Vladimir Genin

“Genin consistently finds his own, distinctly pianistic musical language. He explores all the instrument’s possibilities — its full range and dynamic palette. His new cycle Seven Melodies for the Dial is full of tension and interpreted magnificently.”
— Carsten Dürer, Piano News.

“There are those who claim that contemporary music has nothing more to say. But if you want to leave them speechless, play them the music of Vladimir Genin.”
— Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International.

The Russian-German composer Vladimir Genin was born in Moscow in 1958 into an artistically inclined family. In 1983, he graduated from the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, having studied composition under Professor Roman Ledenev and piano with Ilya Klyachko, while also receiving artistic guidance from his mentor Georgy Sviridov, who had studied with Dmitri Shostakovich, one of Russia’s most significant composers. Since 1996, Genin has lived and worked in Munich, Germany.

Vladimir Genin’s compositions have been performed by symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, and choirs across Europe, Russia, and the United States — including the Graz Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna under the baton of Oksana Lyniv, the Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under Valery Gergiev, the Boulez Ensemble Berlin, the Menuhin Academy Soloists Switzerland, the International New Symphony Orchestra Lviv, and the Kyiv Camerata (Ukraine). His works have been featured at international festivals such as Pietrasanta in Concerto (Italy), Hohenloher Kultursommer (Germany), Moscow Autumn (Russia), MozArt Lviv, Contrasts Lviv (Ukraine), the Serbia Music Festival in Belgrade, the International Gori Choral Festival (Georgia), and the music festival of the Munich Society for New Music.

His music has been interpreted by outstanding musicians including Ukrainian violinist Valeriy Sokolov, British cellist Tim Hugh, violinist Simon Smith and violist Paul Silverthorne, German organist Hansjörg Albrecht and violinist Rebekka Hartmann, South African countertenor Christopher Ainslie, Russian pianist Olga Domnina, and many others.

Recent premieres of Vladimir Genin’s works include his two operas based on texts by Rainer Maria Rilke, Alkestis and Orpheus. Eurydice. Hermes, performed in 2023 at the Pierre Boulez Hall in Berlin, as well as his Accordion Concerto, which premiered in 2024 at the Berlin Philharmonie — featuring accordion soloist Marko Ševarlić and the orchestra conducted by Miran Vaupotić.

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians features an article on the work of Vladimir Genin.

Photo © Sasha Gusov.