A few weeks ago, I was offered a phone interview with Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, who performs at Roy Thomson Hall on Sunday with his Mariinsky Orchestra. I politely turned it down, knowing that it is easier to catch a hummingbird than this elusive artist.
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
The maestro is in perpetual motion, flitting at hyperspeed from one fragrant orchestral bloom to the next. So when I found out that Toronto filmmaker Yosif Feyginberg has just completed a documentary on the building of the new Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, I had to ask if he had any insights on Gergiev.
Feyginberg has an eye and ear for telling musical stories. His previous work includes a documentary on Glenn Gould’s legendary tour of the then-Soviet Union in 1957 and The Unfinished Diary, an arresting 2008 portrait of composer Sergei Prokofiev.
So if anyone could freeze-frame Gergiev or distill the essence of what has made him the most remarkable conductor of our times, I thought it would be Feygenberg.
The filmmaker chuckled good-naturedly when I asked, then patiently explained that his latest documentary is about Toronto architect Jack Diamond and the building of the Mariinsky II — beginning with the gala concert last May, then looping back on the massive cultural project’s progress.
(It looks like TVO will agree to broadcast an hour-long version of the documentary sometime soon. There is a longer, French-language version in the works, as well.)
But Gergiev is very much at the centre of this and just about every other matter associated with both the new and old Mariinsky theatres in St Petersburg.
Feyginberg told of how architects and contractors with important questions would play cellphone roulette with Gergiev, once being told by the maestro to speak quickly, because a concert intermission was almost over.
The filmmaker did end up spending a bit of time with Gergiev. The first session was in St Petersburg, during a construction tour, where Gergiev repeatedly made the point that the entire complex had to feature education and music-appreciation opportunities for young people in order to help foster a continued audience for art music, opera and ballet in Russia.
The second encounter was at La Maison symphonique in Montreal, also designed by Diamond. Gergiev was there to perform with his Mariinsky Orchestra, and Feyginberg was able to capture some electric passages from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.
“We had a total of 2 to 2-1/2 hours together,” recalls Feyginberg. “I was not really interviewing, but the camera was present, which in a documentary can be very valuable.”
In other words, what we see is what we get — very much like Sunday afternoon’s concert. The essence of what makes everything Gergiev touches turn into gold will remain a secret for now.
(You’ll find Sunday’s concert details here.)
John Terauds
- Classical Music 101: What Does A Conductor Do? - June 17, 2019
- Classical Music 101 | What Does Period Instrument Mean? - May 6, 2019
- CLASSICAL MUSIC 101 | What Does It Mean To Be In Tune? - April 23, 2019
