Tatjana Vassiljeva

Described as a ‘phenomenon’, Tatjana Vassiljeva is known as a musician possessing an irreproachable technique and irresistible range of sonorities, whose innate musical curiosity is reflected by her extensive repertoire, which ranges from baroque to contemporary music and includes several works of which she has given the world première.

Since coming to international prominence as first Russian to be awarded the Grand Prix at the Concours de Violoncelle Rostropovitch, Tatjana has built a formidable reputation as one of the leading cellists of today, performing with the most prestigious orchestras including the Academic Symphony Orchestra of St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de France, Orchestre de Paris, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, DSO Berlin, NHK Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra under such distinguished conductors as Yuri Temirkanov, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Claudio Abbado, Valery Gergiev, Herbert Blomstedt, David Zinman, Daniele Gatti, Tugan Sokhiev, Dmitri Kitaenko, Michail Jurowski, Jiri Kout, Sakari Oramo, Christoph Eschenbach, Bertrand de Billy, Vassily Sinaisky, Vladimir Fedoseyev and Krzysztov Penderecki.

Tatjana is closely associated with several composers, noticeably with
Krzysztof Penderecki whose Concerto Grosso she has performed many times with various musicians. In 2008 she gave the world premiere of the revised version of the Largo, led by the composer, and recorded his Second Concerto. Her collaboration with the composer continued in 2009 when they gave concerts in Spain together.

As a chamber musician, Tatjana Vassiljeva performs at international festivals such as Lockenhaus, Verbier, Kronberg, Colmar, Elba, the Rencontres de musique de chambre at Chambery and La Grange de Meslay and the Folle journées in Nantes and Tokyo in collaboration with Viktor Tretiakov, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Bashmet, Denis Matsuev, Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov, Baiba Skride, Sayaka Shoji, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, Plamena Mangova, Antoine Tamestit and Renaud and Gautier Capuçon and Paul Badura-Skoda.
In 2007, along with several of the orchestra string soloists, she created the Berlin Philharmonic Quintet with which she has toured extensively throughout Europe and Asia.

Her extensive discography solo of CDs covers a wide range of repertoire from solo Bach to Kodaly to contemporary works by Shchedrin, Dutilleux, Saariaho, Schnittke, Stroppa and Penderecki and has been rewarded by several awards including the ‘CHOC’ (the highest recommendation) from Classica Magazine and the Diapason d’Or and firmly established herself as ‘the new diva of the cello’.

She has also recorded the Alkan and Chopin cello sonatas with Jean-Frédéric Neuburger for MIRARE, Penderecki’s Concerto No. 2 with Antoni Wit and the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra for NAXOS, winning the Contemporary Award at the 2012 International Classical Music Awards, and a CD of works by Dvorak with the Berlin Philharmonic Quintet on PENTATONE.

Tatjana Vassiljeva was born into a musical family in Novosibirsk, Russia and began studying the cello at the age of six with Eugenij Nilov at the Special Music School. From 1989 to 1995 she was in the class of Maria Zhuravleva at the Central Music School in Moscow and, having won second prize at the Munich Competition in 1994, she moved there to study with Walter Nothas at the Hochschule für Musik and Theater in Munich. After graduating with distinction, completed her postgraduate degree with David Geringas at the Musikhochschule Hanns Eisler in Berlin.

Since 2014, Tatjana Vassiljeva combines her solo career and the position she holds as Principal cellist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, with which she also regularly performs as soloist.

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Tatjana Vassiljeva

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Tatjana Vassiljeva