Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev Festival

Sixteen years Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev festival in a nutshell

When Valery Gergiev became Principal Conductor in 1995 he and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra decided to hold an ambitious multi-day musical event. One year later, they presented the Rotterdam Philharmonic Gergiev Festival for the first time.

The early years

What began in 1996 as a themed concert series grew into a large-scale music festival. The 2001 edition was a major milestone, because it adopted a multi-disciplinary format to spotlight Shostakovich and his War Symphonies. In 2003 the Festival chose a ‘difficult composer’ in Prokofiev, but thanks to the wide range of programmes it managed to attract a record number of visitors. Further successes were achieved in the festival featuring Tchaikovsky (2004) and the edition entitled Fin-de-siècle Icons (2005) with music including works by Wagner and Strauss.

The second decade

In 2006 the Festival entered its second decade, with Freedom as its motto. There was now no focus on a particular composer or musical period, but a theme that gives every opportunity to take to the streets. That course was pursued in the editions Night of Love (2007), Heaven and Earth (2008) and Eternal Youth (2009). With Resurrection – a Story of Rotterdam (2010) the festival attained the next level: rooted in the city itself, it offered a cosmopolitan programming with artistes of international standing.

Gergiev Festival 2011

With ‘Sea & the City’ as its theme, the 16th festival takes place on the boundary between land and water. As well as opera and symphonic music, it includes a children’s programme, the happening C the City and a series of musical pearls with artistes of world renown. Valery Gergiev conducts three concerts, including the Dutch première of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Sadko. Special guests are Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist Alexandre Tharaud and fado legends Beatriz da Conceição, Raquel Tavares, Ana Sofia Varela and Maria da Fé.