Gergiev to conduct Moscow and New York on same day

Gergiev to conduct Moscow and New York on same day

News

norman lebrecht

February 01, 2022

A sharp-eyed Russian observer Vadim Zhuravlev has noted that Gergiev is due to conduct at Moscow Zaryadye in the morning and at Carnegie Hall the same evening on February 25.

 

Vadim writes: Moscow time, the beginning of the Moscow concert in the USAist 4 am. Time difference is 8 hours, flying on a jet is probably also 8 hours. Just in time for the start of the concert in Carnegie Hall: Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony.

It’s an abuse of trust.

Comments

  • Concertgebouw79 says:

    It reminds me in football when Mark Hughes in the 80’s played in the same day two football matches for the Bayern and Wales.

  • OperaLover says:

    There is another explanation. He is NOT going to conduct in NY because of his vaccination status and Carnegie Hall has not announced yet

  • Bluebird says:

    The poster actually states nowhere that Valery Gergiev will be conducting any of these Moscow concerts. It just says: ‘Artistic Director — Valery Gergiev’

    • Gustavo says:

      And there are no events for these dates yet to be seen on the Zaryadye Hall’s website.

      Perhaps this is an announcement for 2023?

      • MacroV says:

        It probably just hasn’t been announced yet; that’s not uncommon in Moscow. But plausible that Gergiev isn’t conducting.

      • Simpson says:

        There is no way a street poster there will announce an event a year in advance. Usually these posters are for “coming attractions”.

  • Frankie says:

    Bring back Concorde!

  • John Kelly says:

    I am going to the Rachmaninov performance in NY. Maybe we can get a substitute? (I’d be perfectly happy – Andrew Litton is around and does Rachmaninov superbly and maybe Leonard Slatkin could fly in – both better conductors just sayin’). Of course your timeline doens’t include passport control at JFK airport. Then there’s the ride from the airport to downtown NYC – minimum of an hour because of traffic. That should ensure he will be delayed a good deal more than you suggest………………..

    • Gustavo says:

      Any substitute would need to comply with the statutes of the Vienna Philharmonic.

      Maybe John Williams is around in February 2022?

      https://www.johnwilliamsimkino.de/home/

    • Track 360 says:

      He’s probably going to fly in his private jet – he’ll avoid hoi polloi

    • Bill says:

      He’s probably traveling by private jet, and I suspect they get cleared rapidly.

    • Sergey says:

      I don’t think it can be any delay for him at passport control boot: he can pass as VIP. To arrive to downtown will take him no more than 30 min: one the buildings located close to Carnegie Hall has a helicopter landing site. He told me about 10 years ago he already did such a trick and arrived 30 min. before designated concert start time.

  • Karl says:

    Maybe he’s been cloned?

  • Tom Phillips says:

    So many great conductors that hardly ever (or never) make it to New York – a situation of course vastly worsened by COVID – and yet we are constantly inflicted with this one (and many other East European mediocrities).

    • Dragan Djerkic says:

      East European mediocrities?!? Wow

    • Wurm says:

      OK, name those ‘mediocrities’ and I’ll name you an American to match in return. I dare you.

      • John Kelly says:

        Me too. And a few British ones as well….Eastern European mediocrities – like Mravinsky, Kondrashin, Rozhdestvensky, Neumann, Masur, Tennstedt (I’m going by former Warsaw Pact countries), Fischers (both)…….Celibidache, Bychkov……Petrenkos (both) hmm, they don’t sound so mediocre now do they?

        • CRWang says:

          You have made you point mister. Don’t forget the Hungarians: Szell, Ormandy, Solti, Dorati, Reiner, Fricsay, Nikisch etc..

    • Tamino says:

      The East European mediocrities are so much better than the American mediocrities, it’s not even a joke.

      • Gustavo says:

        Neeme Järvi, for example, is a north-eastern European (Estonian) conductor who happened to be born in the Soviet Union but lives in New York.

        Like Zubin Mehta, a Viennese conductor accidentally born in India, living in LA (USA) and Florence (southern Europe).

  • Nolan says:

    According to CH website, as of 02/14/2022 anyone in the building must show proof of vaccine…we’ll see.

  • sonicsinfonia says:

    Don’t think it would be the first time.

    • Kenny says:

      Back in the day (early 2000s?), he fled the Met pit after a “Lady Macbeth” or “Nose” performance without taking a curtain call, was driven to Teterboro to fly privately to St. Petersburg, where he opened “Rheingold” 12 hours later. Yes, technically that was the next day….

      (To be fair, he had been at some Wagner rehearsals, having commuted between the Shostakovich performances.)

      In comparison, the Levine Saturday Met Rheingold/BSO Mahler 2 double, or the Conlon Met “Holländer”/DC Mahler 2, seem child’s play. The distances are sane. It’s also been done between NYC and Philly “effortlessly.”

  • Nick says:

    Can you blame the idiot? He wants all the money in the world!!! Ain’t worth a penny really.

  • Monsoon says:

    The Moscow Zaryadye website doesn’t show any concerts on those dates:

    https://zaryadyehall.com/en/event/

  • Esther Cavett says:

    It’s like Live Aid 1985 when Phil Collins played in both UK + US. Just not as good

  • BP says:

    The website of the Zaryadye Hall makes no mention of the concerts, so maybe something is off with the poster.

    As for Gergiev’s vaccination status, he’s conducting all around western Europe, and complies by the various rules applied there. No reason to think it’ll be an issue in NYC.

    • John Borstlap says:

      All Russian musicians touring around the world get a special government-induced super vaccination with a hughe syrinx in their behind.

  • Tara Wilson says:

    But then we also have to factor in that Gergiev is renowned for turning up to concerts LATE! Many a time in St Petersburg, the concerts begin an hour or more after the official start time because the Maestro has been delayed… and on numerous occasions, up pops his deputy… 🙁 🙁

    • John Kelly says:

      Somehow I don’t think he’d pull that with the VPO – they’d never invite him back and he conducts them a lot (why, I have no idea)

    • John Borstlap says:

      There are stories that he only arrives after the concert, where the players had already begun and performed the whole program without conductor, and then he is just in time to earn the applause.

  • M2N2K says:

    There are definitely two of him – each one with about half of the talent.

  • JB says:

    Both wrong. He will conduct a victory concert in Kyiv.

  • margaret koscielny says:

    affeine? Drugs? Not healthy for Conductor or musical performance. There are an awful lot of other conductors in the world. Maybe, one of them should relieve the Russian gentleman of his overly-ambitious
    agenda.

  • christopher storey says:

    Beam me up, Scotty

  • John Borstlap says:

    But the explanation is simple. He has acquired multiple presence, like the old Russian saints. His spiritual dedication to classical music is such, that physical hurdles are no longer a barrier to his conducting at any place.

  • Frank says:

    if he could conduct a concert whilst on the flight, he would. Never one to miss out on raking in the £, $, Yen, Rouble, etc.

  • Bluebird says:

    It has just been announced that the concert in Zaryadye on the 25th will be conducted by Lorenz Nasturica-Herschcowici.

  • Pianofortissimo says:

    I suppose Gergiev is flying in one of these new Russian hypersonic rockets that can hit NY in 5 minutes.

  • Natalie Evans says:

    Oh, Dear!!!!

  • Peter van Laarhoven says:

    I hate to disappoint all the Gergiev bashers here but this report is nonsense. The poster says “EVENING concerts” and on the evening of Feb 25, the Mariinsky orchestra (or more precisely its Stradivarius string ensemble) will indeed perform at Zaryadye but under Lorenz Nasturica, NOT under Maestro Gergiev

  • Manuel says:

    Genius!

  • Loli says:

    Moscow to New York is almost 10 hours flight

  • HP.Gyldfeldt says:

    His subdividing in his right hand, as well as staring in the score, might be even more eager.

  • Eduardo says:

    Beam me up Scottie……..

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