Tag Archives: Valery Gergiev

Top ten operas 2022

This was the year that opera houses got back to something approaching “normality” post-pandemic. It’s easy to forget that at the start of 2022, Covid restrictions were still very much in place: visiting Vienna in January, one needed proof of … Continue reading

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In Rimsky’s Kitezh, Gergiev eventually weaves some Russian magic

Gergiev/ Mariinsky Orchestra Cadogan Hall, 8th October 2019 Punctuality isn’t exactly Valery Gergiev’s strength. Years of experience teach you never to expect a Mariinsky Orchestra concert to begin on time, but when the audience isn’t even admitted until ten minutes … Continue reading

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White hot intensity from Gergiev and the Mariinsky in its Tchaikovsky–Petipa tribute

Tchaikovsky: Valery Gergiev/ Mariinsky Orchestra Cadogan Hall, 4th & 5th March 2019 Uneven. Unpredictable. Unprepared. The Mariinsky Orchestra’s visits to the UK can be all those things, mostly down to the punishing schedule of its artistic director, Valery Gergiev. Their … Continue reading

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A highly theatrical Tchaikovsky 5 from Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky

Valery Gergiev/Mariinsky Orchestra **** Cadogan Hall, 5th November 2018 There’s no denying the chemistry between Valery Gergiev and the music of Tchaikovsky. The Mariinsky chief seems to have the innate ability to channel Pyotr Ilyich’s very soul, especially in the doom-laden chasms … Continue reading

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A poster paint Tsar Saltan from the Mariinsky

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Tale of Tsar Saltan  I well remember this production of The Tale of Tsar Saltan. In 2008, for the centenary of Rimsky-Korsakov’s death, the Mariinsky Opera brought the opera to Sadler’s Wells under the baton of Tugan Sokhiev. It’s … Continue reading

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