Valery Gergiev, conductor, artistic director and president of the Mariinsky Theater, was appointed general director of the State Academic Bolshoi Theatre. Related order signed Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
“(The former director of the Bolshoi Theatre) Vladimir Urin was dismissed from this position at his own request,” the Russian government said in a statement. The artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater Ballet, Mahar Vaziev, continues his duties.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova and Minister of Culture Olga Lyubimova introduced the new leader to the team.
“The team applauded and thanked Vladimir Urin for his work as director. Urin stated that working in this position has been ten years of happiness for him. he is writing TASS.
At a meeting with the staff of the Bolshoi Theater, the conductor expressed hope for the opportunity to “get to know each other better” in the near future and noted that now is an important time to work in Russia and not abroad. Gergiev also hopes that the coming theater seasons and years will be successful.
“I’m thinking about what to do in Russia today. It’s not that we weren’t invited somewhere, on the contrary, we were recently in China, our shows were shown, a new hall opened in Beijing. But now both you and I have to work from home,” he said.
His first step as general director will be the production of Modest Mussorgsky’s opera “Khovanshchina”. he is writing Forbes.
Gergiev will remain artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre. At the same time, the merger of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters will not take place. “Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters will exist as independent theaters” reported Golikova in a meeting with Bolshoi staff.
The new director said that the Bolshoi Theater and the Mariinsky Theater could “exchange productions”, use each other’s spaces and develop together.
“The poster for the nearest Mariinsky Theater states that Valery Abisalovich is the conductor 3-5 times a week. “There is no doubt that the maestro will quickly and competently distribute his attention between the two capitals.” reported “Fontanka” in the press service of the Mariinsky Theatre.
Conductor and leader
Valery Gergiev, St. He is a world-famous conductor, the brightest representative of the St. Petersburg conducting school.
Since 1996 – permanent artistic director – director of the State Academic Mariinsky Theatre. With the advent of Valery Gergiev, large thematic festivals became a tradition. Under his direction the symphony orchestra reached a new level; He mastered not only new opera and ballet scores but also an extensive symphony repertoire.
“Under the leadership of Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky Theater has turned into a large-scale theater and concert complex that has no analogues in the world. In 2006, the Concert Hall was opened, in 2013 the second phase of the theater (Mariinsky-2), from January 1, 2016 the Mariinsky Theater opened a branch in Vladivostok (Primorskaya Stage) and from 2017 in Vladikavkaz. ” – reported On the Mariinsky Theater website.
Other projects implemented by Valery Gergiev in the theater include organizing online concert broadcasts and creating a recording studio. In 2009 the theater received the Mariinsky label.
Gergiev is the founder of prestigious international festivals; He has been chairing the organizing committee of the International Competition that bears his name since 2011. PI Tchaikovsky.
On his initiative, the All-Russian Choral Ensemble was revived, in which the Russian Children’s Choir was created, performing at the largest venues in the country.
Valery Gergiev’s musical and social activities were awarded with three State Prizes of the Russian Federation, the titles of People’s Artist of Russia, Honored Artist and Hero of Labor, the Order of Merit of the Fatherland, II, III and IV degrees. Order of Alexander Nevsky.
Urin’s “happy years” ended ahead of schedule
Vladimir Urin was appointed general director of the Bolshoi Theater in July 2013. His contract was subsequently extended twice: in August 2017 and January 2022. Urin was supposed to head the Bolshoi Theater until 2027.
Before his appointment to the Bolshoi, he was general director of the Moscow Academic Music Theatre. KS Stanislavsky and Vl.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko.
Urin has been a member of the Council for Culture and Arts under the President of Russia since November 2018. For his contribution to the development of Russian culture, he was awarded the Order of Honor and has the title of Honored Artist.