GERGIEV A Certain Madness
lay Umschlag_Aussen indd 1 10 10 11 22 08 The conductor
genius juxtaposed with modesty.
RZ_Genius_ rennerseite indd 1 14 10 11 17 24 Valery Gergiev
The Conductor
The focus of this film, Valery Gergiev, is a force of nature. He is charismatic, driven solely by a passion for music and not for reasons of ego or self-promotion.
He is the managing director of the Mariinsky Theater, one of the most sought after conductors of our time. The Russian maestro has been a guest conductor at all the major festivals, has directed the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan and is the principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Valery Gergiev is a musical genius. He is untiring and inspired to the max in his efforts to create international festivals that promote Russian youth and culture or to represent Russian culture in the great concert halls of the world.
His inspiration may also be seen when he conducts. It is as though he is driven by his passion for music. He loves the music of Tchaikovsky, Prokovief or Shostakovich and conveys this love to his audiences with great skill.
Valerie Gergiev is a man with a mission. He sees himself as the interpreter of the great Russian composers and feels indebted to Russian culture above all and to its native land, which is his own as well.
RZ_Genius_ rennerseite indd 2 14 10 11 17 24 Bringing culture to the people
R B l LION dancing a duet with love.
RZ_Rebellion_ rennerseite indd 1 14 10 11 17 24 Bringing culture to the people
The Mission
“We need to bring culture to the people – not the other way around!” – the credo of Valery Gergiev.
Once a year, Valery Gergiev and 115 musicians of the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra climb aboard the world famous Trans-Siberian Railroad. They travel 9,320 miles in the train. They perform every night in a different cultural center along the rail line from Moscow to Siberia.
Their mission is to perform great works of music for the people and to do it with all the elegance they bring to the concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
According to Gergiev it is not enough to perform only for the elites. The best that culture has to offer has to be made available to a broader community, because people don’t often have the chance to go to a city. For many of them it’s just too expensive or the required infrastructure is frequently not available.
To complete their mission, Maestro Gergiev and the orchestra welcome the hardships of the journey. Even though they are accustomed to a private jet and VIP treatment, they travel under the most trying conditions without special privileges to the most remote concert halls.
The train Valery Gergiev and his orchestra ride on is a common design built in the 1980s that is not particularly comfortable. The musicians share double compartments and travel up to 20 hours between concert halls without a stop. The sole amenities are two dining cars and a car outfitted with showers.
RZ_Rebellion_ rennerseite indd 2 14 10 11 17 24 Total Music Experience
RZ_Charisma_ rennerseite indd 1 14 10 11 16 57 total Music experience
The Film
This documentary is a “total music experience” – a cultural journey – a road movie through Russia on a train.
Carried by the sound of the orchestra and the power of unexpected images, we experience the magic of Tchaikovsky, Prokovief and Shostakovich against the backdrop of modern day Russia; Immense and fascinating, disturbingly beautiful, funny and intelligent.
Endless perspectives and enormous buildings. People wearing Prada, Gucci and Chanel share a concert hall with Siberian factory workers, collective farmers, ice fishermen and scads of young people who are attending a concert for the first time.
Among them all, Valery Gergiev and the secret of a creative man: Driven by his innermost mission; chosen to the point of self-denial to do everything for art.
“Like a candle burning at both ends.” This is how his colleagues see him. This documentary presents a particularly brilliant moment in the life and times of a wonderful artist.
RZ_Charisma_ rennerseite indd 2 14 10 11 16 57 A Film By Alberto venzago
RZ_SchutzUmschlag indd 1 18 10 11 10 37