Shortly before Christmas Valery Gergiev was in London to discuss the opening of Mariinsky II in May 2013. This project marks the completion of the development of the cultural centre of St Petersburg, adding a new 2000 seat opera house to the original Mariinsky Theatre built in 1860 and the more recent concert hall.
He stressed the importance of education for all of the venues, and the number of performances which will be available free of charge to school pupils and students. On most days of the week there will be at least three public performances, with six available on Sundays. There will also be accommodation provided as part of the project, to assist young musicians to live close to the venues where they are performing.
The opening will mark the 25th anniversary of the leadership of Artistic and General Director Valery Gergiev, taking the Mariinsky Theatre from the closing years of the Soviet era, when it had been renamed the Kirov, to a modern 21st-century lyric arts company, enhancing and underlining the Mariinsky as a centre of artistic excellence and innovation and creating one of the largest, most acclaimed and most dynamic performing arts institutions in the world.
Designed by Diamond Schmitt Architects in collaboration with acousticians Müller-BBM, Mariinsky II is situated on Dekabristov Street and connected to the historic Theatre by a pedestrian bridge over the Kryukov Canal. Mariinsky II will have state-of-the-art facilities that will enable the Mariinsky to present the most ambitious, technically-demanding productions, beyond what is currently possible on the historic stage.
The opening weekend will include a gala concert and ballet and opera performances, followed by Mariinsky’s XXI ‘Stars of the White Nights’ Festival which will run from 24 May to 14 July with performances in all three venues—the Mariinsky Theatre, Mariinsky II and the Mariinsky Concert Hall.
Valery Gergiev said,“These past 24 years have seen a wonderful flourishing of the Mariinsky Theatre in both its artistic programme and its institutional achievements, as we have brought the Opera, Ballet, Orchestra and Chorus—our entire extraordinary Company— into the 21st century with a more active and outgoing engagement with the world. We are carrying forward our progress in every way in 2012/2013, including the opening of our magnificent new opera house. Mariinsky II will provide abundant resources for our artists and audiences, and will ensure that the Mariinsky remains one of the most vital performing arts institutions in the world.”
2013 will also feature a series of multimedia projects captured in the historic Mariinsky Theatre including two Mussorgsky operas co-produced by the Mariinsky and Telmondis; Graham Vick’s production of Boris Godunov, and Leonid Baratov’s production of Khovanshchina, filmed in May 2012 and September 2012 respectively. Both programmes are scheduled for international distribution in partnership with audiovisual producer Telmondis, and Russian television channel Kultura in January 2013. Additional programmes include the Mariinsky Ballet performing Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, with choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky, to be captured on 28 February, 2013, Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella, to be captured in May 2013; and the Mariinsky Orchestra performing the first installment of Shostakovich’s complete symphonies, to be captured at La Sal le Pleyel in Paris, on 7 and 8 January 2013.
In a partnership with 3D movie makers Cameron Pace Group, RealD 3D and Glass Slipper Live Events, the Mariinsky Ballet’s performance of Swan Lake will be broadcast live from St Petersburg in 3D and simultaneously in 2D to cinemas around the world on 14 February, and details will be announced in early 2013.
Information available from
Mariinsky Theatre: www.mariinsky.ru
Mariinsky Foundation of America: www.mariinsky.us
Mariinsky Theatre Trust: www.mariinskytrust.org.uk