Bychkov's symphonic and operatic repertoire is wide-ranging. He conducts in all the major houses including La Scala, Opera national de Paris, Dresden Semperoper, Wiener Staatsoper, New York's Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Teatro Real, Madrid, and the Bayreuth Festival. His 13-year collaboration (1997-2010) with WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne produced a series of benchmark recordings that included works by Strauss (Elektra, Daphne, Ein Heldenleben, Metamorphosen, Alpensinfonie, Till Eulenspiegel), Mahler (Symphony No. 3, Das Lied von der Erde), Shostakovich (Symphony Nos. 4, 7, 8, 10, 11), Rachmaninov (The Bells, Symphonic Dances, Symphony No. 2), Verdi (Requiem). BBC Music Magazine voted Bychov's recording of Wagner's Lohengrin Disc of the Year in 2010.