Dmitry Matvienko's Conducting at Theater an der Wien

«The 2024-2025 production of "The Engagement at the Convent" at the Theater an der Wien featured the musical direction of Dmitry Matvienko, a young Russian conductor clearly "one to watch." His conducting was praised for being energetic, clear, and attentive to the details of Prokofiev's complex score, truly revealing the work's influences and depth.

Trained by great Russian conductors like Rozhdestvensky, Jurowski, and Vasily Petrenko, Matvienko is now making his mark in Western Europe. He's certainly one of the conductors to follow today. You immediately hear a distinctive style and energy, combined with a continuous attention to each note, each word, and every element of musical accompaniment. In this very diverse and varied score, you never hear anything unnecessarily noisy or spectacularly showy just to impress. Instead, you sense a deep concern for bringing back styles, allusions, and quotations from Mozart or others. This direction embodies a stunning clarity, avoiding what could easily become a chaotic magma of sound. Matvienko doesn't present a "cubist" or "constructivist" Prokofiev, nor one in contradiction with socialist realism, nor does he make us hear Stravinsky's rivalry. Rather, he reveals an entire culture of opera, an approach that only the difficult art of musical comedy can offer.»

Wanderersite.com Guy Cherqui

«In the production of "Betrothal in a Monastery" at the Theater an der Wien, the conducting of Dmitry Matvienko was a standout feature.

Matvienko, who was an assistant to Jurowski, brought an intoxicating blend of precision and punch to the music, revealing hidden aspects behind its facade. He made the most of the score's subtleties, especially in the striking accompaniment to the Act 3 quartet.»

Opera&Operanews John Allison