Waiting in Russia

Driving to the airport yesterday I listened to WBBM radio which, at the time, was broadcasting ‘60 minutes.’ I heard the wonderful story of Valery Gergiev, who is possibly the most audience pleasing conductor since Leonard Bernstein.

It’s not his virtues as a conductor that bring him to mind now. Gergiev is a bit off-center. He often neglects to shave, he is a morose guy in a Russian sort of way (“dad died young, so too will he” – is the mindset, one that I completely understand, even though my dad is still kicking… it’s just a Russian/Eastern European way of looking at things), he drinks vodka at inopportune times (before a concert), and he almost always shows up late for rehearsals. Because he is possibly one of the finest conductors alive, he works his orchestra hard and so rehearsals often continue past the hour of the performance itself. The guests wait outside, sometimes as much as an hour, before they are finally allowed to enter the concert hall.

This performance style does not play well in NY. Gergiev is so beloved that he now holds the position of opening night conductor at the Met. But the rules have been clearly stated: you want to do this, you show up on time, sober and clean-shaven. I think he manages all but the clean-shaven.
What really tugs at me in this story is the willingness of the Russian people to wait, knowing that what they will hear is worth waiting for.

I understand that NY is different. People there (here?) live by a clock that is forever setting the mood, the expectations, the permissible transgressions. Gergiev was told that in NY he could not be the person he is in St Petersburg or elsewhere in Russia.

Fine. But I am, on this one, with the people of St Petersburg. One waits for so much of the irrelevant in life – to have one’s teeth cleaned, to pay for the groceries, to pick up a bagel for lunch. Why not wait for something great, thrilling, genius-driven? We, on this side of the ocean, demand adherence to our standards in the concert hall in the same way that we demand conformity to our way of thinking elsewhere. I can’t comment on the larger issues now, but at least in music, wouldn’t it be fantastic just to let our senses rather than our clocks take charge?