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The Mariinsky Orchestra (formerly the Kirov Orchestra) The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre (which celebrated the Mariinsky Theatre’s 225th Anniversary in 2008) enjoys a long and distinguished history as one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. Founded in the 18th century during the reign of Peter the Great and housed in St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre since 1860 (named in honor of Maria, wife of Emperor Alexander II), the Orchestra entered its “golden age” in the second half of the 19th century under the musical direction of Eduard Napravnik. Napravnik single-handedly ruled the Theatre for more than half a century (from 1863-1916) and under his leadership, the Mariinsky Orchestra was recognized as one of the finest in Europe. The Mariinsky Theatre was also the birthplace of numerous operas and ballets which are regarded as masterpieces of the 19th and 20th centuries and presented world premiere performances of works by Glinka, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Khachaturian. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was closely associated with the Mariinsky Theatre, not only conducting the Orchestra, but also premiering his Fifth Symphony, Hamlet fantasy overture and Sixth Symphony. Sergei Rachmaninoff conducted the Orchestra on numerous occasions, including premieres of his Spring Cantata and the symphonic poem The Bells. The Orchestra also premiered music by the young Igor Stravinsky, such as his Scherzo Fantastique and the ballet The Firebird. Throughout its history, the Mariinsky Theatre has presented works by Europe’s leading opera composers: the world premiere of Verdi’s La forza del destino, the first Russian performances of the complete Wagner’s Ring cycle, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, Parsifal, and of Richard Strauss’ Elektra, Salome, Der Rosenkavalier and Berg’s Wozzeck. 1 Numerous internationally famed musicians have conducted the Orchestra, among them Hans von Bülow, Felix Mottl, Felix Weingartner, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Otto Nikisch, Willem Mengelberg, Otto Klemperer, Bruno Walter, Erich Kleiber, Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler and Arnold Schoenberg. Renamed the “Kirov” during the Soviet era, the Orchestra continued to maintain its high artistic standards under the leadership of Yevgeny Mravinsky and Yuri Temirkanov. Now in the post-Glasnost era the Theatre has reclaimed the Mariinsky name and under the leadership of Valery Gergiev has forged important relationships with the world’s greatest opera houses, among them the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, the San Francisco Opera, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and La Scala, Milan and the concert halls of New York, Vienna, London, Paris, Salzburg, Berlin, Tokyo and Beijing as it has entered into its second “golden age”. Apart from extensive touring with the Opera and Ballet Companies, the Orchestra has performed throughout the world to international acclaim, and has been acknowledged in the London press as one of the ten best orchestras in the world. The success of the Orchestra’s frequent tours has created the reputation of what one journalist referred to as “the world’s first global orchestra”. In 1998, the Orchestra made its debut tour of China, a historic first, with a performance in the Great Hall in Beijing that was broadcast to fifty million people in the presence of President Jiang Zemin. It was the first time in forty years that a Russian orchestra had played in China. Its fourth visit to China took place in December 2007 as the Opera and Orchestra became the first foreign artists to appear in the new opera house and concert hall in Beijing. Under the baton of Valery Gergiev, the Orchestra has recorded exclusively for Universal Phillips and Decca Classics since 1989. Since 1992 the orchestra has made 14 tours of North America including a 2006 celebration of the complete Shostakovich symphonies and a 2008 cycle of the Stage Works of Prokofiev. In the winter of 2010 the orchestra will make its 15th tour of North America celebrating works of Berlioz and in the fall of 2010 its 16th tour celebrating the Gustav Mahler centennial. 2 November 2006 marked the grand opening of the Orchestra’s new home at the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall. The only theatre and concert venue of its kind in Russia, the Concert Hall is on the site of the historic Set Workshop that had served the Mariinsky for over a century and created some of its most famous productions. The Concert Hall’s acoustics, the work of Yasuhisa Toyota, have brought accolades ranking it alongside the world’s finest modern concert venues such as Lucerne, Sapporo, Berlin’s Philharmonie, Leipzig’s Gewandhaus and Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles. Now in its new home the orchestra records on its own “Mariinsky Label” with several releases since May 2009 including Shostakovich “The Nose” and Symphonies Nos. 1 & 15, a Tchaikovsky disc of short pieces, Shchedrin “The Enchanted Wanderer”, and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerti No. 3 and “Paganini Variations.” The label’s first two recordings received five Grammy Nominations including Best Opera Recording (The Nose), Best Classical Album (The Nose), Best Orchestral Performance (Symphonies 1 & 15) as well as nominations for engineering and producer. -end- 815 words 3 CRITICAL ACCLAIM "...the real stars of this show were Valery Gergiev's orchestra..." The New York Times "Valery Gergiev drew thrillingly vivid playing from his orchestra and set a pace that was leisurely yet sacrificed nothing of the work's insistent drive." The New York Times "...the orchestra often justifiably became the center of attention; Mr. Gergiev led the accomplished players with a sense of breadth and vigor..." The New York Times "...artistic director and chief conductor Valery Gergiev drew brilliant and stylish playing from the Kirov Orchestra. Gergiev's conducting was linear and poetic...." New York Newsday "Valery Gergiev, the Kirov's brilliant conductor and artistic director, led his forces in a reading that sounded the depths of this powerful work...." New York Post "...the playing of the Kirov Orchestra was superb throughout." New York Daily News "...Gergiev presides over an eloquent orchestra." New York "Gergiev masterfully illuminated the full richness of the instrumental writing....The orchestra sounded spectacular." The Wall Street Journal "Gergiev roused his orchestra to the fulminating heights of Tchaikovsky's finest operatic score...." The Voice "Valery Gergiev is extraordinary---simply one of the most exciting podium talents in years." San Francisco Examiner "Conductor Valery Gergiev and the Kirov orchestra are remarkable." The Guardian "[The Fiery Angel] provides a showcase for...that remarkable orchestra, and it allows Gergiev to demonstrate his own ability to shape, balance, and propel a large and difficult score." The Record 4 "Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra showed a new facet of their talent with a notably pure, flowing, almost prayerful interpretation of Mussorgsky's operatic score." The Houston Post "All aspects of the production exude theatrical dynamism and exquisite artistry and much credit goes to the Kirov's artistic director and chief conductor, Valery Gergiev. He and his orchestra infuse every phrase with vivid motivation...." USA Today "Conductor Valery Gergiev makes even the less-interesting music seem great and the undeniably great passages stupefying." USA Today "Gergiev and his colleagues performed Tchaikovsky's music as it always should be played, with romantic sweep and passion but also with careful attention to detail." The Record "...some of the most refined orchestral playing I have ever heard in the opera house. The performance, directed with great elegance and suppleness by conductor Valery Gergiev, was astounding. For the connoisseur of orchestral playing, this was an unforgettable experience." The Glasgow Herald "...I doubt whether the Bolshoi could have matched the Kirov's casting in the leading roles, nor in Gergiev's incandescent firing of the wonderful Kirov orchestra. Gergiev conducts Tchaikovsky in the mold of the legendary Mravinsky, taut and fast, eschewing sentimentality yet capable of the most songful lyricism--unanimously expansive phrasing by the glorious cello section- -and instrumental tenderness. The oboe and horn solos challenged the vocal beauty of the heroine in Tatyana's famous letter scene. A great performance." London Sunday Times "For his final festival, Frank Dunlop has offered a 'mini-festival' comprising virtually all the dramatic works of Modest Mussorgsky....a week of genuine musical value. But the real credit for the achievement goes straight to the Kirov Opera and its superb musical director, Valery Gergiev." The Sunday Times, Edinburgh "The conductor was Valery Gergiev, who is responsible for the entire Kirov program here. Dedicated Mussorgskian that he is, he achieved a superb luminosity and sweep." Financial Times "Valery Gergiev handles the score with a keen ear for color, and the production as a whole carries you with it by so faithfully concentrating on Mussorgsky's epic musical vision." The Daily Telegraph "The Kirov has been transformed by the energy and determination of its young music director, Valery Gergiev. Audiences should expect anything conducted by Gergiev to be exciting." Observer 5 "Under Gergiev's dynamic direction, the orchestral playing was vibrant and thrilling." The Sunday Telegram "The orchestra, under the Kirov's musical director Valery Gergiev, moves as if with a single mind and always with purposeful passion." The Times "The music is lush and lyrical, constantly aglow with the glitter of percussion. Even those who had no idea what was going on must have been riveted by the superb quality of the orchestral playing under Gergiev." Financial Times "Valery Gergiev conducted a performance of bounding panache." The Times "Under Valery Gergiev's conductorship, the entire cast--and the Kirov's eloquent orchestra--perform with conviction." The Scotsman "I've never heard it [Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition] more gripping or intense--or played with such stunning unity of concentration. Or, indeed, so big: great fleets of strings respond with awesome precision to Valery Gergiev's clockworkly aquiver stickwork." The Glasgow Herald Posted on www.ROSTOC.us 6