Wednesday, May 28, 9-10 pm ET
An exclusive look at conductor Valery Gergiev, artistic and general director of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and principal conductor of the London Symphony.

Valery Gergiev is widely acclaimed as one of the leading conductors of our time. Currently artistic and general director of the Mariinsky Theater and principal conductor of the London Symphony, he also holds posts at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, in addition to being founder and artistic director of Stars of the White Nights Festival and the Moscow Easter Festival. "Maestro" offers viewers an exclusive look at Gergiev on the go: the film moves back and forth between rehearsal and performance sequences and the maestro's demanding life as administrator of the enormous Mariinsky in St. Petersburg, along with an almost impossible conducting schedule that takes him to London, New York and other major capitals around the world. "Maestro" also captures Gergiev's devoted collaboration with musicians. He speaks candidly about his carefully planned yet spontaneous rehearsal strategies, his activity in organizing international support for his musicians and his music, and his close associations with high-powered figures in Russia. It is an intimate portrait of a true classical music dynamo, allowing viewers to know and understand Gergiev the man, in order to more intensely enjoy the brilliance of Gergiev the artist.