Valery Gergiev

Few conductors performing today are as highy driven a Valery Gergiev, a man who posesses huge resources of energy which manifests itself in his hectic performance schedule and his dynamic performances on the podium. Born in Moscow in 1953, Gergiev's first official appointment was in 1973 as assistant to the conductor Yuri Temirkanov at the Kirov (now known as the Mariinsky) Opera. Gergiev assumed the position of chief conductor in 1988 and was instrumental in making the Mariinsky one of the finest opera companies in the world. Gergiev was chief conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic from 1995 to 2008 in which year he replaced Colin Davis at the head of the London Symphony Orchestra. Gergiev has also performed at the Metropolitan Opera.

One of the finest conductors performing today, few can touch Gergiev in the Russian repertoire. Recently his Mahler performances and recordings with the LSO have also been widely praised.

Key Works: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Boris Godunov (Original & Rimsky-Korsakov arrangements), Prokofiev: Symphonies Nos. 1 - 7, Alexander Nevsky, War and Peace, Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 - 9, Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, The Nutcracker