Randolph Magri-Overend

CONTEMPORARY CONDUCTORS : VALERY GERGIEV

He occasionally uses a toothpick for a baton, often performs in a Nehru-style black suit and hardly ever appears in public clean-shaven.  But whenever the name of Valery Gergiev is mentioned there is a whiff of controversy in the air. This is not surprising considering he is arguably a champion of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions in the Ukraine, has applauded the suppression of activist band Pussy Riot and continues to support the Russian government’s attitude towards gays.

Has his political stands affected his musical career?  No, not at all…except perhaps for the likelihood of public outbursts at his concerts.  He is just as popular and in demand as ever and, discounting the Russian corporate oligarchs, his personal wealth is third in line after tennis player Maria Sharapova and singer-songwriter Grigory Leps.  . Not so long ago he conducted three orchestras in three different countries in the space of 24 hours. But these days he is more circumspect about burning the candle at both ends. Aged 66, he is now content to be the general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg and also has had musical directorships at the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra (he was succeeded by Sir Simon Rattle in 2015),  the World Orchestra for Peace (founded by Sir Georg Solti) and the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

At the end of 2015 he succeeded Lorin Maazel as principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic but, following some comments in the media, there appeared to be some disquiet in Germany about his appointment.  German sources reacted negatively to reports of audiences in London returning their tickets to concerts in which Gergiev and his pianist of choice, Denis Matsuev, were performing. The latter, together with Gergiev and other Russian cultural icons, proclaimed in a statement that they gave: “adamant support for the position of the Russian Federation towards Ukraine and Crimea.”  However, in September 2015 Gergiev said that he did not really sign the letter to Putin, but only had a phone conversation about it with Vladimir Medinsky. 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. After the Ukrainian public outcry, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture blacklisted Gergiev from performing in Ukraine.  In any event he was confirmed as principal conductor of the Munich Philharmonic.

Despite all this, Gergiev’s musical credentials remain impressive.  Raised in North Ossetia he studied the piano at the Leningrad Conservatory between 1972 and 1977.  His teacher, Ilya Musin, said of him at the time: “he is a very good pianist but inside him there is a conductor.”  The prediction proved correct when Gergiev was appointed assistant conductor at the Kirov Opera (now the Mariinsky Opera) the following year.  It was there he made his conducting debut with Prokofiev’s War and Peace and following his appointment as chief conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic, performed with them in the United Kingdom in 1985 at the Lichfield Festival.  His first performance with a European orchestra had to wait till 1991 when he conducted the Bavarian State Opera in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov followed almost immediately by his American debut in San Francisco.

It is his energetic expansion of Mariinsky ‘culturalism’ that continues to catch the musical eye.  In 1996 he was appointed by the Russian government its overall director and since then has worked tirelessly in renovating the theatre.  That, naturally, brought him in contact with Vladimir Putin and Gergiev has never made any secret of his admiration for the Russian President.  He is quoted as saying that Putin is one of the few politicians in the world who cares and shows great support for culture. Among the many innovations Gergiev has achieved with the Mariinsky is the 2003 performance of Wagner’s Ring cycle.  It was the first performance staged in Russia for 90 years and was followed by the production, lock stock and barrel, performing in Cardiff, California and Seattle in 2006 and the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2007 where it played to sold-out houses.

He became, in 2011, the chairperson of the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition and, in a fit of reformist zeal, immediately replaced the judges who had been recruited from academia by notable performers.  He also announced that the competition would be streamed live on the internet and that judges would be encouraged to speak their minds. It prompted well-known journalist and critic Norman Lebrecht to observe that Gergiev had changed the music world for the better and that no “self-respecting contest (would) take place again behind closed doors.”

Gergiev’s discography is vast, albeit dominated by his love of Russian music.  He has also recently completed live recordings with the LSO of all the Mahler symphonies plus the Adagio from his unfinished 10th.  Gergiev’s recording of Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet with the LSO was the winner of the orchestral category and voted the Disc of the Year in 2011 by the BBC Music Magazine.

Finally, the over-riding question in your mind is why conduct with a toothpick?  Who knows? Perhaps he has an over-riding urge for dental hygiene while conducting!

Published by Randolph Magri-Overend

One of the questions Randolph hates to answer is “Where do you come from?” Why? Because the answer can be so time-consuming and, in a way, also gives away how old he is!! Plus the questioner has to wrestle with the wish he hadn’t asked the question!! He was born in Cairo, Egypt, many moons ago of British parents although he can trace Maltese and Croatian ancestry in his lineage. Educated in a Jesuit college in London his wander lust for things unorthodox drove him to embark on a seafaring career with both Canadian Pacific Steamships and Shaw Savill. That in itself dates him because both lines have been redundant for many a year. One of his boasts is that he was the Purser on the “Gothic” which ten years previously had been Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Yacht soon after her coronation in 1953. One of the objects imported on the ship by HM and left behind was a tape player which Randolph utilised on many a memorable Sunday evening with a classical concert for his passengers. Thus began a journey that not only awakened Randolph’s love for good music but also eventually led to his extensive knowledge of music in all forms. That he loves the era of Sinatra, Crosby, Armstrong, Dorsey (both) and many many more exponents of the post-war music scene is also part and parcel of his appreciation of the music of many an era. These days Randolph is retired but still reviews CDs and DVDs and has written articles on such diverse personalities as Yvonne Kenny, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Alexander Briger, the late Sir John Tavener, Sir James Galway, Dawn Upshaw and countless probes into the music of Gustav Mahler, Elizabeth Shwarzkopf and her husband Walter Legge, Glenn Gould, Leonard Bernstein and many many more he regrets to admit he has lost track of! Before emigrating to Australia, Randolph spent a number of years as a Flight Dispatcher in Canada. Since arriving in Australia, Randolph has written for The Weekend Australian (especially in their travel pages), The Sydney Morning Herald, Opera Opera and Fine Music magazine as well as some jazz magazines. If you require an extensive coverage of your music to a public that, at last count, reaches the best part of 818,000 please contact David Kary on editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com or email me directly on ibmar@bigpond.com. This also includes advertising any forthcoming shows by promoting featured artists. Cheers and thank you.