The Mariinsky Invasion
Like a mighty caravan heavily laden with artistic gold, the Mariinsky Theater journeyed half the globe in October, 2006, to transport the largest, and what turned out to be the longest, festival program in its international history, to the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Orange County, CA
It appears these days that Valery Gergiev, the Mariinsky’s tireless general and artistic director, never seems to miss an opportunity to show off his Kirov Company (as it is known outside its home base, St. Petersburg, Russia,) in any venue that can financially afford to mount it.
What made the Orange County proposal for a Mariinsky festival so attractive to Gergiev was the almost unlimited funds stashed away in the Henry Segerstrom Fund that could easily pay for the company to bring its entire artistic output – opera, orchestra and ballet – to the many enthusiastic Kirov fans who have professed an undying allegiance to the company over the years.
