Valery Gergiev

[Zhiliang]

Hi,

I have heard many good things about Valery Gergiev. How is he as a conductor? Which are his best or better recording(s) to get? Thanks

[BorisG]

He has made many recordings, and I have heard most of them. Only two interested me enough to buy them.

[Dancing Divertimentian]

A large portion of Gergiev's recorded output consists of opera - in particular the Russian Opera Series on Philips. It's quite an expansive series and his consistency throughout the nine operas I'm lucky to have from it is amazing. 

This is where it all began for Gergiev on records and really no overview of his work is complete without consideration of this series.

It's gotten nothing but good press as far as I can tell and picking from it is as easy as throwing a dart - wherever it lands you have a winner (and more than a paltry two, I can assure you).

It's undoubtedly Gergiev's crowning achievement on disc.

[Marcel]

I like Gergiev's recordings from 1990's. Now he is somehow going worse..

He has made many recordings, and I have heard most of them. Only two interested me enough to buy them.

These are excellent, I would add:

Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 5, Wiener Philharmoniker, Live (spontaneous, fresh recording)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 6, Kirov Orchestra (great achievement, excellent orchestra playing, in term of spontaneity Mravinsky still leads the crowd )
Tchaikovsky: Queen of Spades, Kirov Chorus and Orchestra - perfectly dramatic reading

There are some recordings I have heard and don't like it. For example:
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - could be better... focused too much on dramatic element
Mussorgsky: A Night on a Bare Mountain  - the same..

It seems he is now absorbed with commercialisation. New recording of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is pretty cut version of the original score.

Old Gergiev - superb Gergiev
New Gergiev - uneasy Gergiev

[canninator]

How is he as a conductor?

Well here's a red rag to a bull. I've seen him live twice separated by a year. First doing Shos 5 with the Mariinsky and then Mahler 6 with the LSO, as visiting orchestras both times. Both occasions were a muddy and indistinguishable mess.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I don't like Gergiev much. He's all energy and aggression. But I also want precision, subtlety and elegance from a musician. I heard a Mahler Sixth with the Rotterdam Philharmonic once, a brutal and loveless affair. You could counter 'That's Mahler's Sixth!' But that symphony is richer (and more tender in places) than Gergiev made audible.

Some people love barbarians. I don't. Intelligence thrills me more. I haven't heard Gergiev in the operatic repertoire, though - perhaps his dominant traits are more suited to that genre than the orchestral/symphonic.

Johan

[The new erato]

I was looking forward to his complete Prokofiev symphonies to supplement my Weller, but passed based on several mediocre reviews (though some members of the commecial press rated it highly). Have just ordered the PentaTone Jurowski 5th and will see what I think about that.

[jwinter]

...I heard a Mahler Sixth with the Rotterdam Philharmonic once, a brutal and loveless affair...

For brutal, try his Rite of Spring.  That's a nifty recording -- downright savage in spots, as it should be.  I also enjoy his Nutcracker and Kirov Pathetique; I have his Prokofiev set, but haven't heard it enough to give a fair rating.

And then of course there's the immortal Rach 2 with Lang Lang...    Gergiev is surprisingly good in support, but my god that's got to be the weirdest concerto recording I've ever heard.  LL's pacing is truly bizarre, like an elephant tap-dancing...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

LL's pacing is truly bizarre, like an elephant tap-dancing...

[bhodges]

I like Gergiev a lot, have seen him in person dozens of times and have many of his recordings.  Yes, he can be maddeningly inconsistent, but when he is "on" he can be one of the best anywhere.  As donwyn mentioned, his opera recordings on Phillips are generally excellent: I'm a big fan of Prokofiev's Semyon Kotko thanks to Gergiev, and although I haven't heard the recording of War and Peace, I did hear him do it at the Met last month, and he was superb.

I also like that Nutcracker (with the fastest "Trepak" I have ever heard in my life), and his Stravinsky Firebird, coupled with a very fine Scriabin Prometheus with pianist Alexander Toradze.



--Bruce

[The new erato]

With that face he seems set to crack a few nuts....

Agreed on the Semyon Kotko. 

[Brian]

Tonight ... we dine in hell!! 

[uffeviking]

You can observe him rehearsing and performing in a very good Image DVD with Alexander Toradze in Stravinsky's Piano Concerto. The highlight of the video is Gergiev rehearsing Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, and then in the performance. Gergiev's roots go back to the tribe of Scythian's.

[bhodges]

You can observe him rehearsing and performing in a very good Image DVD with Alexander Toradze in Stravinsky's Piano Concerto. The highlight of the video is Gergiev rehearsing Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, and then in the performance. Gergiev's roots go back to the tribe of Scythian's.

Oh thanks for the reminder, Lis...I've been eyeing that video, and I love the Scythian Suite.  So far Gergiev hasn't brought it here with the Kirov (as far as I know) but I'm waiting.

--Bruce

[RebLem]

I was looking forward to his complete Prokofiev symphonies to supplement my Weller, but passed based on several mediocre reviews (though some members of the commecial press rated it highly). Have just ordered the PentaTone Jurowski 5th and will see what I think about that.

I love the Gergiev recordings of the Prokofiev Syms 2-7, which includes both versions of #4, btw.  It is, probably, the best set overall.  Unfortunately, his recording of # 1 is the worst recording I have ever heard.  It seems to be the fault of the recording engineer(s), not the conductor, but, incredibly, I have heard far better sound quality in material first recorded c. 1951.  This sounds like, maybe 1948 quality sound.  Absolutely awful.  Not true of the rest of the set, however, which is magnificent.

BTW, I am disappointed that no one except Neeme Jarvi has recorded the Sinfonietta in A, a much underrated work, as part of the set.  There is certainly room for it in the Gergiev set with a little re-arranging.

[Zhiliang]

Have anyone heard this by him? Is it good?

[not edward]

I love the Gergiev recordings of the Prokofiev Syms 2-7, which includes both versions of #4, btw.  It is, probably, the best set overall.  Unfortunately, his recording of # 1 is the worst recording I have ever heard.  It seems to be the fault of the recording engineer(s), not the conductor, but, incredibly, I have heard far better sound quality in material first recorded c. 1951.  This sounds like, maybe 1948 quality sound.  Absolutely awful.  Not true of the rest of the set, however, which is magnificent.

BTW, I am disappointed that no one except Neeme Jarvi has recorded the Sinfonietta in A, a much underrated work, as part of the set.  There is certainly room for it in the Gergiev set with a little re-arranging.

Agreed that #1 is awful. I do very much like #7 in Gergiev's set, and think #2 is pretty good as well.

The Sinfonietta, like the Divertissement, is a work that needs major-league championing. It's also been recorded by Alberto Zedda and the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne, though all three incarnations of this disc are oop:

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Classical-Symphony-Sinfonietta-Sarabande/dp/B000024ZKM/

[hautbois]

This!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-WS7YhsiFM

or perhaps, this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hQglagzHqI

Howard

[BorisG]

I like Gergiev a lot, have seen him in person dozens of times and have many of his recordings.  Yes, he can be maddeningly inconsistent, but when he is "on" he can be one of the best anywhere.  As donwyn mentioned, his opera recordings on Phillips are generally excellent: I'm a big fan of Prokofiev's Semyon Kotko thanks to Gergiev, and although I haven't heard the recording of War and Peace, I did hear him do it at the Met last month, and he was superb.

I also like that Nutcracker (with the fastest "Trepak" I have ever heard in my life), and his Stravinsky Firebird, coupled with a very fine Scriabin Prometheus with pianist Alexander Toradze.



--Bruce

Dozens of Gergiev concerts? Did you pay?

[Zhiliang]

This!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-WS7YhsiFM

or perhaps, this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hQglagzHqI

Howard

On a side note, if i want to get a single modern (great sound) version of Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, whose recording should i get?