The director of Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre, Valery Gergiev, is also put in charge of the Bolshoi

Published December 1, 2023 8:05 AM

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian government has named the renowned director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg to also lead Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. Valery Gergiev is replacing Vladimir Urin at the Bolshoi. Urin announced Thursday that he was stepping down after a decade but didn’t give a reason. Some Russian media said the departure of 76-year-old Urin was related to health issues. Others speculated it was linked to a letter calling for an end to Moscow’s military action in Ukraine that he and some other prominent cultural figures signed after the Kremlin sent troops across the border in February 2022. Gergiev has been a strong supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Article Topic Follows: AP-National

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