Valery Gergiev is one of the world’s busiest conductors. Presently he’s involved in a whirlwind of concerts celebrating St. Petersburg’s 300th anniversary. But he hints at taking a vacation. “A vacation? Gergiev? The two seem mutually exclusive. But maybe there are other signs that, having reached the magic age of 50, as he did at the beginning of this month, he has been tempted to slow down, or at least to go less fast.”