George Petrou
Conductor
CV CV PARNASSUS ARTS PRODUCTIONS
George Petrou
Conductor
George Petrou was born in Greece. He Rossini’s Semiramide in Opera de Nice, studied piano at the Athens Conservatoire, Monteverdi’s Ritorno d’ Ulisse coupled at the Royal College and the Royal with Nono’s Non hai camin, hai che Academy of Music in London. He enjoyed caminar at the Staatstheater Darmstadt, a successful career as a concert pianist Hasse’s Siroe at the Opera Royale de but gradually turned to conducting and Versailles and the Athens festival, quickly gained attention establishing a Purcell’s King Arthur as a co-production flourishing international career. He has with la Monnaie in Brussels and also particular interest in music of the 18 c. Amsterdam, Brugge, Antwerp, Breda, but is equally at home in the classical and Mozart’s Mitridate at Nationaltheater the romantic repertoire. Mannheim, Handel’s Semele at Opera de Nice, Rossini’s Cenerentola at the Greek George Petrou is the artistic director of National Opera, Handel’s Alessandro at the renowned Athens based Orchestra Opéra Royal de Versailles, Megaron of “Armonia Atenea” , with which he tours Athens, International Handel Festspiel and records extensively, performing both in Halle, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Opéra on period or modern instruments. Vichy, Theater an der Wien, Salle Pleyel Paris and Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Aside from conducting a wide range Mayr’s Ginevra Di Scozia at Teatro of symphonic music he has gained a Donizetti in Bergamo and Ingolstadt reputation as an operatic conductor, with with the Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, emphasis on the historically informed Vivaldi’s Il Farnace at Opéra National practices, not only in baroque music but du Rhin, Strasbourg and at Opéra also in later repertoire. Royal de Versailles, Handel’s Semele at Stadttheater Bern, Rossini’s Il Barbiere Di Engagements for 2015-16 include Siviglia, Verdi’s Nabucco, Haydn’s L’Isola Handel’s Arminio at Staatstheater Disabitata and Theophrastos Sakellaridis’ Karlsruhe, Rossini’s Cenerentola at operettas Pik Nik, Halima and The Godson teatro Verdi, Trieste, Cherubini’s Medea in Athens. at Opera de Nice, Handel’s Scipione at the International Handel Festspiel, Halle (Bad Several of George Petrou’s biggest Lauchstadt), Cole Porter’s Kiss me Kate (in successes have been in operas by Gluck. his own stage direction) at the Megaron, He has conducted Alceste (at the Megaron Athens, Rufus Wainright’s Primadonna, in of Athens with Anna Caterina Antonacci a symphonic/visual version at the Athens in the title role and at Oper Leipzig in a Festival, Magic flute at the Greek National new production by P. Konwitzny), Orphee Opera, Philip Glass’s in the Penal Colony at the Greek National Opera, Iphigénie en at the Onassis Cultural center. Aulide at the newly built Onassis Cultural center and the 1st modern revival of Il Recent Opera engagements include trionfo di Clelia at the Megaron, to great Handel’s Serse at the Royal Swedish Opera, acclaim.
1 CV PARNASSUS ARTS PRODUCTIONS
Earlier assignments include Donizetti’s (a collection of arias and concertos with Anna Bolena as well as Handel’s Theodora M. E. Cencic) and Handel’s Alessandro. in Athens, Lully’s Phaeton and A. Additionaly, Mayr’s operas Ginevra and Scarlatti’s Il Tigrane at the Saarländisches Lodoiska for OEHMS Classics (with the Staatstheater Saarbrücken, Handel’s Muenchner Runfunkorchester). Oreste, Arianna in Creta, Tamerlano, Giulio Cesare. He has also recorded Handel’s Oreste, Arianna in Creta, Alessandro Severo, In concert he collaborates with the Tamerlano and Giulio Cesare for MDG. Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, the Concerto Koln, the Berner All of them have received with the highest Symphonieorchester, the Athens State critical acclaim from the international Orchestra, the Bratislava Philharmonic, press (Choc-Monde de la Musique, the Musica Viva (Moscow). Gramophone-Editor’s Choice, Diapason d’Or, BBC Mag/Recording of the Month, George Petrou has a very busy recording CD of the week-Sunday Times, Recording schedule. Recent releases for DECCA of the month in Musicweb, Crescendo include Hasse’s Siroe , a Countertenor Bestenliste Platz 1, etc.). Tamerlano Gala and a collection of baroque arias received the prestigious ECHO KLASSIC called Baroque Divas all with Armonia 2008, and Alessandro the Recording of the Atenea. His recent multiple prizewinning Year at the International Opera Awards, DECCA releases include Beethoven’s and the was voted by the veiwers of Mezzo Creatures of Prometheus, Gluck’s tenor as opera of the Year 2013 recieving more arias with Daniel Behle, Hasse’s Rokoko than 250,000 votes.
Management Georg Lang Barnabitengasse 5/4 1060 Vienna Austria T : +43(0) 1 8904151 E: [email protected]
SEASON 2016/2017 - WE UPDATE OUR BIOGRAPHIES REGULARLY. 2 PLEASE, DO NOT USE PREVIOUSLY DATED MATERIAL.