Valery Gergiev and the Illustrious Mariinsky Orchestra Return to The Soraya for a Rare All-Stravinsky Program

Continuing its mission to bring the best of the world's symphonic orchestras to Los Angeles, the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts will present the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Grammy Award-winning Music Director Valery Gergiev on Thursday, October 25, 2018 at 8pm. Hailed as "Russia's musical crown Jewel" by The New York Times, the Orchestra will perform a complete Stravinsky program that includes the composer's most iconic works, including his scintillating prodigy piece, Fireworks, his strikingly original Symphony in C, and the rapturous ballet score that launched the young composer to international fame, The Firebird Suite. Young violinist Kristóf Baráti will join the orchestra for Violin Concerto in D Major.

Single tickets beginning at $49 are now available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.TheSoraya.org or call 818-677-3000. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330. Ticket prices subject to change.

"I first met Valery Gergiev in 1992 when I was on staff at the San Francisco Opera, and he made his debut conducting War and Peace," said The Soraya's Executive Director, Thor Steingraber. "I've experienced firsthand his unparalleled command. It's breathtaking. We're proud to bring him back to The Soraya with this rare all-Stravinsky program."

The Mariinsky Orchestra enjoys a long and distinguished history as one of the oldest musical institutions in Russia. Its history dates back to the first orchestra of the St Petersburg Imperial Opera Orchestra, covering a period of over two hundred years Housed in St. Petersburg's famed Mariinsky Theatre (1860), the Orchestra now performs also in its superb 21st century Concert Hall (2006) and its second opera house Mariinsky II (2013) built for Modern Stage technologies.

Following the orchestra's "golden age" in the second half of the 19th century under the musical direction of Eduard Napravnik, numerous internationally famed musicians have conducted the Orchestra, among them Hans von Bülow, Felix Mottl, Felix Weingartner, Alexander von Zemlinsky, Otto Nikisch, Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schoenberg, Willem Mengelberg, Otto Klemperer, Bruno Walter, and Erich Kleiber.

Renamed the "Kirov" during the Soviet era, the Orchestra continued to maintain its high artistic standards under the leadership of Yevgeny Mravinsky and Yuri Temirkanov. The leadership of Valery Gergiev and the success of the Orchestra's frequent tours hassled to the reputation of what one journalist referred to as "the world's first global orchestra" and has enabled the Theatre to forge important relationships for the Ballet and Opera to appear in the world's greatest opera houses and theatres, among them the Metropolitan Opera, the Kennedy Center, the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the San Francisco Opera, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Salzburg Festival and La Scala in Milan.

Since its US debut in 1992 the orchestra has made 18 tours of North America, including a 2006 celebration of the complete Shostakovich symphonies, a Cycle of Stage Works of Prokofiev in 2008 and marathon of all piano concertos with Daniil Trifonov, George Li, Alexander Toradze, Sergei Redkin, and Sergei Babayan in February 2016, major works of Hector Berlioz in February/March 2010, a Centennial Mahler Cycle in Carnegie Hall in October 2010, and in October 2011, the Mariinsky Orchestra opened Carnegie Hall's 120th season with a cycle of Tchaikovsky Symphonies which was also performed throughout the US and in Canada.

Maestro Gergiev established the Mariinsky Label in 2009 and has since released over 30 recordings to date receiving critical acclaim in Europe, Asia, and the United States.

Valery Gergiev's inspired leadership of the Mariinsky Theatre has brought universal acclaim to this legendary institution and has demonstrated his merit as one of Russia's most potent cultural figures. A recipient of numerous awards, Gergiev also serves as Principal Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic and the World Orchestra of Peace, Artistic Director of the Stars of the White Nights Festival and the Moscow Easter Festival, and Chair of the Organizational Committee of the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

Maestro Gergiev is a vivid representative of the St. Petersburg conducting school. His debut at the Mariinsky (then Kirov) Theatre came in 1978 with Prokofiev's War and Peace. In 1988 Valery Gergiev was appointed Music Director of the Mariinsky Theatre, and in 1996 he became its Artistic and General Director.

With his arrival at the helm, it became a tradition to hold major festivals, marking various anniversaries of composers. Through Gergiev's efforts, the Mariinsky Theatre has revived Wagner's operas. The Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev has scaled new heights, assimilating not just opera and ballet scores, but also an expansive symphony music repertoire.

Under Gergiev's direction the Mariinsky Theatre has become a major theatre and concert complex, without par anywhere in the world. In 2006 the Concert Hall was opened, followed in 2013 by the theatre's Second Stage (the Mariinsky-II), while since 1 January 2016 the Mariinsky Theatre has had a branch in Vladivostok - the Primorsky Stage. 2009 saw the launch of the Mariinsky label, which to date has released more than thirty discs that have received great acclaim from the critics and the public throughout the world.

Valery Gergiev's international activities are no less intensive. He successfully collaborates with the world's great opera houses and has led world-renowned orchestras, such as World Orchestra for Peace (which he has directed since 1997), the Philharmonic Orchestras of Berlin, Paris, Vienna, New York and Los Angeles, the Symphony Orchestras of Chicago, Cleveland, Boston and San Francisco, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Amsterdam) and many other ensembles. From 1995 to 2008 Valery Gergiev was Principal Conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic (of which he remains an honorary conductor to this day), and from 2007 to 2015 of the London Symphony Orchestra. Since autumn 2015 the maestro has headed the Munich Philharmonic.

Gergiev is the founder and director of prestigious international festivals including the Stars of the White Nights (since 1993) and the Moscow Easter Festival (since 2002), among many others. Since 2011 he has directed the organizational committee of the International Tchaikovsky Competition.

His musical and public activities have brought him acclaimed awards such as the Hero of Labour (2013), the Order of Alexander Nevsky (2016), the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence Arts and Culture Award (2017) and prestigious State awards of Armenia, Bulgaria, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, France and Japan.

One of the most important artists of his generation in Hungary, Kristóf Baráti performs regularly in his native country with all the major Hungarian orchestras, in recital and chamber music, and in 2014 he was awarded Hungary's highest cultural award, the Kossuth Prize, following in the footsteps of András Schiff, György Ligeti and Iván Fischer amongst others. Across the rest of the world Baráti is gaining recognition for the extraordinary quality of his musicianship. In the 2017/18 season, he made his debut with the LA Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl, with the Munich Philharmonic conducted by Valery Gergiev. Recent highlights include performances in Hungary and Russia with Nikolai Lugansky and in 2016 he made a sensational debut at the Verbier Festival performing the complete solo Sonatas and Partitas of Bach, with Medici filming the Sonatas.

The 2018-19 Season marks the eighth year the award-winning Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts which has quickly become one of the cultural jewels of the greater Los Angeles region. Under the leadership of Executive Director Thor Steingraber, The Soraya continues to expand its programming and outstanding multidisciplinary performances. The mission of The Soraya is to present a wide variety of performances that not only includes new and original work from the Los Angeles region but also work from around the world that appeal to all of LA's rich and diverse communities.

Located on the campus of California State University, Northridge, The Soraya's season offers a vibrant performance program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family, and international events that will serve to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley, and further establish itself as one of the top arts companies in Southern California. The award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers and was recently cited by the Los Angeles Times as "a growing hub for live music, dance, drama and other cultural events."