The air traffic conductor

Lucky old Cardiff: rumour has it that the Wales Millennium Centre has signed a deal with the great orchestral maestro Valery Gergiev, for him to visit annually with the Mariinsky opera and ballet. This October, the hot ticket will be Bryn Terfel joining the Russian company for a performance of Verdi's Requiem. The Diary is reminded of a vivid description given by a British musician of working in St Petersburg with the haggard-looking but dynamic - and uniquely powerful - conductor, who is known for his close links to Putin. The rehearsal was running hours late, the players were getting restive, the soprano soloist was due to be taking a flight out of the city and she hadn't sung a note. "Don't worry," Gergiev apparently growled. "I know a man in the airport control tower."