The extensive Chinese tour of the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev has reached its triumphant ending. The performances of the acclaimed ensemble also featured the Chorus and Soloists of the Primorsky Stage Opera Company.
The Chorus of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre performed in two major symphonies by Gustav Mahler, a composer whose anniversary is celebrated this year. At the Shanghai Oriental Art Center, the ensemble performed the choral parts in Symphony No. 3 and Symphony No. 8, also known as the “Symphony of a Thousand” for its expanded orchestra and the combined performance of the chorus, soloists, and children’s chorus. The composer himself called it a “symphony of symphonies”. Here in Shanghai, the Mariinsky Orchestra set a record having performed all of Gustav Mahler’s symphonies in five days.
In Beijing, the Chorus of the Primorsky Stage once again performed Mahler’s Third Symphony and also took part in a concert performance of the crown jewel of Russian opera, The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky, another composer whose anniversary is celebrated this year. On the stage at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev was joined by soloists from the Bolshoi Theatre, the Mariinsky Theatre, and the Primorsky Stage.
The parts were performed by Oleg Dolgov, Irina Churilova, Anna Kiknadze, Zinaida Tsarenko, Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar, Pavel Yankovsky, and Primorsky Stage soloists Yevgeny Plekhanov, Alexei Kostyuk, Elena Glushenko, Alina Mikhailik, Ilya Astafurov, and Sergei Pleshivtsev.
Let us remind you that the grand Chinese tour of the Mariinsky Ballet Company and the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev took place from October 11 to October 27, 2025. The ballet program ran from October 11 to October 23, 2025 in Beijing, Nanjing, and Shanghai, and included Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Adam’s Le Corsaire. From October 12 to October 27, 2025, the vocal and symphonic part of the tour took place, conducted by Valery Gergiev; the performances were held in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Kunming, Changsha, and Xi'an.
