Stanislav Kochanovsky

Conductor

Stanislav Kochanovsky

Chief Conductor · NDR Radiophilharmonie

“Kochanovsky has confirmed his place among the great conductors of our day.”

The Artist

Chief Conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover, Stanislav Kochanovsky is a regular guest of the most renowned orchestras around the world.

He collaborates with ensembles such as the Orchestre de Paris, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Philharmonia London, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic and Danish National Symphony.

In recent years, he has made successful debuts with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker and Cleveland Orchestra.

His collaborations include artists such as Nikolai Lugansky, Mikhail Pletnev, Leonidas Kavakos, Maxim Vengerov, Kirill Gerstein and Gautier Capuçon.

Alongside his symphonic career, Kochanovsky has built a distinguished presence in opera.

At the age of 25, he began collaborating with the Mikhailovsky Theatre, conducting more than thirty opera titles.

Recent opera engagements have included The Queen of Spades and Eugene Onegin at the Opernhaus Zürich, Iolanta at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Prince Igor at the Dutch National Opera Amsterdam.

Since 2017, Kochanovsky has been a regular guest at the Verbier Festival, conducting opera in concert and symphonic programmes.

Schumann-Tchaikovsky Festival 2026 with the NDR RadioPhilharmonie

From 21 February to 1 March 2026, M° Kochanovsky has led the NDR Radiophilharmonie during the Schumann-Tchaikovsky Festival 2026 in Hannover. Stanislav Kochanovsky and his musicians celebrated the profound artistic kinship between Robert Schumann and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – two towering figures of Romanticism whose music speaks deeply to the human soul. Tchaikovsky admired Schumann not merely as a composer, but as a spiritual mentor, describing him as “the most significant musical voice of his time”. This rare German-Russian artistic dialogue shaped the course of 19th-century music in ways still felt today. Schumann’s innovations in form and expression opened creative paths that Tchaikovsky followed with passion and individuality. Unlike Brahms or Wagner, Schumann offered Tchaikovsky a model of introspective, emotionally charged composition.

“Now in his second season with the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hannover, the 44-year-old is able to dedicate himself to one of his particular passions: I am very well known for playing rare pieces by famous composers. And in this special festival, the idea is to perform very famous works with less famous ones […] and to find a dialogue, a bridge between the great German and the great Russian Romantic composers.”

“Right in the middle of the six-part concert series, Kochanovsky has placed the closest point of contact between the composers: both have set Lord Byron’s novel ‘Manfred’ to music […] Tchaikovsky’s programmatic symphony shimmers and shines in all colors in the concert hall.” — Stefan Arndt, Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung

Critical Praise

“Stanislav Kochanovsky's Elegy [of Tchaikovsky's Suite n. 3] is thoroughly atmospheric. One must acknowledge that the strings are simply superb [...] In the subsequent movement, Stanislav Kochanovsky's interpretation is anything but bland. Rather, he achieves sonorities reminiscent of Fauvism in painting. This is not a waltz to be danced in the salons of superficial socialites, but a genuine drama. [...] This is certainly not the most subtle Tchaikovsky one could imagine... But with such a galvanised NDR RadioPhilharmonie shining so brilliantly, it's so dazzling that one cannot help but enjoy it. ”

“[Kochanovsky] has confirmed his place among the great conductors of our day”

“Stanislav Kochanovsky’s conducting proved the evening’s real payoff. From the mournful slow introduction to the Sixth Symphony’s first movement, Kochanovsky’s confident gestures and careful balancing of sound put the orchestra at ease. ”

“This performance of the Pathétique, lucid, well-paced and detailed, left no doubt he has plenty to say. ”

Stanislav Kochanovsky

Conductor