In 1981, he left London to assume the baton as prinicipal conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, where he served until 1983. In 1982 became director of the newly founded Symphony Orchestra of the Ministry of Education and Arts (Soviet Union.) In 1991 he returned to the podium at the Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1994 he became chairman of the artistic committee of the Boshoi Theater in Moscow. His discography spans over 500 titles. He is married to pianist Viktoria Postnikova.

Rozhdestvensky and Prokofiev

Gennadi Rozhdestvensky is considered one of the premiere interpreters of contemporary Russian music. Among his specialties is the music of Prokofiev. As head of many of the world's great orchestras, including the Vienna Philharmonic, the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra, the Stockholm Symphony, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, he has conducted most of Prokofiev's orchestral works.

To many Prokofiev fans, their first glimpse of Prokofiev's works came from Rozhdestvensky conducting either the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra or the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra. In addition to his stellar conducting history and huge repetoire of recordings, Rozhdestvensky has taught conducting at the Vienna Conservatory and Accademia Musicale Chigiana, helped to found the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and has premiered many works.