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A press conference was held today, devoted to the Mariinsky Theatre concerts, that will take place at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul on November 24 as part of the "Russian Seasons" international cultural project.
The press conference was attended by Valery Gergiev, Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theater, Alexei Lebedev, Director of the "Russian Seasons" international cultural project, and Junsik Pak, Managing Director of InArts.
It is important to note that the concerts, held on the same day with a difference of several hours, will have different programs. The Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble under the baton of Valery Gergiev will be performing for the Korean audience. The ensemble’s repertoire includes classical works by the great composers for string orchestra and the best examples of "light music." The ensemble consists of the leading soloists of the theater Symphony Orchestra.
During the press conference, the speakers noted that the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra flew to Seoul from Vladivostok; all necessary measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection had been taken, and the test results of all concert participants came back negative. Maestro Gergiev revealed that this was not the first time the orchestra had performed in Seoul, and he has many friends among Korean musicians. "It’s important that we present operas that are not well-known here. New halls and theaters open up in Korea right now, and there are more and more of them. When everything comes back to normal and the halls are fully operational, our performances could be very interesting to Korean audiences. I believe that" added Valery Gergiev.
Answering journalists’ questions about the significance of this event, Valery Gergiev responded: "When we come to Carnegie Hall in New York, we go on the stage of the hall that was opened by the great Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky. If we play well, the hall reacts very pleasantly, emotionally, even though the political conditions in the world are complicated. I am convinced that cultural exchange is an essential thing needed to maintain mutual understanding and harmony."
Korean journalists were very interested to hear about the Mariinsky Theatre, its repertoire, its performances during the pandemic, and the program of the Russian Seasons in South Korea. "Over these 18 months the Mariinsky Theatre has made a lot of new programs, new productions, new plays and operas, concerts and programs for children – this will remain for me as the outcome of the difficult situation, which all theaters around the world are facing." Valery Gergiev added.
Alexei Lebedev spoke about the Russian Seasons project, the events that have already been held in South Korea, and announced the final performances of "The Nutcracker" before the New Year, which will be presented by students of the Vaganova Academy.
At the end of the press conference, the Director of "Russian Seasons" Alexei Lebedev added: "I would like to express my gratitude to the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Korea, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Korea for their assistance and support in organizing this event. The concerts by the Mariinsky Stradivarius Ensemble will take place at one of the finest halls in the Republic of Korea – LOTTE Concert Hall. Two completely different programs on the same day. I believe that these concerts are some of the key events of the "Russian Seasons" that we arranged here."
We would like to remind, that the concerts will be held tomorrow at 14:00 and at 20:00 local time.
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