The Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage was established in 2013. It includes musicians from the country’s leading ensembles, graduates of the metropolitan conservatories and prize-winners at international competitions. Principal Conductor of the Orchestra is Pavel Smelkov.
The repertoire of the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage includes works of Russian and foreign classics among which are compositions by Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Alexander Borodin, Modest Musorgsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, Richard Strauss, and other composers.
The Orchestra has taken part in many large-scale projects, such as the International Mariinsky Far East Festival, Vladivostok, the Moscow Easter Festival, the Far East Musical Express Festival, the Tchaikovsky – 175 Festival (May–June 2015), The “Tchaikovsky Marathon” Festival (at which during one evening musicians played all concertos for piano and orchestra by the great Russian composer), the Rachmaninoff Festival (all the composer’s concertos were performed within two evenings), the “Dmitri Shostakovich’s Fifteen Symphonies” Festival (all the composer’s symphonies were performed at nine concerts), the Prokofiev Marathon (five Prokofiev’s piano concertos were played in one evening). and the Beethoven Marathon (featuring all the composer’s instrumental concertos).
In the recent theatrical seasons, the Orchestra has held large-scale symphonic events: Beethoven – 250 concert cycle where all the symphonies by the composer were performed, and Scriabin – 150 concert cycle where all orchestral works by Alexander Scriabin were performed. The Orchestra has also performed all symphonies and concertos by Johannes Brahms and all symphonies by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Among leading Russian and foreign performers that have appeared with the Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage on various occasions are: conductors Valery Gergiev, Darrell Ang (Singapore), Yuta Shimizu and Shizuo Z Kuwahara (Japan), Nicolas Kruger (France), Christian Knapp (USA), Nikolaj Znaider (Denmark), Valentin Uryupin; pianists Denis Matsuev, Boris Berezovsky, Ekaterina Mechetina, Alexei Volodin, Sergei Redkin, Dmitry Masleev, Miroslav Kultyshev, Peter Laul, George Li (USA), Seong-Jin Cho (South Korea); violinists Leonidas Kavakos (Greece), Nigel Armstrong (USA), Pavel Milyukov, Sergei Dogadin; cellists Sergei Roldugin, Alexander Ramm, Alexander Knyazev; singers Hibla Gerzmava, Maria Guleghina, Sergey Leiferkus and many others.
The Mariinsky Orchestra of the Primorsky Stage performs both in Russian cities and abroad. Its most significant tours include performances at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, the Great Concert Hall of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory and the Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Brucknerhaus Hall (Linz, Austria), the Buryat Philharmonic Hall and the Buryat Opera and Ballet Theatre (Ulan-Ude). The Orchestra has participated in the tour of the Mariinsky Ballet Company in Guangzhou and Tianjin (the People’s Republic of China).
The Orchestra is actively involved in charitable and educational activities, regularly giving concerts in the Primorsky Krai, as well as performing in other Far Eastern cities of Russia. The Orchestra is giving free concerts at the Far Eastern Federal University and the House of Officers of Ussuriysk Garrison.
The Orchestra musicians regularly participate in chamber programmes, perform as soloists and give master-classes.
