Valery Gergiev to Conduct Mahler’s 5th
“The gripping performances these musicians from St. Petersburg offered had such intensity, character and insight that it was hard to imagine the music played with more authority.”
— New York Times
WHAT:MARIINSKY THEATRE ORCHESTRA
Valery Gergiev, conductor
WHEN:Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 7pm
Pre-concert lecture by Christopher Russell, 6pm
PROGRAM:MAHLER: Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor
WHERE:Orange County Performing Arts Center
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
TICKETS:$98, $94, $75, $65, $55, $45, $30, $250 (box seats)
Available at the Philharmonic Society box office (949) 553-2422, or online at Tickets are also available at the Center’s box office at (714) 556-2787.
INFORMATION: Call (949) 553-2422 or visit
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IRVINE, CA—The Philharmonic Society of Orange County is pleased to present the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra on Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 7pm, at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Conductor Valery Gergiev will lead a performance of MAHLER: Symphony No. 5 in C-sharp minor. A pre-concert lecture by Christopher Russell will begin at 6pm. The evening also marks the fourth presentation of the Philharmonic Society’s 2009-10 Elizabeth & Henry Segerstrom Select Series, presented by Harry Winston and Jaguar. This event is sponsored by the Shanbrom Family Foundation.
Founded in the 18th century during the reign of Peter the Great, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra is in its 226th season. Under the musical direction of Eduard Napravnik, the orchestra flourished in the latter half of the 19th century and was recognized as one of the finest in Europe. Since 1860, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra has been housed in St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, the oldest musical theatre in Russia. During the Soviet era, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra was renamed the Kirov Orchestra but has reclaimed the Mariinsky name since then. During its long and illustrious history, the orchestra has presented the world premiere of Verdi’s La forza del destino, the first Russian performances of the complete Wagner’s Ring cycle, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger, Parsifal, and of Richard Strauss’ Elektra, Salome, Der Rosenkavalier, and Berg’s Wozzeck.
The Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra also boasts a history of close associations with renowned Russian composers, including world premiere performances of works by Glinka, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Khachaturian. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky conducted and premiered his Fifth Symphony, Hamlet fantasy-overture, and Sixth Symphony with the orchestra. Sergei Rachmaninoff was also a frequent conductor of the orchestra, including premieres of his Spring Cantata and the symphonic poem The Bells. The orchestra also premiered music by the young Igor Stravinsky, such as his Scherzo Fantastique and the ballet The Firebird.
Grammy Award-winning conductor Valery Gergiev assumed the position of Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre in 1988, propelling the orchestra into its second “golden age.” He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Dmitri Shostakovich Award, Golden Mask Award, People’s Artist of Russia Award, the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, Netherlands’s Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion, Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun, Valencia’s Silver Medal, the Herbert von Karajan prize, and France’s Royal Order of the Legion of Honor. Valery Gergiev studied conducting with Ilya Musin at the Leningrad Conservatory and was the winner of the 1977 Herbert von Karajan Conductors’ Competition in Berlin. One year later, he made his Mariinsky Opera debut conducting Prokofiev’s War and Peace. He was made conductor of the World Orchestra for Peace in 1998 and is presently Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Valery Gergiev is also founder and artistic director of the Stars of the White Nights Festival and New Horizons Festival in St. Petersburg, the Moscow Easter Festival, the Gergiev Rotterdam Festival, the Mikkeli International Festival, and the Red Sea Festival in Eilat, Israel. In 2010, he will conduct the first-ever production of Shostakovich’s The Nose at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
The Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra records on the “Mariinsky Label,” launched May 2009. The label’s first two recordings received five Grammy Nominations, including Best Opera Recording (Shostakovich’s The Nose), Best Classical Album (The Nose), Best Orchestral Performance (Shostakovich’s Symphonies 1 and 15), and nominations for engineering and producer. The orchestra has also released a Tchaikovsky disc of short pieces, Shchedrin “The Enchanted Wanderer,” and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 and “Variations on a theme of Paganini.” Winter 2010 marks the orchestra’s 15th tour of North America, celebrating works of Berlioz. In fall of 2010, the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra will embark on its 16th tour, commemorating the centennial of Gustav Mahler’s death.
The Orange County Performing Arts Center, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, is located at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Ticket prices are $98, $94, $75, $65, $55, $45, $30, $250 (box seats) and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, online at and at the Center box office at (714) 556-2787.
About the Philharmonic Society:
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County (PSOC), which presents the world’s most acclaimed symphony orchestras, chamber ensembles, performing organizations and artists, is a key tenant of the new Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. PSOC, founded in 1954, is the oldest continuously operating music organization in the region and has been a primary catalyst for cultural growth in Orange County.
2009-2010 Elizabeth & Henry Segerstrom Select Series:
The Elizabeth & Henry Segerstrom Select Series offers five concerts by artists of the highest international stature at the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. These performances reflect the depth and breadth of musical excellence and styles, from voice to solo instruments to orchestral magnificence. Other concerts in the Elizabeth & Henry Segerstrom Select Series include Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (October 4, 2009), Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra (October 23, 2009), Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (February 19, 2010), and Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (April 18, 2010).
Sponsored by Harry Winston, Inc:
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Sponsored by Jaguar:
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