Valery Gergiev to lead Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

Russian musical maestro Valery Gergiev is set to become the chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in 2015. The Bavarian Ministry of Culture will confirm the appointment on Wednesday. Gergiev, who is both the artistic director of St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre and the principal conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy award in 2012 for his performance of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. He is credited with masterminding the £400m construction of the new Mariinsky Theatre, which is due to open in May and is said to be Europe’s largest performing arts space.