Andrey Rubtsov

Conductor, Composer, Oboist

Andrey Rubtsov first came to public attention in 2004 when he conducted two piano concertos by J.S. Bach, with the Russian National Orchestra and soloist Mikhail Pletnev. This conducting debut was followed by Rubtsov’s leadership of RNO concerts in Malaysia, the United States, Russia, and the Netherlands. Rubtsov has also conducted the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, the State Caucasus Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow Conservatory Orchestra and the Royal Academy of Music Concert Orchestra (London).

Of his U.S. debut as conductor, the San Francisco Classical Voice wrote, “Rubtsov was comfortable, and he confidently took the opening Moderato at an unexpectedly slower tempo. That broadening opened the way for graceful phrasing in all the cantabile parts of the Serenade. It was poised. The Menuetto became a Tchaikovsky-like waltz; the Larghetto, relaxed and easy. Rubtsov had it completely in mind (memorized) and in hand.”

In 2001 Rubtsov joined the Russian National Orchestra, Moscow’s top orchestra, as a principal oboe. The same year he became a founding member of the RNO Wind Quintet, which won first prize at the Fifth Osaka International Chamber Music Competition (May 2005).

His recording of the Bach Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe with Julia Fischer and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields on Decca Classics was released in 2009 to rave reviews.

In addition to conducting, performing and recording, Rubtsov also devotes much of his time to composition. His pieces have been published in the United States and performed in more than 20 countries. He has composed a chamber ballet for the Bolshoi Theatre and numerous compositions for chamber ensembles. His Three Moods has become a standard piece in the repertoire for wind quintet, having been performed by more than 35 quintets all over the world, including the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet.

In 2006 Rubtsov conducted recordings of the world premiere of Gustav Mahler’s songs in an orchestration by the renowned Russian composer Boris Tishchenko, and several poems by contemporary composer Alexander Lokshin.

Andrey Rubtsov is a 2005 honors graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory and in 2011 he graduated with top honors from the Royal Academy of Music's conducting course – the first Russian musician to achieve this distinction in the history of the acclaimed London Academy.

Reviews of Andrey's Conducting

“Rubtsov was comfortable, and he confidently took the opening Moderato at an unexpectedly slower tempo. That broadening opened the way for graceful phrasing in all the cantabile parts of the Serenade. It was poised. The Menuetto became a Tchaikovsky-like waltz; the Larghetto, relaxed and easy. Rubtsov had it completely in mind (memorized) and in hand.”

...Performing

“The wonderfully languid oboe tone of Andrey Rubtsov captured the music's tragic poignancy.”

“A good oboist is a keystone to success of every concert. In the case of Andrey, the orchestra found not only a brilliant oboist but also a great organizer - Andrey leads the RNO Chamber ensemble.”

“Perhaps the only really outstanding moment proved to be the oboe solo (Bravo, Andrey Rubtsov!) from the box of a distant amphitheatre.”

...Composing

“The program in Saratov was opened with the world premiere of Elegy, in memory of Pavel Khlebnikov, by Andrey Rubtsov - it is a composition marked with poetry and inspiration and has an appropriate continuity with national classics.”

“The most important thing was that this workshop featured original music, written specially for this occasion and played live by musicians. The neo-folkloric Wind Kiss, by Andrey Rubtsov, the young oboist of the Russian National Orchestra, was composed with competence and feels very danceable.”

Visit Andrey's web page