Review: Vasily Petrenko makes Shostakovich new with the L.A. Phil

Vasily Petrenko is a slender, stylish Russian conductor dashing enough for Hollywood – he could have easily have pranced on camera in “Anna Karenina.” As an unknown 30-year-old in 2006, he took over the struggling Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, not a glamorous post. Now he is a local hero who has made Merseyside into Shostakovich central.

By Mark Swed

November 24, 2012