The tour in Munich continues

The tour will conclude the Mariinsky Theatre’s participation in the series Gergiev’s Shostakovich, as part of which all fifteen of Dmitry Shostakovich’s symphonies are to be performed in turn by Munich’s Philharmonie and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under the baton of maestro Gergiev. The cycle was broken down into several series of concerts over the course of the 2011-12 season. This time the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra will be taking a two-day programme to Bavaria: 5 May will see a performance of the composer’s Sixth and Ninth Symphonies while on 6 May there will be his Seventh (Leningrad) Symphony and the Ninth.

For Munich, this project has proved one of the key events of the concert season. Critics have spoken of the “grandiose nature” of the idea and the “hypnotic effect” and “magic” of Gergiev’s skill. “Gergiev and Shostakovich is an example of that deep connection between a composer and a conductor, so rarely felt today” which gives audiences “unforgettable” impressions. “The aesthetic line of ‘deep breathing’ (referred to fondly in Germany as ‘großer Bogen’ or the ‘great arch’) is brought to life by Valery Gergiev not just in each individual symphony but in the drama of the cycle as a whole, the pathos and depth growing from one concert to the next,” wrote one classical music news portal.

St Petersburg and Leningrad Region audiences will be able to join the audience at Munich’s Philharmonie on 6 May: The channel 100 TV will be broadcasting the concert live.