The prestigious National State Opera and Ballet Theater of the picturesque city of Vladikavkaz situated in the southern region of Russia will in the upcoming months take the name of a prominent Russian conductor, Valery Gergiev.
The Opera representatives have decided to honour Valery as the region’s most renowned musician who has greatly contributed to the cultural and artistic development of Vladikavkaz as well as the whole of Russia.
Valery who was originally born in Moscow spent most of his early childhood in Vladikavkaz where he was raised by his parents together with his siblings. He quite early on discovered his true passion for music and while attending secondary school, Valery began to take up piano lessons.
Thanks to his natural talent and ear for the right keys, after completion of his secondary studies, Valery moved again back to Moscow where he landed a spot at the prestigious Leningrad Conservatory.
Valery began his professional career of conductor back in the late ’70s at the former Kirov Theatre. After a huge success of his debuted leading production of ‘War and Peace,’ Valery’s career kicked off for good.
A few years later he became the artistic and general director of the former Kirov Theatre, today known as the Mariinsky Theatre. Valery became known for his outstanding and intensely counselled performances. Notably, thanks to his dedicated and strong work ethic he has been named the Conductor of the Year at the Classical Music Awards in London back in 1993.
Over the years of his successful career, Valery travelled all around the globe and performed at several prominent opera houses and led numerous acclaimed international orchestras. Namely, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra or the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
However, Valery not only engages in conducting of the music, he similarly collaborates on its promotion and affordance to the general public. That is why Valery previously founded several symphonic and musical festivals such as the Petersburg White Nights Festival or the Mikkeli International Music Festival in Finland.
Additionally, as of 2015, Valery is the lead chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic which is one of the most respectable philharmonics in the world.
Valery is truly a Russian national gem who managed to popularize classical music among large masses all around the world. His career path is a true inspiration for any dedicated dreamer out there. When in Munich, one should definitely experience at least once in a lifetime a performance conducted by Valery Gergiev.
