MOSCOW, December 1 People's Artist of Russia, pianist Denis Matsuev called the appointment of Valery Gergiev as the new general director of the Bolshoi Theater a historical event for the culture of Russia and for the theater itself.
Earlier on Friday, the Russian Cabinet of Ministers announced that Gergiev had been appointed general director of the Bolshoi Theater for a period of five years. Vladimir Urin was relieved of this position at his own request.
“In my opinion, this is a historical event for our entire culture and for the Bolshoi Theater, because the personality of Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a personality of planetary scale, brilliant musical talent and unprecedented, fantastic organizational qualities” – said Matsuev.
In his opinion, after the change of leadership, the Bolshoi Theater will experience great creative achievements. “I am sure that great creative achievements will await us all, the entire (Bolshoi – ed.) theater in particular, each troupe – opera and ballet, of course. If Valery Abisalovich takes on something, I know it very well, he immerses himself into this story absolutely completely and with incredible dedication,” the pianist noted.
He wished victories and discoveries to the Bolshoi Theater staff, and to Gergiev – strength and health. “I want to wish him that everything he has in mind comes true. I wish him health, of course, strength. And for the whole team – new creative endeavors, big victories, discoveries, premieres. This is from the bottom of my heart,” the artist concluded.
Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with laureates of awards in the field of culture and art, suggested that Gergiev think about creating a joint directorate of the Bolshoi Theater and the Mariinsky Theater. A year later, on May 2 of this year, at a meeting with Putin, Gergiev admitted that he was ready for large-scale tasks in working with theaters, “a thorough analysis of the state of 20-30 theaters in Russia.” He emphasized that he could put maximum effort into solving the theaters’ problems. In addition, Gergiev told the president about the idea of creating four large cultural centers.
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