Gergiev wields baton with magnetism

CHAPEL HILL -- When charismatic Russian conductor Valery Gergiev takes the podium tonight at Lincoln Center to lead the Kirov Orchestra, he will be a familiar sight to New Yorkers who are used to his frequent visits.

But Triangle residents have never had an opportunity to see this magnetic musician on their home turf until now. Gergiev and the Kirov arrive in Chapel Hill on Tuesday for two nights of concerts in UNC's Memorial Hall on the Carolina Performing Arts series.

Gergiev has made a phenomenal rise to worldwide prominence. After becoming artistic director of St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre in 1996, he quickly brought the theater's Kirov Opera, Ballet and Orchestra to renewed excellence.

He soon became known for his exciting and emotional conducting, especially of the great Russian composers, and he turned out critically acclaimed concerts, CDs and DVDs with the Mariinsky's three major companies.

Kirov Orchestra is steeped in history, having premiered many famous Russian composers' works since its founding more than 300 years ago under Peter the Great.

Now with Gergiev, it keeps up a relentless pace of performances around the world. Some observers have called it the "first global orchestra."

The Triangle is the beneficiary of its current nine-city tour, the visit coming in between two pairs of New York City performances.

Coup for the Triangle

The Chapel Hill stop is the only one with a pair of concerts besides those at Lincoln Center. Credit UNC's executive director for the arts, Emil Kang, with the coup.

For the past four seasons, Kang has been building a high-level series that includes the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and other world-class ensembles.

Orchestras of that caliber have not been seen locally since the heyday of N.C. State University's Friends of the College series, which ended in 1994.

Kang traveled to St. Petersburg to meet with officials at the Mariinsky to assure them of a receptive Triangle audience. Luckily, the orchestra's U.S. representative at Columbia Artists Management International, Douglas Shelton, already felt comfortable about the UNC series.

"I've known Emil for a while and I respect his professionalism in developing his great program there," Shelton said by phone from his New York office. "There was never any question about including Chapel Hill on the tour."

Rare treat for audiences

Gergiev is one of the great interpreters of Sergei Prokofiev's music, and the Kirov's visit gives audiences two ways to experience this composer's genius.

Tuesday's concert offers selections from three Prokofiev ballets, one familiar (the charming "Cinderella") and two rarely encountered (the perky "Buffoon" and the Stravinsky-like "Steel Step"), preceded by Tchaikovsky's popular "Romeo and Juliet Overture."

Wednesday's concert begins with the "Cinderella" excerpts and ends with selections from Prokofiev's dramatically riveting ballet, "Romeo and Juliet." In between will come Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4, with rising young Russian pianist Alexei Volodin.

Gergiev's conducting of non-Russian works brings more varied reactions from critics and audiences, but his interpretations are never dull, whatever the music.

His moody spirit often spills into international news, such as his concert with the Kirov in August amid the ruins of Tskhinvali, the capital of South Ossetia, in support of Russia's military action in Georgia.

Gergiev's personality, much like Leonard Bernstein's before him, propels his performances into vividly engaging events.

"There are wild things in his performances," said the N.C. Symphony's music director, Grant Llewellyn, "but they're always thrilling."