KISLOVODSK, the Stavropol territory, April 30 (Itar-Tass) – Valery Gergiyev and his Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra gave a concert at the State Philharmonic Hall at the Caucasus Mineral Waters within the framework of the 11th Moscow Easter Festival.

The program was opened by Prokofiev’s seventh symphony. Gergiyev said that this year the festival was dominated by Prokofiev’s music.

“It seems to me that audiences should go to concerts of Prokofiev’s music just as they go to listen to Tchaikovsky. We should fight for that. Russia should remember that many composers created its music treasury. Their contribution should be appreciated and remembered. The 7th symphony is a classy and formidable piece,” Gergiyev emphasized.

The maestro said he hadn’t selected any particular concert program for Kislovodsk.

“We just decided to play this program. The most important thing about a festival program is that it should be diverse,” Gergiyev explained.

“A Hero’s Life” by Richard Strauss can be heard everywhere: in London, Paris and New York. So, let’s play it in Kislovodsk. A concert for cello with orchestra by Arthur Honegger is an interesting music piece in which cellist Ivan Korizna from Belarus performs solo. Korizna is a winner of the Tchaikovsky contest. He won the third prize which could well be the first or the second,” Gergiyev went on to say.

“The audience is always right. If they are not showing any interest then something wrong must be taking place on the stage. And it’s unimportant whether it’s the North Caucasus or any other region. People like listening to music everywhere. They listen to it well, especially if they are offered something interesting,” Gergiyev said.

The maestro also noted that the festival was going according to plan, although the musicians had to move from place to place; they had difficult rehearsals and busy programs. It was so difficult because concerts were broadcast worldwide. That created an additional burden. Basically, the orchestra feels well. But, moving from one place to another, all the hotels, buses and expectations is a serious trial. I am very grateful to my orchestra. It’s a highly professional, strong and conscientious collective. It’s not an easy thing to withstand the Easter festival,” Gergiyev stressed.

Gergiyev believes that the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre can perform any program. “It’s our duty to promote the work of Russian composers. I wish that my colleagues could do the same. I think that all music by Prokofiev has sounded in Moscow. But I don’t remember that it was ever performed in a cycle. The same is true of all piano concerts,” the maestro emphasized.

Gergiyev said that the state of theatres and concert halls was his greatest disappointment in Russia.

The conductor emphasized that one of the ideas behind the Easter festival was its ability to influence the authorities. For example, Gergiyev and his orchestra have saved a music school in Smolensk which the local authorities wanted to evict from its building a year ago.

The 11the Easter Festival will end on May 9.