Polar Music Prize to Led Zeppelin and Russia's Valery Gergiev

May 22, 2006, 15:25 GMT

Stockholm - Surviving members of pioneering British rock group Led Zeppelin and Russian conductor Valery Gergiev accepted the Polar Music Prize 2006 on Monday for their contributions to music.

The jury cited Led Zeppelin for 'their playful and experimental music combined with highly eclectic elements has two essential themes: mysticism and primal energy.'

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the awards, each worth 1 million kronor (126,000 dollars), at the Stockholm Concert Hall that is also venue for the annual Nobel Prize award ceremony.

Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and John Bonham started to play together in 1968. They disbanded in 1980, after the death of John Bonham with nine studio albums, one film, 26 tours and over 200 million albums to their credit.

Moscow-born Gergiev has since 1996 been Artistic and General Director of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, and has worked with many leading orchestras in Europe and the United States.

The Polar Music Prize was created in 1989 by the late Stig 'Stikkan' Andersson, former manager of Swedish super group ABBA.

Sir Paul McCartney was the first winner in 1992 when he shared the honour with the Baltic states, who had recently gained independence from the Soviet Union.

The 2005 prize was shared by German classical baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Brazilian composer and musician Gilberto Gil.

Former winners include blues legend B.B. King, Dizzy Gillespie, Witold Lutoslawski, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Quincy Jones, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Sir Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Pierre Boulez, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Ravi Shankar, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Isaac Stern, Burt Bacharach, Robert Moog, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Miriam Makeba and Keith Jarrett.