Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (Russian:Валерий Абисалович Гергиев,IPA:[vɐˈlʲerʲɪjɐbʲɪˈsaləvʲɪdʑˈɡʲerɡʲɪjɪf];Ossetian:Гергиты Абисалы фырт Валери,romanized: Gergity Abisaly fyrt Valeri; born 2 May 1953) is a Russianconductor andopera company director. He is currently general director and artistic director of theMariinsky Theatre and of theBolshoi Theatre[1] and artistic director of theWhite Nights Festival inSt. Petersburg. He was formerly chief conductor of theRotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and of theMunich Philharmonic.
Gergiev was born in Moscow. He is the son of Tamara Timofeevna (Tatarkanovna) Lagkueva and Abisal Zaurbekovich Gergiev, both ofOssetian origin.[2] He and his siblings were raised inVladikavkaz inNorth Ossetia in theCaucasus. He had his firstpiano lessons in secondary school before going on to study at theLeningrad Conservatory from 1972 to 1977.
His principal conducting teacher wasIlya Musin. His sister, Larissa, is a pianist and director of the Mariinsky's singers' academy.[3]
In 1978, Gergiev became assistant conductor at theKirov Opera, now theMariinsky Opera, underYuri Temirkanov, where he made his debut conductingSergei Prokofiev'sWar and Peace. He was chief conductor of theArmenian Philharmonic Orchestra from 1981 until 1985. He became chief conductor and artistic director of the Mariinsky in 1988, and overall director of the company, appointed by the Russian government, in 1996.[4]
After the 2004Beslan school massacre, Gergiev appealed on television for calm and against revenge. He conducted concerts to commemorate the victims of the massacre.[5]
During the2008 South Ossetia war, Gergiev, who is of partial Ossetian heritage himself, accused theGeorgian government of massacring ethnic Ossetians, triggering the conflict with Russia.[6] He came toTskhinvali and conducted a concert near the ruined building of theSouth Ossetian Parliament as tribute to the victims of the war.[7]
In June 2011, Gergiev joined the International Tchaikovsky Competition and introduced reforms to the organisation.[8] On 5 May 2016, Gergiev performed at the Roman Theatre ofPalmyra at a concert event calledPraying for Palmyra – Music revives ancient ruins, devoted to casualties of theMarch 2016 Palmyra offensive.[9]
In December 2023, Gergiev was appointed artistic director of theBolshoi Theatre, with immediate effect, with an initial contract of 5 years. Gergiev is the first person to hold the directorships of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Bolshoi Theatre simultaneously.[10]
In 1985, Gergiev made his debut in theUnited Kingdom, along with pianistEvgeny Kissin and violinistsMaxim Vengerov andVadim Repin at theLichfield Festival. In 1988, Gergiev guest-conducted theLondon Symphony Orchestra (LSO) for the first time. In 1991, Gergiev conducted a western European opera company for the first time, leading theBavarian State Opera in a performance ofModest Mussorgsky'sBoris Godunov inMunich. In the same year, he made his American début, performingWar and Peace with theSan Francisco Opera. From 1995 until 2008 Gergiev was principal conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Gergiev returned to the LSO in 2004, in concerts with the seven symphonies ofSergei Prokofiev.[11] This engagement led to his appointment in 2005 as the Orchestra's fifteenth principal conductor, as of 1 January 2007, with an initial contract of 3 years.[12][13] In April 2007, Gergiev was one of eight conductors of British orchestras to endorse the ten-year classical music outreach manifesto, "Building on Excellence: Orchestras for the 21st century", to increase the presence of classical music in the UK, including giving free entry to all British schoolchildren to a classical music concert.[14] Gergiev stood down as LSO principal conductor in 2015.
In 2015, Gergiev became chief conductor of theMunich Philharmonic,[15][16] In March 2022, Gergiev was dismissed from Munich Philharmonic after he refused to condemn the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[17]
Gergiev has been, according toAlex Ross inThe New Yorker, "a prominent supporter of the current Russian regime" ofVladimir Putin. In 2012, in a television ad for Putin'sthird Presidential campaign, he said: "One needs to be able to hold oneself presidentially, so that people reckon with the country. I don't know if it's fear? Respect? Reckoning."[18]
In December 2012, Gergiev sided with the Putin administration against the members of Russian bandPussy Riot and suggested that their motivation was commercial.[19]
In New York City in 2013, theLGBT activist groupQueer Nation interrupted performances by orchestras conducted by Gergiev at the Metropolitan Opera[20] and Carnegie Hall.[21] The activists cited Gergiev's support for Vladimir Putin, whose government had recently enacted a law that bans the distribution of "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations" to minors, as the reason for their actions.[21] In London, the veteran activistPeter Tatchell led anti-Gergiev demonstrations.[22] In a public statement Gergiev replied: "It is wrong to suggest that I have ever supported anti-gay legislation and in all my work I have upheld equal rights for all people. I am an artist and have for over three decades worked with tens of thousands of people and many of them are indeed my friends."[22] Writing inThe Guardian, Mark Brown wrote: "Gergiev's case was not helped by comments he made to the Dutch newspaperDe Volkskrant on 10 September [2013]: 'In Russia we do everything we can to protect children from paedophiles. This law is not about homosexuality, it targets paedophilia. But I have too busy a schedule to explore this matter in detail.'"[22] On 26 December 2013, the city ofMunich made public a letter from Gergiev assuring them that he fully supports the city's anti-discrimination law and adding: "In my entire professional career as an artist, I have always and everywhere adhered to these principles and will do so in the future... All other allegations hurt me very much."[23]
In March 2014 he joined a host of other Russian arts and cultural figures in signing an open letter in support of theAnnexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation. The letter was posted on the website of Russia's culture ministry on 12 March 2014. In the letter signatories stated that they "firmly declare our support for the position of the president of the Russian Federation" in the region.[24][25] However, in September 2015, as he became chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, Gergiev said that he did not really sign the letter to Putin, but only had a phone conversation about it withVladimir Medinsky.[26]The New York Times reported that Russian artists may have been pushed by the Russian government to endorse the annexation of Crimea. The article specifically mentioned Gergiev, who faced protests in New York City while performing.[27] After a public outcry in the country, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture blacklisted Gergiev from performing in Ukraine.[27][28][29]
Following the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, theRotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra said that it would drop Gergiev from its September festival if he did not stop supporting Putin. Milan'sLa Scala also sent a letter to Gergiev asking him to declare his support for a peaceful resolution in Ukraine or he would not be permitted to complete his engagement conductingTchaikovsky'sThe Queen of Spades. This followed an announcement by New York City'sCarnegie Hall that it had canceled two May performances by theMariinsky Theatre Orchestra that were to be conducted by Gergiev, and theVienna Philharmonic dropping Gergiev from a five-concert tour in the U.S. that was to start on 25 February.[30][31][32]
On 28 February, theVerbier Festival requested and accepted Gergiev's resignation as Music Director of theVerbier Festival Orchestra.[33] On 1 March,Munich's mayorDieter Reiter announced the termination of Gergiev's contract as conductor of theMunich Philharmonic for failing to respond to a demand that he condemn the "brutalwar of aggression that Putin is waging againstUkraine and now, in particular, against oursister city ofKyiv".[17][34] On 13 October, Gergiev was expelled from his position as a foreign member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Music for his reluctance to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[35]
In 1999, Gergiev married musician Natalya Dzebisova, herself of Ossetian descent and 27 years his junior.[36] They have three children together: two boys and a girl. From time to time, Gergiev has been reported to be a friend of Putin; they have been said to be godfathers to each other's children,[37] but in a letter toThe Daily Telegraph Gergiev rejected this notion.[38] From a past relationship with the language teacher Lena Ostovich, he has another daughter, Natasha.[2]
In April 2022, theAnti-Corruption Foundation of Russian Kremlin criticAlexei Navalny released a video revealing the immense wealth of Gergiev, including various properties in Italy (among othersPalazzo Barbarigo inVenice), the U.S. and Russia. A significant part of his wealth is said to stem from the inheritance ofYoko Nagae Ceschina.[39][40][41]
Gergiev has focused on recording Russian composers' works, both operatic and symphonic, includingMikhail Glinka,Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,Alexander Borodin,Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov,Sergei Prokofiev,Dmitri Shostakovich,Igor Stravinsky andRodion Shchedrin. Most of his recordings, on thePhilips label, are with the Kirov Orchestra, but he has also recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic. Recent undertaking such as the complete Prokofiev symphonies (from the live concerts of 2004) and a Berlioz cycle, are with theLondon Symphony Orchestra.[42]
Gergiev's recording of Prokofiev'sRomeo and Juliet with London Symphony Orchestra on LSO Live in 2010 was voted the winner of the Orchestral category and the Disc of the Year for the 2011 BBC Music Magazine Awards.[43]
| Album | Orchestra | Label | Discs | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROKOFIEV:Romeo and Juliet (complete ballet) | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1991 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:The Sleeping Beauty (complete ballet) | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1993 |
| STRAVINSKY:The Firebird (L'Oiseau de feu) (complete ballet) | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1998 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:The Nutcracker (complete ballet) | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1998 |
| STRAVINSKY:The Rite of Spring (Le sacre du printemps) (with Scriabin'sThe Poem of Ecstasy) | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 2001 |
| STRAVINSKY:The Firebird (complete ballet) (+ Works by Prokofiev & Schnittke) | VPO | TDK | 1 | 2001 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:Swan Lake (complete ballet) (Highlights available separately) | Mariinsky | Decca | 2 | 2007 |
| PROKOFIEV:Romeo and Juliet (complete ballet) | LSO | LSO Live | 2 | 2010 |
| RAVEL:Daphnis et Chloé (complete ballet) (withPavane pour une infante défunte andBoléro) | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2010 |
| MELIKOV:Legend of Love | Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra | Melodiya | 2 | 2015 |
| Album | Orchestra | Label | Discs | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MUSSORGSKY:Khovanshchina | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1992 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:Pique Dame | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1993 |
| PROKOFIEV:War and Peace | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1993 |
| RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:Sadko | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1994 |
| BORODIN:Prince Igor | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1995 |
| PROKOFIEV:The Fiery Angel | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1995 |
| RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:The Maid of Pskov | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1997 |
| VERDI:La Forza del Destino (1862 original version) | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1997 |
| GLINKA:Ruslan and Ludmila | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1997 |
| PROKOFIEV:Betrothal in a Monastery | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1998 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:Mazeppa | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1998 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:Iolanta | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1998 |
| RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh | Kirov | Philips | 3 | 1999 |
| RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:The Tsar's Bride | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1999 |
| RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:Kashchey the Immortal | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1999 |
| MUSSORGSKY:Boris Godunov (1869 & 1872 version) | Kirov | Philips | 5 | 1999 |
| PROKOFIEV:The Gambler | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1999 |
| PROKOFIEV:Semyon Kotko | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 2000 |
| PROKOFIEV:The Love for Three Oranges | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 2001 |
| BARTÓK:Bluebeard's Castle | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2009 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:The Nose | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 2 | 2009 |
| STRAVINSKY:Oedipus rex (Comes with BalletLes noces) | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2010 |
| WAGNER:Parsifal | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 4 | 2010 |
| DONIZETTI:Lucia di Lammermoor | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 2 | 2011 |
| Album | Orchestra | Label | Discs | Release Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BORODIN: Symphonies No. 1 &2 | RPhO | Polygram | 1 | 1991 |
| RACHMANINOV:Symphony No. 2 | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1994 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:1812 Overture and others | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1994 |
| STRAVINSKY:The Firebird – SCRIABIN:Prometheus | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1998 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 | VPO | Philips | 1 | 1999 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6,Francesca da Rimini,Romeo and Juliet | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 2000 |
| RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:Scheherazade, BORODIN:In the Steppes of Central Asia,BALAKIREV:Islamey | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 2001 |
| STRAVINSKY:The Rite of Spring – SCRIABIN:The Poem of Ecstasy | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 2001 |
| PROKOFIEV: Symphony No.1 (+ Works by Stravinsky & Schnittke) | VPO | TDK | 1 | 2001 |
| MUSSORGSKY:Pictures at an Exhibition | VPO | Philips | 1 | 2002 |
| BERLIOZ:Symphonie Fantastique,La Mort de Cléopâtre (Soprano:Olga Borodina) | VPO | Philips | 1 | 2003 |
| PROKOFIEV:Scythian Suite,Alexander Nevsky | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 2003 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH: The War Symphonies (No. 4–9) Each one available separately | Kirov | Philips | 5 | 2005 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:Symphonies No. 4,5,6Each one available separately | VPO | Philips | 3 | 2005 |
| PROKOFIEV: Completes Symphonies (No. 1–7) (No. 4: 1930 + 1947 Versions) | LSO | Philips | 4 | 2006 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 1 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2008 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 3 | LSO | LSO Live | 2 | 2008 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 6 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2008 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 7 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2008 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY:1812 Overture,Moscow Cantata,Marche Slave, Coronation March, Danish Overture | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2009 |
| MAHLER:Symphony Nos. 2 &10 (Adagio) | LSO | LSO Live | 2 | 2009 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphonies No. 1 &15 | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2009 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 8 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2009 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 4 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2010 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphonies No. 2 &11 | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2010 |
| RACHMANINOV: Symphony No. 2 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2010 |
| DEBUSSY:Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune,La Mer, Jeux | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2011 |
| LISZT:Les préludes, MUSSORGSKY:Pictures at an Exhibition(Summer Night Concert Schönbrunn 2011) | VPO | DG | 1 | 2011 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 5 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2011 |
| MAHLER:Symphony No. 9 | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2011 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphonies No. 3 &10 | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2011 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2012 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphony No. 8 | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2013 |
| SHOSTAKOVICH:Symphonies No. 4,5 &6 | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 2 | 2014 |
| Berlioz:Symphonie Fantastique,Overture: Waverley | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2014 |
| ALBUM | SOLOIST | ORCHESTRA | LABEL | DISCS | RELEASE YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PROKOFIEV: Complete Piano Concertos (No. 1–5) | Alexander Toradze | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 1998 |
| SCHNITTKE: Viola Concerto (+ Works by Stravinsky & Prokofiev) | Yuri Bashmet | VPO | TDK | 1 | 2001 |
| RACHMANINOV:Piano Concerto No.2,Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | Lang Lang | Mariinsky | DG | 1 | 2003 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY & MIASKOVSKY: Violin Concertos | Vadim Repin | Mariinsky | Philips | 1 | 2003 |
| BRAHMS & KORNGOLD: Violin Concertos | Nikolaj Znaider | VPO | RCA Red Seal | 1 | 2009 |
| RACHMANINOV:Piano Concerto No.3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | Denis Matsuev | Mariinsky | Mariinsky Live | 1 | 2010 |
| TCHAIKOVSKY: Variation on a Rococo Theme, PROKOFIEV:Sinfonia Concertante | Gautier Capuçon | Mariinsky | Virgin | 1 | 2010 |
| Lang Lang: Liszt, My Piano Hero (LISZT:Piano Concerto No. 1) | Lang Lang | VPO | Sony | 1 | 2011 |
| Berlioz:Harold en Italie, La Mort de Cléopâtre | Antoine Tamestit, viola Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano | LSO | LSO Live | 1 | 2014 |
| RACHMANINOV:Piano Concerto No.3 | Behzod Abduraimov | RCO | RCO Live | 1 | 2020 |
| ALBUM | SOLOIST | ORCHESTRA | LABEL | DISCS | RELEASE YEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tchaikovsky & Verdi Arias | Dmitri Hvorostovsky | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1990 |
| Tchaikovsky & Verdi Arias | Galina Gorchakova | Kirov | Philips | 1 | 1996 |
| PROKOFIEV:Ivan The Terrible Cantata | RPhO | Philips | 1 | 1998 | |
| VERDI: Requiem | Kirov | Philips | 2 | 2001 | |
| Russian Album | Anna Netrebko | Mariinsky | DG | 1 | 2006 |
| Homage: The Age Of The Diva | Renée Fleming | Mariinsky | Decca | 1 | 2007 |
| Berlioz:Roméo et Juliette | Olga Borodina | LSO LSO Chorus | LSO Live | 2 | 2016 |
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra 1981–1985 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor and Music Director, Mariinsky Theatre 1988–present | Succeeded by incumbent |
| Preceded by | Principal Conductor, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra 1995–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Artistic Director, Bolshoi Theatre 2023–present | Succeeded by incumbent |
|  | |
| Stock company |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Stages | ||
