Maestro Valery Gergiev Conducts the Mariinsky Orchestra in Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet at the Kimmel Center, February 22
FEBRUARY 3, 2010
Valery Gergiev
"Theatrical dynamism and exquisite artistry” – USA Today
“Gergiev masterfully illuminated the full richness of the instrumental writing…The orchestra sounded spectacular.” – Wall Street Journal
Revisit one of the most romantic and original musical works of composer Hector Berlioz as the historic Mariinsky Orchestra, formerly known as the Kirov Orchestra, performs Romeo and Juliet with principal conductor Maestro Valery Gergiev in the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall on Monday, February 22, 2010 at 8pm. Regarded as St. Petersburg’s leading symphony orchestra and one of the finest in Europe, the Mariinsky Orchestra’s extensive international touring has earned them the reputation as “the world's first global orchestra” (Chicago Tribune). Gergiev's innate musicality has transformed this historic orchestra into one of the most dynamic and exciting ensembles on the world stage today. Featured soloists include Ekaterina Gubanova, Dmitri Voropaev and Yevgeny Nikitin.
"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.” – New York Times
This is the second performance in the Great Orchestras On Tour series during the 2009/10 season. The next performance in the series will be the San Francisco Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas on Tuesday, March 23, 2010 in Verizon Hall.
Tickets for Mariinsky Orchestra are available for $39 – 113 and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. (Additional fees may apply.) For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 community rush tickets will be available for this performance. Tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm prior to evening curtain time and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one ticket per person.
"Gergiev is the greatest conductor of his generation. Even those who disagree concede that he is the most electrifying… In terms of sheer, thrilling unpredictability, a Gergiev concert is the musical equivalent of what it must be like in the seat of a racing car rounding a hairpin bend and holding the road.” – The Guardian
Valery Gergiev’s leadership as artistic and general director of the Mariinsky Theatre has brought universal acclaim to this distinguished institution. Together with the Kirov Opera, Ballet and Orchestra, Maestro Gergiev has toured in 45 countries including extensive tours throughout North America, South America, Europe, China, Japan, Australia, Turkey, Jordan and Israel. The acclaimed 1998 debut performance in the Great Hall in Beijing, China, was broadcast to 50,000,000 people, marking the first time in 40 years that a Russian orchestra had played in China. Presently principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Gergiev is also founder and artistic director of the Stars of the White Nights Festival and New Horizons Festival in St. Petersburg, the Moscow Easter Festival, the Gergiev Rotterdam Festival, the Mikkeli International Festival, and the Red Sea Festival in Eilat, Israel.
Maestro Gergiev has garnered international acclaim, including a Grammy® Award, the Dmitri Shostakovich Award, People’s Artist of Russia Award, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, Netherlands’s Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion, Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun, Valencia’s Silver Medal and France’s Royal Order of the Legion of Honor, among others.
Founded in the 18th century and housed in St. Petersburg’s famed Mariinsky Theatre since 1860, the Mariinsky Orchestra has enjoyed a long and distinguished history as one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. Numerous internationally renowned musicians have conducted the orchestra, including Pyotr Ilyicch Tchaikovsky, Hans von Bulow, Felix Mottl, Sergei Rachmaninov, Hector Berlioz and Gustav Mahler, among others. Currently making its 15th tour of North America in celebration of works of Berlioz, the orchestra’s upcoming tour in the fall of 2010 will celebrate the Gustav Mahler centennial. In November 2006, the orchestra celebrated the grand opening of the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall, the only concert venue of its kind in Russia. Now in its new home, the orchestra created its own Mariinsky label, releasing three albums in the spring of 2009 which have garnered four nominations for the 2010 Grammy® Awards scheduled for January 31, 2010. The new Mariinsky Opera House is schedule to open at the end of 2011.
Kimmel Center Presents 2009/10 Season is sponsored by Citi. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents.
Free at the Kimmel programming and subsidized tickets offered to the community and social service groups for $10 are made possible through the Wachovia Gateway to the Arts Community Access Program, supported by a generous grant from the Wachovia Foundation.
The Kimmel Center is a recipient of partnership funding through the nationally recognized PNC “Grow Up Great” initiative, a ten-year, $100 million investment preparing children for success in school and life. Funding gives support to the Kimmel Center’s early childhood program “Bop and Swing,” an arts program for children 1-5 years old, designed to promote an appreciation for American culture.
KIMMEL CENTER PRESENTS SPONSORED BY CITI
Monday, February 22, 2010 | 8pm
Verizon Hall
Great Orchestras On Tour
Mariinsky Orchestra (formerly the Kirov Orchestra)
Valery Gergiev, principal conductor
Ekaterina Gubanova, alto
Dmitri Voropaev, tenor
Yevgeny Nikitin, bass
Program
BERLIOZ: Romeo and Juliet
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