Valery Abisalovich Gergiev (born Artistic Director and General Director of the Mariinsky Theater since 1988, Chief Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, from 2007 to 2015 headed the London Symphony Orchestra.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts, St. Petersburg State University. Chairman of the All-Russian Choral Society. People's Artist of Russia and Ukraine. Honored Worker of Kazakhstan.
There are many interesting facts in Gergiev's biography, which we will discuss in this article.
So, before you is a short biography of Valery Gergiev.
Biography Gergiev
Valery Gergiev was born on May 2, 1953 in Moscow. He grew up and was brought up in the Ossetian family of Abisal Zaurbekovich and his wife Tamara Timofeevna.
In addition to him, Valery's parents had 2 more daughters - Svetlana and Larisa.
Childhood and youth
Almost all of Gergiev's childhood was spent in Vladikavkaz. When he was 7 years old, his mother took her son to a music school for piano and conducting, where the eldest daughter Svetlana was already studying.
At school, the teacher played a melody, and then asked Valery to repeat the rhythm. The boy successfully completed the task.
Then the teacher asked to play the same melody again. Gergiev decided to resort to improvisation, repeating the rhythm "in a wider range of sounds."
As a result, the teacher said that Valery had no hearing. When the boy becomes a famous conductor, he will say that then he wanted to improve the musical range, but the teacher simply did not understand this.
When the mother heard the teacher's verdict, she still managed to get Valera enrolled in school. Soon, he became the best student.
At the age of 13, the first tragedy occurred in Gergiev's biography - his father died. As a result, the mother had to raise three children herself.
Valery continued to study the art of music, as well as to study well in a comprehensive school. An interesting fact is that he repeatedly participated in mathematical olympiads.
Having received a certificate, the young man entered the Leningrad Conservatory, where he continued to demonstrate his talents.
Music
When Valery Gergiev was in his fourth year, he took part in the international competition of conductors, which was held in Berlin. As a result, the jury recognized him as the winner.
A few months later, the student won another victory at the All-Union Conducting Competition in Moscow.
After graduation, Gergiev worked as an assistant conductor at the Kirov Theater, and 1 year later he was already the chief director of the orchestra.
Later Valery headed the orchestra in Armenia for 4 years, and in 1988 he became the main conductor of the Kirov Theater. During that period of his biography, he began to organize various festivals based on the works of famous composers.
During the staging of opera masterpieces by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Sergei Prokofiev and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Gergiev collaborated with world renowned directors and set designers.
After the collapse of the USSR, Valery Georgievich often went to perform abroad.
In 1992, the Russian made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera as a conductor of the opera Othello. After 3 years, Valery Abisalovich was invited to conduct with the Philharmonic Orchestra in Rotterdam, with which he collaborated until 2008.
In 2003, the musician opened the Valery Gergiev Foundation, which was involved in organizing various creative projects.
4 years later, the maestro was entrusted to lead the London Symphony Orchestra. Music critics praised Gergiev's work. They noted that his work is notable for its expression and extraordinary reading of the material.
At the closing ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Valery Gergiev conducted the orchestra on Red Square via teleconference.
In 2012, a large event was organized with the assistance of Gergiev and James Cameron - a 3D broadcast of Swan Lake, which could be watched anywhere in the world.
The following year, the conductor was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2014 he took part in a concert dedicated to Maya Plisetskaya.
Today, Valery Gergiev's main achievement is his work at the Mariinsky Theater, which he has been directing for over 20 years.
An interesting fact is that the musician spends about 250 days a year with the troupes of his theater. During this time, he managed to educate many famous singers and update the repertoire.
Gergiev works closely with Yuri Bashmet. They take part in joint musical events, and also give master classes in different cities of Russia.
Personal life
In his youth, Valery Gergiev met with various opera singers. In 1998, at a music festival in St. Petersburg, he met the Ossetian Natalya Dzebisova.
The girl was a graduate of a music school. She was on the list of laureates and, without knowing it, attracted the attention of the musician.
Soon a romance began between them. Initially, the couple met in secret from others, since Gergiev was twice as old as his chosen one.
In 1999 Valery and Natalia got married. Later they had a girl Tamara and 2 boys - Abisal and Valery.
According to a number of sources, Gergiev has an illegitimate daughter, Natalya, who was born in 1985 from the philologist Elena Ostovich.
In addition to music, the maestro is fond of football. He is a fan of Zenit St. Petersburg and Alanya Vladikavkaz.
Valery Gergiev today
Gergiev is still considered one of the most renowned conductors in the world. He gives concerts at the largest venues, often performing works by Russian composers.
The man is one of the richest Russian artists. In 2012 alone, according to Forbes magazine, he earned $ 16.5 million!
During the biography of 2014-2015. Gergiev was considered the richest cultural figure in the Russian Federation. During the 2018 presidential elections, the musician was a confidant of Vladimir Putin.
Gergiev Photos
