Photo credit: Mariinsky Theater Press Service
Maestro Valery Gergiev performed a charity concert at the Italian embassy, TASS reported. The funds raised as part of the action will be transferred to restore Venice, which suffered from severe flooding. The concert officially launched a fundraising campaign to help the Italian city.
The Italian ambassador in Russia Pasquale Terracciano thanked the artistic director of the Mariinsky Theater. According to him, the maestro immediately responded to his proposal. The famous conductor became the first world famous person who supported the idea of helping one of the capitals of world culture. The diplomat recalled that Venice suffered enormous damage. The current flood has become the largest in the past half century.
The maestro personally contacted the management of the largest Russian companies, and they managed to collect more than a million euros in one day.
The Italian ambassador noted that the Russians once again proved their generosity at a time when Venice, which always served as a special bridge to strengthen ties between Russia and Italy, was going through difficult times.
Gergiev himself admitted that he was very upset by the news of the state of emergency in the ancient Italian city. He recalled that he had been to Italy more than once, performed in Venice, and loved this city very much. Therefore, according to him, he immediately wanted to help. The musician expressed the hope that the funds raised would be useful for the common cause and the whole world would follow the example of Russia.
The charity concert was attended by such performers as Yulia Matochkina and Sergey Skorokhodov. After the concert, Gergiev immediately left for a big tour in Guangzhou (China).
Russkiy Mir
