Tag Archives: Valery Gergiev

Valery Gergiev and a youthful Mariinsky surge through Scheherazade

Mariinsky Orchestra/ Valery Gergiev **** Cadogan Hall, 8th October 2017 There are many incarnations of the Mariinsky Orchestra. On any day, it can be found simultaneously in its three St Petersburg venues. Yesterday evening, for example, it played Les Noces and Firebird for the ballet … Continue reading

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Prom 68: Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky keep the Red Flag flying

Mariinsky Orchestra/ Gergiev **** Prom 68, Royal Albert Hall, 3rd September 2017 “Our business is rejoicing, our business is rejoicing.” In the Soviet Union, composers quickly learnt when to toe the Party line. After his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk was condemned … Continue reading

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An all-you-can-eat Prokofiev buffet from the Mariinsky

Prokofiev: Mariinsky Orchestra/Gergiev *** Cadogan Hall, 28th September 2016 When it comes to Prokofiev binges in London, Valery Gergiev’s got form. While his recent Proms marathon of all five piano concertos was variable, I hold fond memories of his symphony … Continue reading

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Augurs of Spring: strong Mariinsky double bill in Cardiff

Mariinsky Ballet: Concerto DSCH/Sacre **** Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 17th April 2016 It’s difficult to know what shocked Parisian audiences more when The Rite of Spring caused a near riot at its 1913 première: was it Stravinsky’s music – pounding dissonances … Continue reading

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Brooding Rachmaninov 3 from Gergiev and the LSO

Rachmaninov: Symphony No.3; Balakirev: Russia Of Rachmaninov’s three symphonies, the Third enjoys the least popularity. There’s a certain notoriety to the First because of its disastrous première (thanks to a drunken Glazunov conducting), while the Second is adored for its … Continue reading

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