"When the muses sound, the guns are silent — unfortunately, sometimes the opposite happens"

The traditional New Year's Eve ticket hunt for the ballet "The Nutcracker" at the Bolshoi Theater has begun in the capital. This year, as in the past, the directorate will resort to an auction, which will help the theater create new performances, according to its head, the world-famous conductor Valery Gergiev. In an interview with Izvestia, the People's Artist spoke about the objectives of the Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize, the Tchaikovsky monument in St. Petersburg and plans for the 250th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theater.

"All the money earned goes to the box office of the Bolshoi Theater"

— Since December 2, sales for the ballet "The Nutcracker" have started in Moscow, a performance that is so difficult to get to. Every year it causes sensations and even scandals. How worried are you about the ticket situation?

— She bothered me, like everyone else, two years ago. Back then, it pleased only speculators.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Pavel Volkov

— Do you think the auction sale model is a fair way to distribute scarce seats or a necessary measure to support the theater?

— Who do you think we should support: speculators or Russian citizens? Citizens'. And what about the fact that paintings are bought at auctions at huge prices? The very fact of the auction does not violate anything. The auction helps the Bolshoi Theatre create new productions. In 2024, ticket sales doubled — not only because of the theater's work, although there was more than before. All earned funds go to the box office of the Bolshoi Theater.

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"We must not forget that before Tolstoy there were Shakespeare and Goethe"

— Another important event awaits us soon — the solemn ceremony of awarding the laureates of the International Tolstoy Peace Prize, of which you are the chairman of the jury. What, in your opinion, is most significant in the objectives of this award — and what role should artists play in it?

— I don't think that I will seem strange or exaggerating to anyone. Art, especially music, as a language that does not require translation, unites the world rather than divides it. Art values the ability not only to listen, but also to hear each other. This is exactly what is urgently needed today by the whole world, in which we continue to live with an increasing sense of anxiety, especially for the future of our children and grandchildren.

Photo: TASS/Mikhail Metzel

Masters of art have a special mission — to serve national symbols, the most sacred to us. These are Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich. We have a special role, and these are not big words. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was once that legendary, recognized musician during his lifetime, who was invited to discover a new symbol of America, a new symbol of New York. In 1891, he opened Carnegie Hall, one of the most famous halls in the world. It was a free choice of our partners overseas: they chose the best, and it adorns them. We try to follow this mission to the best of our abilities, sometimes modest ones. When the muses sound, the guns are silent. Unfortunately, sometimes the opposite happens. But the muses cannot always remain silent: they remind the world of the words of one of our geniuses — "Beauty will save the world." If beauty proves powerless, we really should worry about the fate of the world.

Reproduction of the portrait of the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Photo: RIA Novosti

Europe also loves its brilliant creators — Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Wagner, Berlioz. I could continue this list indefinitely, I will limit myself to the XVIII–XIX centuries. There are many such names in Russia, Europe, America, and Asia. These are the landmarks that help humanity to preserve itself. We admire the genius of Mozart, the creator of incredible beauty and spiritual wealth, as well as the best musicians that Russia has given to the world. And there are many of them. We must not forget that before Tolstoy there were Shakespeare, Goethe, the most ancient thinkers of China, the creators of the cultures of the Incas, Aztecs, Scythians, ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt. Therefore, our role is to maintain the height of professional reference points.

— Why are the activities of the presidents of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan recognized as the most significant in the context of Leo Tolstoy's humanistic ideas?

— You put the question quite harshly. There are dozens of leaders in the world's regions. But the award was created in Russia. Tolstoy is a great Russian writer, philosopher, and thinker, and we cannot help but be interested in what is happening near our borders.

Photo: TASS/Mikhail Metzel

We are sincerely relieved to see how the leaders of neighboring countries are doing everything possible to maintain peace and good neighborliness with each other, with Russia and other states. But we are talking about a region located in close proximity to territories that were on fire 50, 40, and 30 years ago, and where the situation is still unstable, be it Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, or Iran. The role of these three leaders is to maintain peace and respectful relations, and to do everything to ensure that no new armed conflict breaks out, either in their countries or on their borders.

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"We are going to erect a monument to Pyotr Ilyich on the Theater Square"

— You have said more than once that now is a particularly favorable time for the development of Russian culture. What real fruits has it brought in recent years? After all, relatively speaking, in cinema, literature or popular music — in the opinion of many — there has been nothing bright for a long time. Maybe the musical theater is an exception?

— I do not agree that nothing bright happens in the theater or literature. We have writers, directors, and a lot of talent, including among the youth. For example, within the framework of the Easter Festival, two collectives — the Bolshoi Theater and the Mariinsky — performed concerts by combined orchestras. The idea to combine them came to me back in 2024. We performed in Pskov, Tver, Smolensk, Votkinsk, and Udmurtia — cities that gave the world the greatest musicians: Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rachmaninov, and Mussorgsky.

Director General of the Bolshoi Theatre, conductor Valery Gergiev

Photo: RIA Novosti/Kirill Kallinikov

I am fascinated by how, back in tsarist Russia, a monument to Glinka was erected in Smolensk — in the very center of the city. On a huge pedestal there is a figure of the composer and a laconic inscription: "Glinka — Russia". Just two words — and they explain our attitude to our own past. If such a monument appears in Tchaikovsky's homeland, it will be natural. We are going to erect a monument to Pyotr Ilyich on Theater Square, where he studied and where the premieres of his ballets and operas — "The Nutcracker", "The Queen of Spades" took place. There is still no real monument to Tchaikovsky in St. Petersburg, nor a hall named after him. And it is our responsibility not to pass it on to the descendants.

— In September, you were just holding a charity event to raise funds for a monument and a concert hall.

— Ironically, today is the second such evening. There will be a couple more in both the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky. Both theaters have their historical responsibilities to the authors who created their reputations. Both have numerous friends all over Russia and the world.

We have branches not only in Vladivostok, but also in Vladikavkaz; we can already work there in five restored buildings, and without government support. Of course, you can turn to regional and federal authorities for help, but both Mariinsky and Bolshoi consider it natural to rely primarily on their own resources and the support of friends.

Photo: Bolshoi Theatre Press Service

Branches of the Bolshoi will soon appear in Kemerovo and Kaliningrad. Recently, we presented the most important premiere — "Dead Souls" by Gogol. And we don't need to ask permission: the spirit of great composers, writers, and poets lives in our work. We have "Ruslan and Lyudmila", "Eugene Onegin", "The Queen of Spades", "Anna Karenina", "War and Peace" — and the list is endless. My task is to ensure that the processes do not freeze, but gain momentum.

— Is it possible to expect that a monument to Tchaikovsky will appear next year?

— We will act as decisively as possible. We will raise the necessary funds, and not only the monument will appear, but also the Tchaikovsky Hall. A new one will be created next to the square — if you want, its "younger brother". We will take care of its landscaping.

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— The 250th anniversary of the Bolshoi Theatre is a good reason to think about expansion. The Mariinsky Theater can host about six thousand spectators at a time, which is not something a large one can boast of. Are there any specific plans for reconstruction?

— In the coming weeks, I will have a conversation about how we approach the 250th anniversary of the Bolshoi, and what both theaters can do to spread our rich heritage and attract young talents.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Anna Selina

The collaboration between the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky has already enriched culture over the past two years, especially over the past year and a half. Tchaikovsky's great opera "The Queen of Spades" returns to the stage. It is no longer so important whose production it is — the Mariinsky or the Bolshoi. Moscow has seen about 40 productions in a year and a half: operas, ballets, festival programs, premieres. The ballets "Firebird", "Petrushka", "Sacred Spring", "Wedding" and other works were shown.