Valery Gergiev builds concert hall in his home town
NewsIt has emerged that the all-poweful chief of the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky has ordered a 500-seat concert hall in his home town of Vladikavkaz, in northern Ossetia. The hall was constructed in an abandoned cinema building in less than a year, paid for by the Valery Gergiev Foundation (a new entity) and two Kremlin-friendly banks.
The Marrinsky soloist Ildar Abdrazakov flew in for the opening concert.
Should VG be renamed Faust?
May as well build a hall for himself there cuz he ain’t coming back here (NYC) ever.
No doubt, like millions of us, he’ll be bawling about that!
I always liked Ildar Abdrazakov as an artist. Sadly, he has dishonored his talent and accomplishments.
I wonder how Ildar will reflect on his life after his career, after his loses his godfathers?
You don’t like him because the west wasn’t able to buy his allegiance as they did with other Russian artists. I’m sure he’s happy to have retained the freedom to perform in his own country, in his own language, with his family and friends. On the contrary, so many Russian emigres throughout history came to regret leaving their homeland at the end of their lives, asking to be buried in Russia.
It´s much better than building/producing weapons! Gergiev for President ( of Russia!)
What a sad world we all live in: a conductor who was once so internationally celebrated has to go into exile because a dictator started a war.
Gergiev had a choice. He could have simply left Russia and built his career in the West. Life is about moral and ethical choices.
Russians have been handed a false choice which no other musicians have to make, even from countries far more violent than Russia, with far fewer human rights and less democracy. The cancellation of Russian artists is a stain on the classical music establishment, a betrayal of the basic right to self-expression that we supposedly pride ourself in, not to mention bigoted and discriminatory. Well, your loss, in Russia anyone of any nationality is allowed to play whatever music they like. So the west has actually become less free than Russia, congratulations.
You’re assuming he has no family and friends. The long and dangerous arm of Putin extends well beyond the dissenting individual.
Probably the only place where he is still accepted.
What an incredible denouement of a gifted conductor.
One should always carefully sniff the hand that feeds you.
Great, this will be a wonderful cultural boost for this beautiful city in the Caucasus. Good to see somewhere in the world where concert halls are being opened, rather than closed down.
Gergiev should have invited his “buddy” Muti, who has spearheaded Abdrazakov’s rehabilitation, partnering with the Putin bass in the last Ravenna festival, and even very recently in Japan. In case you missed it:
https://operawire.com/riccardo-muti-putin-supporter-ildar-abdrazakov-team-up-for-japan-attila/
Muti has strong “cultural” ties with the Russian regime.
Muti famously let Gergiev conduct his Cherubini orchestra in the Ravenna Festival.
Muti is also a recipient of the Russian Order of Friendship award (conferred to him by Putin) and a member of the Russian Academy for the Arts, an honor conferred to him just a few months before the start of the Ukraine war; that is, well after the first Russian invasion of Ukraine. In other words, Muti was completely fine and dandy accepting honors from an institution tied to a regime who invaded a free European country just like Nazi Germany did.
There wouldn’t have been no better guest star for Gergiev new hall than the Italian Stallion.
Not an Italian stallion but a pompous clown who lives on bygone goodwill long evaporated into thin air.
But I’m betting he could tell us what a woman is, unlike millions in the UK and USA.
He’s had a concert hall there for years.
And what’s so bad about that , Norman Lebrecht ?
To be honest, despite all the crap that is happening, it’s it quite amazing that new halls are popping up in Russia, doesn’t it show their love of culture and the ability to fund it.
Cities around the globe struggle to get funding for anything creative.
Good riddance to him.
Good for the locals. The movie theater was built in 1877 and has been abandoned for some time. The grand opening on Sept 27th included Rodion Shchedrin’s piano concerto.