Alexander Souptel
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Born in southern Russia in 1948, Alexander Souptel grew up in a musical family in which his father was a conductor. He began violin studies at 5 and also spent seven years on the piano. Under Russian violin master Gnesins, he completed secondary school in 1967 and subsequently graduated in 1972 in Russia.
Before joining the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Concertmaster in September 1993, Souptel was the leader of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra.
In 1980 Alexander Souptel became the leader of the USSR Ministry of Culture Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky, a position he held for ten years. Described by Rozhdestvensky as “an excellent concertmaster and soloist”, Souptel was conferred the Honoured Artist of Russia medal in 1986. As leader and soloist, he has worked with several renowned orchestras in Moscow.
As a leader, Alexander Souptel has performed solo parts in the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, Dvorák, Martinu, and in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, with over 5,000 minutes of recorded music to his credit including the 11 symphonies of Bruckner (including the Student Symphony and Symphony No. 0), 15 symphonies of Shostakovich, Glazunov’s Eight Symphonies, and five symphonies by Schnittke. He is also active in chamber music.
As soloist, Alexander Souptel has performed the violin concertos of Gubaidullina, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Korngold, Beethoven, Weill, Milhaud as well as Kreisler’s Liebesfreud, Liebesleid and Schon Rosmarin, and Tchaikovsky’s Entracte from Sleeping Beauty and Souvenir d’un lieu cher. In 1982 he premiered the Concerto-Poem for violin and orchestra by Aman Agadzhikov in Moscow under conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
Alexander Souptel plays on a violin from the collection of the late Mr Rin Kei Mei and Mrs Rin Kei Mei.