Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the news about the possibility of appointing the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater Valery Gergiev to the post of general director of the Bolshoi Theatre, said that there are currently no decisions on reforming the management system of the theater. Bolshoi Theatre. His words guide the way RIA News.
“You know that initially different options for managing the system of major theaters were discussed at various meetings, including with the participation of the president. But there is no decision yet,” he said.
The Kremlin representative emphasized that the head of the theater “is not appointed by the president.” Additionally, Vladimir Putin met with Gergiev and the current general director of the Bolshoi Theater, Vladimir Urin, in St. He added that he did not communicate on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum.
Gergiev himself had not previously ruled out the possibility of his appointment.
“We’ll wait and see,” he said on his Telegram channel Shot.
INSIDE speech With the host of the program “Moscow”. Kremlin. In Pavel Zarubin’s speech “Putin”, broadcast on the TV channel “Russia 1”, the conductor did not deny the possibility of being appointed general director of the Bolshoi Theater, but did not confirm it either. He emphasized that the Mariinsky Theater has an “established, stable idea” of its responsibilities, capabilities and responsibilities.
“When the three come together in harmony, it seems to me that it is no longer so important – two cities, three theaters, four regions, five countries – it is not so important,” he said.
He also emphasized that he was “quite busy” and “not looking for further study opportunities”, but found it “necessary and necessary” to work in his country.
What is known about Urin’s departure
Oppression Forbes Citing his own source, the current general director of the Bolshoi Theater, Vladimir Urin, wrote: 17 November He wrote a resignation letter of his own free will, addressed to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
The decision was taken in September, when “it became clear that none of the heads of cultural institutions who signed the letter against the special operation would be able to remain in office until the end of 2023,” a source told Forbes.
We are talking about a collective letter from cultural figures calling for an end to the military operation in Ukraine; This letter was written in February 2022 and Urin was among the signers.
The wife of the general director of the Bolshoi Theater Irina Chernomura told the TV channel: “Star”that her husband continues to do his job but intends to leave his post:
“He hasn’t written yet (description – socialbites.ca) but he will write. “As soon as the date on which Gergiev will take over is announced, Vladimir Georgievich will write a letter of resignation.”
In response, journalist Ksenia Sobchak on her Telegram channel reportedHe said he “personally confirmed” information about Urin’s dismissal and Gergiev’s appointment “at dinner with close people.”
“The decision to appoint Gergiev was made personally [президент РФ Владимир] Putin’s. For the president he is a kind of Mikhalkov in the theatre. We agreed on certain conditions (secretly, of course): A very large budget will be allocated for the reconstruction of the old stage of the Mariinsky Theatre,” says Sobchak.
He also stated that Mikhail Mishustin and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova were “strongly against this appointment”, but the reasons for this were unknown.
November 15, Izvestia newspaper and Mash Telegram channel citing sources reportedVladimir Urin will leave his post as general director of the Bolshoi Theater and Valery Gergiev will be appointed in his place. According to media reports, the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater will manage both institutions and the directorates may be combined.
“A lot can change”
Press service of the Bolshoi Theater denied Commenting on socialbites.ca’s reports on Urin’s dismissal and Gergiev’s appointment, he called for such questions to be directed to the “founder”. Mariinsky Theater stated “Fontanka”He said that they learned about possible personnel changes from journalists.
Press Secretary to the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov redirected When asked about Gergiev’s appointment as the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Culture itself stated that “they do not comment on the information.”
Prime Minister of the Bolshoi Theater Ballet Igor Tsvirko said in a conversation with socialbites.ca that he “had no information”, and the first soloist of the theater Daria Khokhlova said that she knew about the re-arrangements “only from the Internet”. He is “completely unaware” of the reliability of this information.
“Of course, a lot can change. Speaking to socialbites.ca, Khokhlova said: “The change of the general director is an important event, especially in a huge system like our theater.”
Other contestants
According to Forbes, the desire to head the Bolshoi Theater at various times was expressed by former ballerina of the theater Nikolai Tsiskaridze, prima ballerina and former State Duma deputy Svetlana Zakharova, as well as St. Petersburg. Announced by the artistic director of St. Petersburg Mikhailovsky. Theater and general director of the Moscow Art Academic Theater. M. Gorky Vladimir Kekhman.
In 2012, cultural figures appeared, including the former head of the Moscow Art Theater. AP Chekhova Oleg Tabakov (He passed away in 2018. – socialbites.ca)actress Alisa Freindlich and others, contacted to Vladimir Putin with a request to appoint Nikolai Tsiskaridze as director of the Bolshoi Theatre.
In response to the news about the change in the management of the theater, ballerina Anastasia Volochkova also in the name currently St. Ballerina, rector of the St. Petersburg Russian Ballet Academy. Vaganova is “the most suitable director” because she “went through the school of this theater” and is also a “talented, ballet-loving, dedicated person to art.”
Tsiskaridze himself speaks to the channel “Star” He supported Gergiev’s appointment as general director of the Bolshoi Theatre, calling it “happiness”:
“Gergiev is a genius <…> This is bliss compared to what has happened there in the last 20 years. That’s all that can be said.”
It’s not about the Nutcracker
13 November radio Kommersant FM He reported that a complaint was filed against the Bolshoi Theater about the queues for tickets to the New Year’s Nutcracker ballet to the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor’s Office, Rospotrebnadzor, the Ministry of Culture and the Presidential Administration. The authors of the appeal demanded compensation for moral damage and the dismissal of the theater management.
“After the complaint, I expect at least something to change in the ticket sales organization. Live queue is bad. <…> One of the complainants said that at the very least the theater should apologize to its audience and at the most the management should be fired.
Also in conversation with theater critic Larisa Barykina ura.ru The Bolshoi Theater stated that the change of general manager was not related to ticket queues. According to him, Gergiev’s appointment was discussed in 2022:
“He talked with President Valery Gergiev about the need to expand the theaters. “The tendency to merge theaters and create cultural agglomerations is also a long-standing trend.”