Valery Gergiev and Led Zeppelin share Polar Music Prize

OK. So it's a stretch. But Paavo and Gergiev are friends!

November 7, 2005, STOCKHOLM, Sweden (UPI) -- British rock icons Led Zeppelin and Russian conductor Valery Gergiev have won Sweden's prestigious Polar Music Prize.

The award dubbed the 'Nobel Prize for Music' will be presented by Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf during a ceremony in May, The Local reported Monday.

In announcing its decision, the Polar Music panel called Led Zeppelin 'one of the great pioneers of rock' and Gergiev was hailed for renewing 'our relationship with the grand tradition,' the newspaper said.

Led Zeppelin has sold more than 300 million albums worldwide and its 'Stairway to Heaven' frequently tops best song polls.

Although the Grammy Award-winning band split up after the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980, its members have been known to regroup for special occasions.

Gergiev, conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, is known for his love of melodrama and his tendency to grunt while conducting, the newspaper said.