Putin turns today to Valery Gergiev Newsnorman lebrecht May 01, 2023Some time today, Russia’s most powerful musician will take a call from the Kremlin. Valery Gergiev turns 70 on May 2 and Vladimir Putin never forgets a birthday. The pair have been close since 1992 when KGM man Putin was deputy mayor of St Petersburg and Gergiev, penniless head of the Mariinsky Theatre, was in desperate need of a friend in power. Putin knows that Gergiev will never refuse a request, whether it’s to rescue the Tchaikovsky Competition or celebrate his military adventures in Chechnya, Syria and Ukraine. But Gergiev has made his choices and, at 70, he must now live with the consequences.

Source: The Guardian May 01, 2023 10:05 UTC