starting from glinka, the russian composure, he's famous all over the world, and then not only tchaikovskyut other famous composures also. >> rose: you ever transformed the mariinsky. you have, i think, given it a stature around the world because it's not just a conductor, it's more. it's representing an institution that you've built. >> first of all, the institution was hugely respected and was born first as a company in 1783. by the way, always there was a great one who changed everything. katherine th -- catherine the gt transformed the world's understanding of beauty because peter the great, the founder of the city, and then catherine the great, as a person who enlarged and brought even more power to this colossal city but also an exceptionally beautiful city, st. petersburg. so can you imagine in a short distance of 70, 75 years, maximum 80 years, from nothing, this city became one of the most beautiful, most powerful, one of the grandest, most accomplished. it looked and does feel like a wonderful ensemble. we artists and musicians try to achieve the many different elements but none

he -- this belonged to tchaikovsky. this is the way of diplomatic gifts. they give portraits as diplomatic gifts. charlie: the queen and king. prince phillip. mikhail: the queen of the netherlands. friends of hermitage. charlie: and there's the clock that tells us it's noon in moscow. mikhail: and there's a cannon. charlie: a canon that goes off at -- a cannon goes off at noon. may i take this? this is your father. mikhail: yes, my father worked 26 his life in hermitage, years as direct york but all his life, 70 years, from young student to direct yomple he was an archaeologist. great archaeologist. charlie: but your expertise is arab and islamic art. mikhail: it is. charlie: and you took over from him at his death. mikhail: yes it was in 1991, he died. in 1992 i became director. i was appointed director of hermitage. charlie: there's a remarkable similarity between the two of you. mikhail: he was very tall a bit taller than you. my mother wasn't. charlie: what was the legacy that he left you? mikhail: the legacy was the first one the scholarship is the ma

the clove belonged to tchaikovsky. this belonged to our founder and his tapestry. these are diplomatic gifts they gave. this is the queen of netherlands. >> rose: monaco. these are friends of hermitage. it has a lot of friends. >> rose: this clock tells us it's noon in st. petersburg. >> and the cannon. >> rose: wow. and here is -- may i take this? >> yeah, sure. >> rose: this was your father's? >> yes, my father worked all his life in hermitage, 26 years as director, and from a young man to the director. he was a great archeologist. >> rose: but your expertise was arab and islamic art. >> it is, and ancient history. >> rose: and you took over for him at his death? >> at his death, yes, it was in 1991, he died. in 1992, i was appointed director of hermitage. >> rose: there is a remarkable similar later between the two of you. >> not exactly. he was very tall. he was a little bit taller than you. my mother wasn't. >> rose: what was the legacy he left you? >> well, the legacy was the first one, the scholarship is the main thing for the museum. it was a tradition of t