Intermezzo

Gergiev's Ring lacks box office sparkle

Not many takers so far for Valery Gergiev's Mariinsky Ring, which rolls into Birmingham in November. A glance at the Birmingham Hippodrome website suggests only around a quarter of the seats have been sold.

Individual tickets for the four operas are now available at prices ranging from £115 to £200 per opera - or more than four times what you'd pay for a Welsh National Opera show at the same venue. As reader Bohdan wrote to me "I was initially quite excited when you announced this event a few months ago, but now that I’ve seen that a reasonably priced ticket will cost £200, I shan’t be going. In my opinion it’s way over-priced for this particular production." A sentiment I am sure will be shared.

Birmingham gets a Russian Ring

The much-derided Mariinsky Ring Cycle (as seen at Covent Garden in 2009) goes West.

West Midlands, that is. The Birmingham Hippodrome, which "annually mounts the biggest pantomime in the country" is well-qualified to host the Gergiev-led extravaganza in November 2014.

The Maestro himself has, inevitably, "not yet had the chance to inspect the venue," so cross fingers he can fit his assortment of totem poles and Valkyries through the door.

Tickets go on sale on 9 December 2013. No word yet on prices, but given that they're offering a direct debit option don't expect it to be cheap.

 

*PRICING UPDATE* A brochure and booking form are now available, showing prices ranging from £252 to £756 for the full cycle.

For an additional £35, you can become a Hippodrome 'Friend', which gives you priority booking privileges, meaning you can book right now.

For £2,750, you can join the Ring Cycle Syndicate, which includes 5 nights' accommodation as well as various tours and activities.

Single performances will be on sale from Spring 2014.

Cleaning lady makes good

Keeping Vladimir Putin, Placido Domingo and Valery Gergiev at a safe arm's length whilst maintaining a tight grip on her champagne flute is just one of the skills a modern diva must master.

Anna Netrebko was in St Petersburg last night to star in a spectacular gala concert for the opening of the new Mariinsky II theatre. The multi-million-rouble modernist edifice is connected by a footbridge to the traditionally-styled old theatre, where the Austrian soprano used to scrub the floor in between singing lessons.

The concert, beamed live around the world, also featured Domingo, Ildar Abdrazakov, Olga Borodina, Alexei Markov, Evgeny Nikitin, René Pape, Ekaterina Semenchuk, Mikhail Petrenko, Sergei Semishkur, Yekaterina Kondaurova, Ulyana Lopatkina, Diana Vishneva, Olga Esina, Vladimir Shklyarov, Yuri Bashmet, Denis Matsuev and Leonidas Kavakos. It was conducted by Gergiev, celebrating his 60th birthday at the same time, and broadcast live.

You can watch the whole thing below - the music starts around 22 minutes in - or for the time-pressed try the brief news summary below that.

Gergiev Moneyov

Thanks to reader Benedict for spotting a special offer on next week's Verdi Requiem at the Barbican with Gergiev and his Mariinsky ensemble. Soloists are Victoria Yastrebova, Olga Borodina, Sergei Semishkur and Ildar Abdrazakov.  

Lastminute.com are offering best-available tickets for just £15 (originally up to £65).

Alternatively, you could scoot over to the Barbican website, where loads of seats have been 'dynamically priced' down to £15-£25, around half what some of them were originally going for. (Now, should we tell the Barbican why their advance sales are down this season - or just let them guess?)

Instant Gergiev

On 14 and 15 October, Valery Gergiev's Mariinsky Orchestra will join the CBSO, two choirs, ten timpanists, four brass bands, a donkey and a magic trombone to perform Berlioz's Grande Messe des Morts in Birmingham's Symphony Hall.

With nearly 400 musicians and singers required, it's rarely performed in the UK. But concertgoers will be able to repeat the experience at leisure by taking home a live recording of the performance on CD immediately afterwards.

Although this has been done before by rock bands (I have a treasured White Stripes effort from Alexandra Palace), I think it might be the first time a classical orchestra have attempted it in the UK. Way to prop up the dying CD market!

More Mariinsky Ring photos

I've added a few more photos (and captions) to the Mariinsky Ring posts - Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung - below.

All photos by intermezzo.typepad.com