Films about Gergiev and the Mariinsky II

The films coincide with two celebrations – the gala opening of the Mariinsky II and Valery Gergiev’s sixtieth birthday.

The first film in the series can be seen today, 27 April. The film – entitled More to Follow – begins at 19:00 on Kultura TV. It shows the new theatre from the inside as well as telling the story of how the vast new stage came to be built. Viewers will have a virtual tour of the Mariinsky II a few days before the building opens to the public. Among those involved in the filming were Maya Plisetskaya, Rodion Shchedrin, Anna Netrebko, Denis Matsuev, Peter Gelb (General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera), Anatoly Iksanov (Director of the Bolshoi Theatre), Sarah Billinghurst (Assistant Manager (Artistic), Metropolitan Opera), Clive Gillinson (Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall) and Matthew VanBesien (Executive Director of the New York Philharmonic.)

On 2 May аt 21.20 Russia’s Channel 1 will be broadcasting the opening of the Mariinsky II as well as the film Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre at 23:10 relating the story of the theatre since it was established to the present day. The same evening at 21:15 on Kultura TV there will be a programme dedicated to the maestro’s birthday called Gergiev’s Region.

The series of films comes to a close with Russia 24’s programme dedicated to the XI Moscow Easter Festival (link to the festival). The programme about the festival (of which Valery Gergiev is the founder and Artistic Director) is an experimental film in the art documentary genre. The script is based on the diaries of Sergei Prokofiev. He was the key composer of the 2013 Easter Festival. The actor Konstantin Khabensky also appears in the film.