All news

Legendary conductor to open Russian Seasons in Germany with Mariinsky Theater Orchestra

The program includes more than 300 events

MOSCOW, July 10. / TASS /. The Russian Seasons festival, designed to introduce foreigners to Russian culture is slated to open in Germany with the Mariinsky Theater Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Valery Gergiev, on January 7, 2019, said Russia’s Minister of Culture, Vladimir Medinsky at a meeting of the project’s organizing committee on Tuesday.

"There are several options for the opening of the ‘Russian Seasons’ in Germany, the best one seems to be the Mariinsky Theater concert, which is already on the tour schedule," Medinsky said.

The Mariinsky Theater’s Artistic and General Director, Valery Gergiev, pointed out that it is possible to rent the Berlin Philharmonic on January 7. "For the Germans, January 7th is convenient," the maestro noted. That being said, the back-up date according to Medinsky is February 8.

For the very first time, the Russian Season, named in honor of the legendary tours of Sergei Diaghilev’s ballet troupe, took place in Japan in 2017 and drew more than 3.5 million spectators in 42 cities around the Asian country.

This year the festival is underway in Italy and over 2 million people have already visited its events. Many well-known Russian groups including the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters, the Hermitage, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Nikulin Moscow Circus and others are participating in the festival.

The program includes more than 300 events, featured among them are about 60 symphonic music concerts, more than 30 theater productions, 55 ballet performances and an extensive exhibition program.