Prokofiev Festival: Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra with Valery Gergiev

Published on Oct 22, 2014

Yuri Temirkanov and St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra

Rating:

Genre: NCPA

Dates: December 3-4, 2014

Prices: 100, 240, 380, 520, 680, 880

Features: The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre is one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. On December 3rd-4th, the famous conductor Valery Gergiev will leading this orchestra presents two concerts at NCPA.

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.

The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre traces its history back to the early 18th century, to the development of the Court Kapelle. In the 19th century, the orchestra flourished under Edouard Napravnik, who was its ruling spirit for over half a century. The excellence of the Orchestra was recognised by the world-class musicians who conducted it including Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, Hans von Bulow, Gustav Mahler and Arthur Nikisch. In Soviet times, these dazzling traditions were continued by conductors like Vladimir Dranishnikov, Ariy Pazovsky, Evgeny Mravinsky, Konstantin Simeonov and Yuri Temirkanov. The Orchestra had the honour of playing many premieres: operas and ballets by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, operas by Glinka, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and ballets by Asafyev, Shostakovich and Khachaturian.

Since 1988 the Orchestra has been under the baton of Valery Gergiev, a musician of the highest order and an outstanding figure in the music world. Gergiev's arrival at the Mariinsky ushered in a new era of rapid expansion of the Orchestra's repertoire, which now includes all the symphonies of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Mahler, and Beethoven, the Requiems of Mozart, Verdi, and Tishchenko, and works by Stravinsky, Shchedrin, Gubaidulina, and young Russian and foreign composers. The Orchestra regularly performs symphonic programmes in Europe, America, Japan and Australia. In 2008, The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre, under the leadership of Maestro Gergiev, was ranked in Gramophone's Top 20 list of the world's best orchestras.