Lazarev, Aleksander (1945– )

Russian conductor. He studied in Moscow and from 1973 conducted at the Bolshoi, where he was chief conductor and artistic director from 1987. He conducted contemporary music concerts from 1978 and has guested with the Berlin, Dresden and Munich Philharmonic Orchestras. He made his UK debut in 1987, with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He led the Bolshoi company at Glasgow and Edinburgh in 1990 (with Mlada, Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans and Prokofiev's The Duenna) and at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York in 1991. From 1992 he was principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.