St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra is one of Russia's oldest cultural institutions. From its foundation in the time of Peter the Great until the Russian Revolution it was known under the name of the Russian Imperial Opera Orchestra. Since 1988 the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra has been led by the charismatic conductor Valery Gergiev, who was appointed its artistic and managing director in 1996. The collaboration with Gergiev soon led to the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra's becoming one of the world's leading orchestras and winning the hearts of audiences in musical capitals around the globe.

Conductor: Valerij Gergijev