Born
in Siberia (Irkutsk), Vladimir Ponkin graduated from
the Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky) State Conservatory
and took post-graduate courses with Gennady Rozhdestvensky
at the Moscow State Conservatory. The beginner won enormous
plaudits having got Grand Prix at the 5th World Rupert
Foundation Competition of Conductors (London, 1980).
Soon after he successfully accomplished a music production
at the Bolshoi Theatre (Mozart and Salieri by Rimsky-Korsakov)
and also took part in producing probably the best performance
of the 80-s at the famous Chamber Opera Theatre headed
by Boris Pokrovsky (Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress and
Shostakovich’s Nose).
In
the early 90-s Vladimir Ponkin was appointed artistic
director and chief conductor of the Moscow State Philharmonic
Orchestra, and then a prominent composer Krzyztof Penderezki
recommended Ponkin to the position of artistic director
and chief conductor of the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra.
One of Ponkin’s greatest works with the Polish orchestra
was performance of the monumental and extremely difficult
composition of Penderezki’s Jutrznia (Utrenia) for soloists,
choir and orchestra which was prepared for a concert
in Stockholm in the frameworks of the festival dedicated
to the composer. Penderezki highly appreciated Ponkin’s
skill: “After this concert I have no wish to conduct
the composition myself”.
A concert
at the Vatican residence of the Pope John Paul II can
also be considered as an outstanding event. It was so
successful that the Pope asked to play an encore and
presented the conductor with the Medaglia Ufficiale Annuale
del XVII anno di Pontificato di Sua Santita Giovanni
Paolo II. For all his work with the orchestra, Vladimir
Ponkin was awarded with the order “For Cultural Merits” by
the Minister of Culture and Arts of Poland.
As
a visiting conductor Ponkin worked with orchestras of
many countries, among which are Australia, England, Germany,
Sweden, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic
and the USA. He played with such well-known soloists
as M.Fedotov, N.Gutman, V.Yampolsky, G.Sokolov, E.Virsaladze,
N.Petrov, V.Krainev, O.Krysa, Polish bass R.Zukowsky,
American pianist D.Pollak, Yugoslav Ivo Pogorelic and
others.
“
Acknowledgments to the Russian conductor who made the Zagreb
Philharmonic Society sound!”, a Liubsky newspapers reported
after the performance of Tschaikowsky’s First Piano Concerto
with the legendary Ivo Pogorelic.
Ponkin
and the Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra have performed
enormous repertoire comprising the 17th - 20th century
music. The orchestra possesses a rational sense of form
side by side with vivid emotions and responds to every
gesture of the conductor. As a result, all interpretations
are marked by the finest flexibility of sound graduations
and the abundance of expressive tinges which change each
time becoming more and more refined.
The
accompaniment skill of the orchestra is well-known -
it is often invited to take part in international competitions.
This was one of the reasons why in 1996 Ponkin was requested
to become music director and chief conductor of the Moscow
Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre.
The conductor started with the preparation of Tschaikowsky’s
Swan Lake and Verdi’s Othello. In October 1996 the latter
had an overwhelming premiere.
“The
new conductor Vladimir Ponkin brings into the performance
the gift of a real musician and mastership of an experienced
conductor - for a long time the orchestra hasn’t sounded
so absolute and perfect”. (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow)
In
summer 1996 the Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra participated
in the 42nd Puccini festival in Torre del Lago. Ponkin
gave two symphony concerts of French and Russian music
in the frameworks of this opera festival.
According
to the Italian press they “significantly raised the
emotional temperature of the festival. Ponkin knows
huge repertoire. His interpretation of the authors
belonging to different historical periods and styles
is extremely diverse”. (Viareggio. La Nazione)
“Mussorgsky’s
Night on the Bare Mountain, performed first, revealed
the qualities of the orchestra. That was an ardent
musicality combined with baton technique discipline
and care of Vladimir Ponkin who conducted with confidence
and clarity” . (Mannheimer Morgen)
“The
Moscow Philharmonic under Vladimir Ponkin created a
furor… starting with the overture to Wagner’s Rienzi.
All the details of the piece which are never heard
in other performances were delicately played”. (NRZ
Oberhausen)
“Ponkin’s
baton is superb… Mastership of this active, musically
gifted, alert and perceptive conductor should be specially
mentioned”. (Corriere della sera, Milan)
The
range of Vladimir Ponkin’s repertoire is enormous, it
includes both popular compositions by Beethoven, Rachmaninov,
Tschaikowsky and rare for the Moscow audience music such
as Elgar’s or Stravinsky’s pieces. Ponkin dares to perform
modern music as well. He presented Russian premieres
of Penderezki and Lutoslawsky in the past. And it was
under his direction that the Modern Music Ensemble made
its first steps in the early 90-s. The conductor is also
considered one of the best to accompany soloists including
opera singers.
“Without
exaggeration, the interpretation of Berlioz’s Symphonie
Fantastique can be regarded as an outstanding event.
The conductor’s theatrical intellection and comprehension
of the whole composition typical of a producer made
a bewitching impression”. (Nezavisimaya Gaseta, Moscow)
In
January 2005 Vladimir Ponkin was appointed artistic director
and chief conductor of the National Academic Folk Orchestra
of Russia named after N.P.Ossipov.
The
Ossipov Orchestra, founded in 1919 as State Orchestra
of Folk instruments, is the best folk company of the
world that has ever existed. The Orchestra's precision,
range, flexibility and the dynamics were the constant
source of miracle. (Pittsburgh Press)
