The new documentary For the Music traces the life and career of Kirill Petrenko through the voices of friends, teachers, colleagues and musicians, offering an unusual glimpse of one of classical music’s most private major figures.
Kirill Petrenko is one of the most prominent conductors in the world — and also one of the most elusive. The chief conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker rarely gives interviews and has largely kept his private life away from the public eye. A new documentary, For the Music – Kirill Petrenko, offers a rare opportunity to discover the man behind the conductor.
Released on 30 August, the film was made in connection with Petrenko receiving the 2026 Léonie Sonning Music Prize. Rather than relying on Petrenko himself to tell his story, filmmaker Nikolaj Lund reconstructs it through the people who encountered him along the way: former fellow students and teachers, friends, colleagues, orchestra managers and musicians who have worked under his baton.
The result is more than a portrait of the conductor we know today. The documentary goes back to Petrenko’s formative years in Austria, after his family moved there from Omsk, Siberia, following his studies in Feldkirch and Vienna and tracing the musical journey that would eventually take him to some of the world’s leading opera houses and orchestras.
It is precisely the recollections of those who knew Petrenko before he became an international figure that make For the Music particularly compelling. They provide glimpses of his personality, his extraordinary dedication to music and the development of an artistic approach that would eventually lead him to the Bayerische Staatsoper and, in 2019, to the helm of the Berliner Philharmoniker.
The title seems especially appropriate. Petrenko has built an exceptional career while largely avoiding the kind of media presence that surrounds many of today’s star conductors. The documentary approaches him in much the same way: through his work, his musical relationships and the impressions he has left on those around him.
For the Music was conceived by Esben Tange and Nikolaj Lund and directed by Lund, who was also responsible for cinematography, sound, editing and colour grading. The interviews were conducted by radio presenter and music communicator Benedikte Granvig.
The film was released following Petrenko’s receipt of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize in Copenhagen on 13 June 2026. He received DKK 1 million with the award and announced that the prize money would be donated to organisations supporting Ukraine.
For anyone interested in Petrenko — or simply curious about the unusually private musician behind one of classical music’s most important positions — this is well worth watching.
Watch: For the Music – Kirill Petrenko
Available free on YouTube.
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