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The Principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra will lead a defiant performance from the shattered steps of the South Ossetian parliament tonight celebrating the defeat of Georgian forces at the hands of Russian troops.Valery Gergiev, an ethnic Ossetian who has been an outspoken critic of Georgia's action during the conflict, will conduct the Mariinsky Theatre of St Petersburg in a performance that is expected to feature Vladimir Putin, the Russian Prime Minister, as guest of honour.Mr Gergiev has close personal ties to Mr Putin - they are godfather to each others' children - and in May the Russian Prime Minister awarded the Order for Service to the conductor.The concert in the South Ossetian capital Tskhinvalii is expected to coincide with rallies demanding the recognition of South Ossetia as an independent state, a move confirmed today by the separatist leader Eduard Kokoity.The performance would be "a requiem for those who died at the hands of the aggressors, for those who sacrificed their lives defending their homeland from a treacherous attack by Georgia", a South Ossetian spokesman said.Mr Gergiev, feted as one the world's leading conductors, recently defended Russia's military response to Georgia's action in South Ossetia as the international community condemned it."The world should know what is happening. There were a thousand or more South Ossetians were killed at that time," he told the BBC last week. "The arrival of Russian troops saved maybe a thousand or more lives."He blamed the fighting on the actions of Georgia's president, Mikhail Saakashvilii. "The President of Georgia had no right to order his army to go and crush and use Grad missiles against peaceful civilians," he said, calling it "the mistake of his life"."You cannot imagine the scale of this tragedy," he added. He has also said that people in the West "don't understand who bombed Tskhinvali. The city was totally destroyed."In the aftermath of the Beslan school massacre in North Ossetia in 2004, Mr Gergiev appealed for peace and led emotional memorial concerts for the victims.Mr Gergiev describes Mr Putin as "my friend", and has praised him for bringing stability to Russia. Mr Putin's support has in turn helped bolster and raise funds for Mr Gergiev's Mariinsky Theatre, which recently opened a new £20 million, 1,100-seater concert hall.Mr Gergiev was born in Moscow to Ossetian parents and grew up in the town of Vladikavkaz in Russian North Ossetia. He was appointed Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre Opera Company in 1989, at the age of 35, and is principal guest conductor of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in addition to his post with the LSO. He was principal guest conductor of the Metropolitan Opera in New York,1997-2002.Kathryn McDowell, Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra commented: "We understand that Valery Gergiev feels passionately about the current situation in South Ossetia and Georgia and are aware that he has in the past created music as an ambassador for peace; we send our good wishes to him for a significant and successful concert." by Chris Smyth
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4579829.ece
As in the days of Noah...
As in the days of Noah...
