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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Gergiev, good evening.

Do you have any news for me?

Valery Gergiev: We recently had a premiere, Turandot, at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I know about that.

Valery Gergiev: The production features very good, very young singers, a true delight for us.

Vladimir Putin: Yes, I saw a media report about it. Honest, that’s true. And I saw an interview with the cast.

Valery Gergiev: Over the past year or year and a half, I have increasingly felt that the best way to move forward and advance is by putting young people first. They have great voices that develop and mature. This does bring us a lot of joy. We went through a similar process at the Mariinsky Theatre before that. In fact, much was done a long time ago. There is a lot of cooperation and exchanges between the theatres.

Vladimir Putin: Promoting exchanges was the whole point.

Valery Gergiev: It does make sense. We know from what we read that there was a time when Fyodor Shalyapin performed in Moscow on Monday, and then at the Mariinsky in Petersburg on Wednesday. The people who made this system work back then were very astute. It looks like the same thing…

Vladimir Putin: We are trying to replicate these practices.

Valery Gergiev: Yes. By the way, Tchaikovsky knew that his works would be staged at the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi, so he was a generous creator and gave his all. There were others like him too.

Vladimir Putin: How long did you work on this production?

Valery Gergiev: Turandot has quite a big cast. It was amazing to have at least six singers for the Turandot part instead of just one. This means that we can show it quite often in the next one and a half to two years. It is a very popular opera, as you know.

There was a time when we used the same approach with Rigoletto. We brought Aida from the Mariinsky – a marvellous production by Giancarlo del Monaco. He will now stage Otello. Otello stands at the apex of opera art. There was a time when Placido Domingo was unrivalled when performing this part. You remember well the way his debut performance at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1992 sent shockwaves across Petersburg. By the way, we have worked with him only recently.

Vladimir Putin: Turandot may seem to place too much emphasis on cruelty.

Valery Gergiev: What I would say is that this opera by Puccini really stands out. He did not finish it, and another composer stepped in to complete the work, but it is a very powerful creation.

I think that what makes our theatres strong is that we recognise not only the great Russian musicians, but also the possibility of performing works by Italian, French, German and Austrian authors, who gave us the great characters which bind this world together. I think that today this is what we need more than ever.

We must credit our colleagues for staging Boris Godunov, Prince Igor and, of course, Eugene Onegin or The Queen of Spades. There may be fewer performances but musicians around the world will keep returning to the great masters and their creations. After all, we cannot live without Shakespeare, so here is Otello. There is no way I would say that no, we will not stage Otello because the origins of one of its authors, Shakespeare, is a problem for us. This would be so silly and lead us nowhere. I know that you have been thinking about this more than any musician.

We also hope that more opportunities will be created for both the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres in the lead-up to the Bolshoi Theatre’s 250^th anniversary. This extends beyond the exchange of performances, directors and artists, which has long become a well-oiled process. We hope that new opportunities will present themselves. In this sense, we are not only looking at the next two or three years, but also at the next few months, even if this may sound strange, when the creative processes will be accompanied by the strengthening of facilities for our work.

For example, the long-awaited decision to construct a new building for the Mariinsky Theatre has doubled our audience, and all this thanks to one large project. Back then, we collected funds throughout the world, and we have built one of the best concert halls in the world, which is why the Mariinsky Theatre can seat 6,000 people. The situation at the Bolshoi Theatre is also good, but we must do our utmost to create a certain parity.

We were perhaps more fortunate because we were the first to request your assistance, which we received back in 2002. But you must agree that ten years later we opened a truly remarkable theatre.

Vladimir Putin: Will we open the Directorate at the Mariinsky Theatre, just as you proposed?

Valery Gergiev: I believe that this institution, which used to be known as the Directorate of Imperial Theatres, implies a nationwide scale. Everyone knew that St Petersburg was the capital, yet nobody disregarded Moscow either. The current situation is similar. I believe that we are moving towards what we used to have in the past.

I recall a conversation we had only recently. I never imagined that I would concurrently lead such great theatres, working at both of them. This could be like what Pyotr Tchaikovsky did when he opened Carnegie Hall. Historically, the world has needed these bridges, and Tchaikovsky travelled to New York in 1891 where he opened the world-famous Carnegie Hall.

There is so much to remember. The history of these imperial theatres is similar in a way to the establishment of the Lincoln Centre and the John F. Kennedy Centre. These two centres, named after US presidents and opened 60 and 70 years ago, have become focal points, attracting the best representatives of the United States and its creative community. I have performed there many times.

It seems to me that today we have a unique opportunity to create this type of cultural centres, or cultural quarters, in the heart of Moscow or St Petersburg. I have even brought a map of St Petersburg with me, the city you know well. St Petersburg has numerous cultural hotspots. Kolomna alone has at least 20, I believe – and I am not counting Igor Stravinsky’s house or Sergei Rachmaninoff’s house. Alexander Pushkin also stayed nearby, and Alexander Suvorov lived and died there. The area is an incredible constellation of now legendary architectural monuments that witnessed historic events. I will leave these references for you to review later.

Vladimir Putin: Great, thank you.

Valery Gergiev: I also think it is a good time to consider what we will create for the younger generations. These two theatres attract many young viewers. At a recent Bolshoi Theatre premiere, Semyon Kotko by Sergei Prokofiev, I went onto the stage during a curtain call. I was the last to come out, as the other performers were already taking their bows. I came out to present the orchestra and I saw a tremendous number of young people in the audience. Not 30 or 40 but hundreds. And I could hear their reaction, their young and fresh voices. It may seem that academic theatres, with their tickets on the higher end, usually attract more mature and wealthier audiences. But it has been my dream that young people would consider the theatre not just a distant dream but an affordable and eventually favourite venue for stage performances and concerts.

I think it was the right decision to team up with Channel One to show free live broadcasts of The Nutcracker because the shortage was a problem.

Vladimir Putin: The entire country wants to see The Nutcracker.

Valery Gergiev: Indeed. At least people in Chukotka or Kaliningrad or Vladivostok can enjoy a live broadcast of this ever-popular ballet by Tchaikovsky.

It is good to have ample dreams. Only recently, I decided that, in this anniversary year, I should set a major task for the company at the beginning: to produce Sergei Prokofiev’s entire collection of symphonies, operas and ballets. Clearly, Shostakovich will also require our attention in six months because we will be marking his 120^th birth anniversary this year. A little earlier, in April, it will be Prokofiev’s 135^th birth anniversary.

We plan to visit about 40 regions during the Easter Festival to mark these dates. We have an opportunity to travel across swiftly, mainly by train. We are going to reach Krasnoyarsk, which is considerably far away.

Vladimir Putin: You do this every year.

Valery Gergiev: That’s right. But, as you know well, when Easter Sunday falls on May 2 or May 5, you try to find an option to visit at least ten regions. We must be in Moscow on May 9. This means that, if we depart on the fifth and must return by the ninth, we usually extend the tour to several days prior to and several days after these dates. This year, the Easter Sunday falls on April 12 and we will have a whole month to take this tour.

We are touring as a combined orchestra, with soloists from both theatres. And it turns out that this offers us a much richer and more unique opportunity to grow together than if we were working separately. It has been a very pleasant discovery, and we have you to thank for it, because, oddly enough, the artists from these two companies did not really know each other before. You know how it is – some of us support CSKA, some support Spartak. Or it is like comparing Real Madrid and Barcelona. Great clubs? Absolutely. But could you ever combine them? No, because they are under contract. You play for Real, or you play for Barcelona. But with us, we are playing with a combined, mixed ensemble, which is especially beneficial for the younger players.

Vladimir Putin: The synergy is clearly working well.

Valery Gergiev: I believe it is the destiny of these two theatres to be the absolute leaders across the entire vast spectrum of Russian classical music. It really is a vast world: symphonies, instrumental concertos, operas, ballets.

In ballet, the Russians spent years catching up, and then they overtook the rest of the world. It all happened very rapidly, right at the start of the 20^th century, when Stravinsky, Prokofiev, a little later Shostakovich and so many others, including our friend Rodion Shchedrin, created magnificent works that are still performed today.

Vladimir Putin: You mentioned The Nutcracker. The Mariinsky still keep the Petipa version in their repertoire, don’t they? And the Bolshoi…

Valery Gergiev: …you have the Grigorovich one. These are all towering figures, you are absolutely right. And I think it benefits the public to have the chance to see both. That is why we sometimes decide to take a production from Moscow to St Petersburg, and in return, invite a production from St Petersburg down to us, swapping them around so that everyone can see the full range. You have productions by Leonid Lavrovsky, a remarkable, legendary choreographer; you have Fyodor Lopukhov; and then, of course, you have Yury Grigorovich.

I am proud to say that we have kept Arif Melikov’s A Legend of Love in the repertoire on both stages. It is a major, celebrated Azerbaijani ballet, originally staged by a young Grigorovich. The Stone Flower was also created by him when he was still a young man living in Leningrad, as it was then.

This wealth of repertoire is not just gratifying, it is almost overwhelming, because even two theatres might not be enough to do full justice to this magnificent Russian heritage.

Vladimir Putin: I hope you have the energy for two such major houses.

Valery Gergiev: You know, I was in Vladikavkaz yesterday, and the day before in Nalchik. It was a long-awaited moment for me – we gave a big concert in memory of Yury Temirkanov in Nalchik. I also met with the head of the region and discussed the possibility of establishing a theatre there worthy of the name of that great son of the Kabardino-Balkarian people. I believe that, with some support, it could become a real centre for symphonic, operatic and ballet performance.

I grew up in Vladikavkaz, and we have already renovated three rather interesting venues there without any government money.

Vladimir Putin: We must treat the name of Yury Temirkanov and his creative legacy with care. I would suggest you consider this matter and submit some proposals.

Valery Gergiev: Certainly. I am certain that a theatre quarter in St Petersburg will undoubtedly become a fascinating place, rich both architecturally and historically. It is one thing to admire a beautiful building, and another to say: this is where they studied – and list the names. Take the conservatory: its graduate was Tchaikovsky, and that immediately makes you think. In this way, Yury Temirkanov spent over 20 years here, if we include his childhood and early musical years. He moved here when he was around 12 or 13 years old and remained in St Petersburg for the rest of his life, primarily near Theatre Square: the children’s music school, the conservatory, then his second education in conducting, followed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, the Mariinsky Theatre, and the Mravinsky Orchestra. His was an extraordinary life, truly extraordinary.

Vladimir Putin: His name must be honoured. I believe we should consider immortalising his name. In his art, of course, it lives on, but I feel something more is needed.

Valery Gergiev: Yes, I think the suggestion is practically begging to be made. It seems to me that the place where he discovered St Petersburg, near the conservatory, the school, and the Mariinsky Theatre – that was a significant part of his life, simply a significant part.

Vladimir Putin: I have an idea that I will share with you now.

But you wanted to discuss the anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Valery Gergiev: The Bolshoi Theatre’s anniversary is at the end of the year. I believe this is a monumental event for our vast country, not just for Moscow or St Petersburg. We will invite leading ensembles to perform on our stages, and we ourselves will perform under the banner of this anniversary at their venues. For example, the theatre in Vladivostok. It is a branch of the Mariinsky Theatre, and they are currently performing in St Petersburg, visiting three times a year. For now, it is a kind of examination.

This was entirely your idea back in 2014. At the time, it not only stunned me but also delighted and surprised me. Later, I told myself: if I perform in Japan – having already made over 100 visits there with the Mariinsky Theatre ensemble – I thought – we can handle Vladivostok too.

Then we quickly began considering how to develop further. Now, as you know, construction is underway on a rather large, if not enormous, centre there, combining educational, museum, concert, and theatre facilities. It is in a magnificent location, purely from the audience’s perspective – overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We are all eagerly awaiting the grand opening. We hope it will take place next year, and we will do everything possible to achieve this.

The company has grown and continues to grow, which pleases me. They are constantly here, in Moscow, and have been nominated for the Golden Mask award, and will represent what might seem like a distant region – the Far East, Vladivostok – before discerning audiences, both in St Petersburg and Moscow. This is part of our plans.

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