Interview
When was your first concert with the MCO?
That was in 2019, at one of the most legendary venues worldwide: the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite was the show opener, followed by compositions by Beethoven and de Falla. It was an evening of firsts: I had never played the Suite before, my first time at the Concertgebouw and my first time playing with the MCO. I was very nervous, but all went well.
Can you tell us something about your instrument?
I play the oboe. It's the perfect instrument for love declarations. It can create a sound that will go straight to the heart.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
You must already suspect the answer, coming from an oboist: it's the reeds. We are extremely dependent on nature. Because we are constantly in motion, we are facing challenges regularly.
If you would play a different instrument, what would it be?
I think I would choose the viola. It's a totally different role in the ensemble compared to the oboe. I would be a violist and only play string quartets.
Your most inspiring composer?
Gustav Mahler, and not just because the orchestra carries his name!
What would you do if you weren't a musician?
I would learn how to cook. Cooking is an art just like music, they are very similar. The smallest nuances can change the flavour and aroma of a whole dish or piece of music.
What are your Desert Island Discs?
Vladimir Horowitz - The Moscow Concert "Horowitz in Moscow" 1986.
Biography
Andrey has established himself in recent years as one of the leading oboists of his generation. With the 2017/18 season, he assumed the role of principal oboist of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, and since the 2021/22 season, he has held the same position with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
He was born in Moscow in 1989, started his training at the Gnessin State Music School and later continued at the Central Music School at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Subsequently, he studied with Ingo Goritzki and François Leleux at the Munich University of Music and Theatre, where he received his Master of Music degree in 2017.
He has received prizes at various competitions, including the Prague Spring Music Festival 2014 and the Kulturkreis Gasteig Music Prize 2014, where he earned a special prize for his interpretation of Robert Schumann's Romances for oboe and piano (op. 94). Since then, Andrey has performed as a soloist with several orchestras, most recently including the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, the Mariinsky Orchestra, the Braunschweig State Orchestra, the Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt, the Southwest German Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra Pforzheim, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Monte Carlo.
Andrey is a frequent guest at leading festivals, such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the Hamburg Chamber Music Festival International, the EUROPAMUSICALE Festival Strings, the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, the Solsberg Festival, the Salon de Provence, and the Festival de Saint-Denis. His chamber music partners include Emmanuel Pahud, Sharon Kam, Sergio Azzolini, Dag Jensen, Bruno Schneider, Guy Braunstein, Nelson Goerner, and Frank Braley.
Andrey
began working with the MCO in 2019, and assumed the role of our principal oboist in November 2022.