Izvestia: “The government to support musicians”
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has recently been interested in the problems of Russian theatres. Quite recently, he took a most active part in the destiny of St Petersburg's Georgy Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre. The famous Mariinsky Theatre is next on the list. Yesterday, Putin met with its Art Director, Valery Gergiyev, to discuss its protracted reconstruction and support the young performers.
"Support for musical pursuits will remain one of our priorities in the field of culture," Putin said to his guest and promised: "This year, the government will allocate 6.4 billion roubles to the support of musicians."
The prime minister paid particular attention to young performers, who will receive new government support through grants.
"Out of more than 4 billion roubles appropriated for grants, half will be channeled into supporting the creative endeavour of young people in choreographic and music schools," Putin told Gergiyev and promised him to allocate funds for guest performances "so that people living in remote parts of Russia do not feel isolated from the country's general cultural space."
Meanwhile, Russia's best theatres and orchestras have big problems with their deteriorating premises.
"Russia is probably the greatest musical power. We have not lagged behind any other countries in music for centuries, but big Russian cities must have an opportunity to feel proud about great modern halls," Gergiyev hinted yesterday in his conversation with Putin.
The Mariinsky Theatre needs a second stage. The question seems to have been decided. Officials have reported that 8 billion roubles have already been spent to this end. The problem is that the design suggested by Canadian architects has not yet been approved. The sum required to complete the construction has not been endorsed, either. Right now, an additional 9.5 billion roubles are required. However, there has been no progress in construction since 2008. It seems that the Mariinsky Theatre will not do without Putin's intercession.
Anastasia Savinykh
