Deeply moving and often terrifyingly dark, Gergiev and the Mariinsky took us on a devastating ride towards the abyss which eventually left me grabbing for a rope.
In this second Mariinsky concert Kristóf Baráti was a fine but miscast soloist in Stravinsky’s violin concerto, with rich narrative pickings from Rimsky-Korsakov and his illustrious pupil.
Under the indefatigable Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Orchestra took to the Cadogan Hall stage for the first of two colourful programmes pairing Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov with his pupil, Igor Stravinsky.
Side by side, the combined forces of the RSNO and the Mariinsky under Gergiev recall the Western première of Shostakovich Fourth symphony at the 1962 Edinburgh Festival.
Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra celebrate Stravinsky with a gala that closes with an outstanding Firebird; young talent blooms in A Soldier's Tale
Gergiev and the Mariinsky excel in Act III of Tristan und Isolde with the help of star singing from Vekua, Westbroek and Nikitin; George Li shows promise in Liszt.
At the Concertgebouw, the three soloist headed by Christine Goerke’s Brünnhilde’s lift the performance of Act III of Die Walküre conducted by Valery Gergiev to the Valhalla of music.
Valery Gergiev is the most committed advocate for Prokofiev, so it is no surprise that in this 125th anniversary year, he is leading the celebrations, programming the symphonies and three string concertos too. Too much?
Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra gave a searching examination of Prokofiev's first three symphonies and the Violin Concerto no. 1, each half showing us the contrast between light and shade, airiness and density.
Valery Gergiev conducts the Mariinsky Opera in a vocally strong Das Rheingold, a promising beginning to Edinburgh International Festival’s Ring in concert over the coming years.
A journey of emotions with the Munich Philharmonic under Gergiev resplendent in Ravel and Richard Strauss, thought-provoking in Ustvolskaya, and Behzod Abduraimov electrifying in Rachmaninov.
Valery Gergiev led an athletic pilgrimage through composer-pianist Sergei Prokofiev’s five Piano Concerti, in numerical order, at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
A solidly brazen night from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Valery Gergiev that ultimately lacked sincerity and depth thanks to its quick-fire delivery.
What on paper might have looked like a circus act – wheeling out three pianists to plough through Prokofiev’s five piano concertos – turned out to be a fascinating opportunity to compare and contrast.
“A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma”. That description could apply to Shostakovich’s Fifteenth Symphony. It would also describe Valery Gergiev’s conducting.
A superlative performance of Shostakovich first violin concerto by Kavakos and lush textures in Gergiev's Wagner turned tonight's concert in a highpoint of the RCO's season.
This evening’s programme could have been designed to play to Valery Gergiev's strengths in Russian repertoire… yet also displayed characteristic flaws.
The Met's première of Iolanta and Bluebeard's Castle, delayed by snow, opened with powerful singing and deeply effective staging. Iolanta showcased beautiful singing from the principals, while Bluebeard's Castle showed off brilliant playing by the Met Orchestra.
Shchedrin’s opera The Enchanted Wanderer is the complete opposite of shocking and director Alexei Stepanyuk’s staging alongside Valery Gergiev’s command over the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra revealed something of a translucid daydream.
Valery Gergiev doesn’t aim for technical perfection or for unimpeachable execution: he conducts with almost mystical enthusiasm, drawing all the orchestra with uncontrollable ardour in this magnificent music, so deeply Russian.
Richly imagined, superbly orchestrated and conducted by Valery Gergiev, this concert performance at the Barbican was an exciting première of Shchedrin's new opera, inspired by Leskov.
Mikhail Kazakov gives a compelling portrayal of the troubled Tsar Boris, as Gergiev and the Mariinsky provide a great showcase for one of the masterworks of Russian music.
The Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff celebrates its 10th anniversary this autumn, and as part of the celebrations the Mariinsky Opera, under its conductor Valery Gergiev, was invited back for a concert performance of Prokofiev’s comic opera, Betrothal in a Monastery.
The second evening of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev Festival offered an interesting programme dynamically conducted by the Russian master. The theme this year was The Great War.
A rare chance to see Berlioz's five act epic Les Troyens. Huge Russian forces from the Mariinsky Opera under Valery Gergiev visit the Edinburgh Festival.
Valery Gergiev conducts the unique World Orchestra for Peace in a devastating perfomance of Mahler's Sixth Symphony at the BBC Proms. A Strauss rarity and a European premier were programmed alongside.
