezh Philharmonic, of
which he has been Chief Conductor and Music Director since 1972. Under
his baton the Voronezh Philharmonic has improved enormously and was
given a title of Academic Orchestra for truly great music making.
Vladimir Verbitsky received the honorable title of People's Artist of
Russia.
During the period 1982-1984 he also worked as Chief Conductor of the
Slovak Philharmonic in Bratislava.
As Guest Conductor on many international tours of Evgeny Svetlanov's
USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Vladimir Verbitsky conducted this
mighty orchestra in France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Spain,
Canada, USA, South America, Japan and Hong Kong.
He was introduced to Australian and New Zealand audiences in 1986,
when he achieved a remarkable personal success as Guest Conductor on
the USSR State Symphony Orchestra's historic first Australasian tour.
At the end of this tour he was invited to be Music Director of the
State Orchestra of Victoria in Melbourne.
Vladimir Verbitsky has toured Australia each year since 1987 and
regularly conducts all of the major Australian and New Zealand
orchestras. This unique collaboration with the West Australian
Symphony Orchestra has extended through twelve years, from 1987-1991
as a Guest Conductor and from 1992-1997 as the orchestra's Principal
Guest Conductor. He was appointed in 1997 Conductor Laureate. This
important honor has been given for life in recognition of his depth of
knowledge, artistic vision and wonderful rapport with the orchestra.
Vladimir Verbitsky's recent engagements have included concerts with
St. Petersburg Philharmonic, the Great Radio and Television Orchestra
of Moscow and Svetlanov's Orchestra; concerts with the Lucerne
Symphony in Switzerland; recordings in Germany with the Baden-Baden
Philharmonic, a six-concert Russian Music Festival with the Auckland
Philharmonia in New Zealand; frequent concerts with the Florida
Orchestra and the Tucson Symphony.
Among soloists he has performed with are Emil Gilels, Vladimir
Spivakov, Gidon Kremer, Evelyn Glennie, Oleg Kagan, Natalia Gutman,
Viktor Tretyakov, lgor Oistrakh, Evgeny Svetlanov, Paul Badura-Skoda,
Frank Peter Zimmermann.
Vladimir Verbitsky's repertoire includes more than two thousand works
of world classical music as well as contemporary music. He made
recordings with many orchestras: with USSR State Symphony Orchestra,
St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra, Voronezh Philharmonic, Slovak
Philharmonic, Saarbrücken Radio Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra,
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, State Orchestra of Victoria, Queensland
Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian
Symphony Orchestra and others.
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