Valery Gergiev facts for kids
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (born 2 May 1953) is a famous Russian conductor and opera director. He is currently the main director and artistic leader of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Bolshoi Theatre. He also leads the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg. Before this, he was the chief conductor for the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the Munich Philharmonic.
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Early Life and Musical Start
Valery Gergiev was born in Moscow, Russia. His parents were of Ossetian background. He grew up with his brothers and sisters in Vladikavkaz, a city in North Ossetia in the Caucasus region. He started learning to play the piano when he was in secondary school. Later, from 1972 to 1977, he studied at the Leningrad Conservatory, a famous music school.
His main teacher for conducting was Ilya Musin. Valery's sister, Larissa, is also a musician. She is a pianist and helps lead the Mariinsky's academy for singers.
Gergiev's Career Highlights
In 1978, Gergiev became an assistant conductor at the Kirov Opera, which is now known as the Mariinsky Opera. He made his first big performance there by conducting Sergei Prokofiev's opera War and Peace. From 1981 to 1985, he was the chief conductor of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra.
He became the chief conductor and artistic director of the Mariinsky in 1988. Then, in 1996, the Russian government appointed him as the overall director of the company.
After the sad Beslan school attack in 2004, Gergiev spoke on television, asking people to stay calm. He also conducted concerts to remember the victims of this terrible event.
During the 2008 South Ossetia war, Gergiev, who has Ossetian family roots, conducted a concert in Tskhinvali. This concert was held near the damaged building of the South Ossetian Parliament to honor those who lost their lives in the war.
In June 2011, Gergiev joined the International Tchaikovsky Competition and helped make changes to how it was organized. On 5 May 2016, Gergiev performed at the ancient Roman Theatre of Palmyra. This concert was called Praying for Palmyra – Music revives ancient ruins and was dedicated to the victims of the March 2016 Palmyra conflict.
In December 2023, Gergiev was named the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre. He is the first person to lead both the Mariinsky Theatre and the Bolshoi Theatre at the same time.
Working Outside Russia
In 1985, Gergiev performed for the first time in the United Kingdom at the Lichfield Festival. In 1988, he was a guest conductor for the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO). In 1991, he led a Western European opera company for the first time, conducting Boris Godunov in Munich. That same year, he made his first performance in America with the San Francisco Opera.
From 1995 to 2008, Gergiev was the main conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He returned to the LSO in 2004 and became their principal conductor in 2007. He left this role in 2015.
In 2015, Gergiev became the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic. However, in March 2022, he was removed from this position because he did not speak out against the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Political Views and Career Changes
Valery Gergiev has been known as a supporter of the Russian government. In 2012, he appeared in a television advertisement for Vladimir Putin's presidential campaign.
Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, many orchestras and festivals around the world asked Gergiev to state his position on the conflict.
- The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra said they would not have him perform if he continued to support the Russian government's actions.
- Milan's La Scala opera house also asked him to support a peaceful solution in Ukraine or his performances would be canceled.
- New York City's Carnegie Hall canceled two performances by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra that Gergiev was supposed to conduct.
- The Vienna Philharmonic also removed Gergiev from a concert tour in the U.S.
On 28 February 2022, the Verbier Festival accepted Gergiev's resignation as Music Director of their orchestra. On 1 March, the mayor of Munich announced that Gergiev's contract with the Munich Philharmonic was ended. This was because he did not respond to their request to condemn the conflict in Ukraine. On 13 October 2022, Gergiev was also removed from his position as a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.
In July 2025, the Royal Palace of Caserta in Italy canceled a concert by Gergiev. This decision came after criticism from Ukraine, Italian politicians, and international activists.
Personal Life
In 1999, Valery Gergiev married Natalya Dzebisova, who is also a musician and of Ossetian background. They have three children together: two boys and a girl. Gergiev also has another daughter, Natasha, from a previous relationship.
Recordings
Gergiev has recorded many works by Russian composers. These include operas and symphonies by famous composers like Mikhail Glinka, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Most of his recordings are with the Kirov Orchestra (now Mariinsky Orchestra) on the Philips label. He has also recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra.
His 2010 recording of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet with the London Symphony Orchestra won the "Disc of the Year" award at the 2011 BBC Music Magazine Awards.
Videos
DVD
- Valery Gergiev in Rehearsal and Performance
- Verdi: La forza del destino, Marinsky Theatre Orchestra, 1998.
- Valery Gergiev Conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Prokofiev, Schnittke & Stravinsky, 2003.
- 60 Minutes: The Wild Man of Music, 2004.
- Prokofiev: Betrothal in a Monastery, Kirov Opera, 2005.
- Shostakovich against Stalin, 2005.
- Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko, Kirov Opera, 2006.
- Puccini: Turandot, Vienna Philharmonic, 2006.
- "All the Russias – a musical journey": a five-part documentary about Russian music.
- Tschaikovsky: Eugene Onegin; Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Renee Fleming, Ramon Vargas, Metropolitan Opera, 2007
- "Gergiev Conducts Brahms: Ein Deutsches Requiem" Kringelborn, Kwiecien, Swedish Radio Choir, Rotterdam Philharmonic, 2008
- Berlioz:
- Benvenuto Cellini, Burkhard Fritz (Benvenuto Cellini), Maija Kovalevska (Teresa), Laurent Naouri (Fieramosca), Kate Aldrich (Ascanio), Xavier Mas (Francesco), Brindley Sherratt (Balducci), Roberto Tagliavini (Bernardino), Adam Plachetka (Pompeo), Sung-Keun Park (Innkeeper), Mikhail Petrenko (Pope Clement VII), Wiener Philharmoniker, Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Philipp Stozl, Stage Director. Blu-ray or DVD Naxos 2007 – 2009
- Les Troyens, Lance Ryan, Énée, Gabriele Viviani, Corhèbe, Gorgio Guiseppini, Panthée, Stephen Milling, Narbal, Éric Cutler, Iopas, Dmitri Voropaev, Hylas, Oksana Shilova, Ascagne, Elisabete Matos, Cassandre, Daniele Barcellona, Didon, Ziata Bulicheva Anna, Cor de la Generolitat Valenciana, Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, Carlus Padrissa, Stage Director. (Recorded on 2009) Blu-ray or DVD Unitel Classica 2010
VHS
- Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame, Acts 1 and 2, Kirov Opera, 1992.
- Mussorgsky: Boris Godunov, Kirov Opera, 1993.
- Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame, Kirov Opera, 1994.
- Mussorgsky: Kovanshchina, Kirov Orchestra, 1994.
- Prokofiev: Fiery Angel, Polygram Video, 1996.
Awards and Honors
Valery Gergiev has received many awards for his contributions to music:
- Hero of Labour of the Russian Federation – This is a high honor given for special services to the country. He received it on 1 May 2013.
- Cavalier of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland"
See also
In Spanish: Valeri Guérguiyev para niños
- Ballerina (documentary)
