I never had an idea that I would conduct—absolutely never. It just happened. I'm very happy that I can do both—play the piano and conduct.
Vladimir Ashkenazy has made recordings of the complete piano works of Chopin, Rachmaninov, and Scriabin.
As a conductor, he maintains links with a number of major orchestras with whom he has built relationships over the years, including the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin.
He is currently principal conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra.