Gergiev Conducts Tchaikovsky

For years now the busiest conductor in the world has been Valery Gergiev. And he still is. He is currently conducting a run of performances of Eugen Onegin at the Met in New York with Anna Netrebko, and soon he will be leading a North American tour with his Mariinsky Orchestra. The tour includes a stop in Montreal with an all-Rachmaninov program.

His critics say that Gergiev can't possibly be prepared for all the performances he gives and that is probably true. At the same time, few conductors anywhere bring as much mastery and involvement to a performance as Gergiev. Like anyone else I am sure he has off days but generally his performances are poetic and exciting. In this video he brings unusual grace and nuance to the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 with the Mariinsky Orchestra. The performance was given in Paris 3 years ago.

Paul E. Robinson