Following a row with politicians and Kremlin critics, Italy’s Royal Palace of Caserta announced it had cancelled a concert by Russian musician Valery Gergiev, who has a vocal support for President Vladimir Putin.
The 18th-century palace near Naples’ concert on Sunday sparked a heated debate in Italy, was criticized by Ukraine, and Russia’s exiled opposition erupted in protest.
Gergiev’s position was fired from the Munich Philharmonic in March 2022 because he has not condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. He has since been detained by the West and has not performed in any European venues.
Days of uncertainty surrounding the concert came to an abrupt conclusion on Monday.
A statement from the Caserta Palace stating that the directorate of the Royal Palace of Caserta has mandated that the Symphony concert, which was scheduled for July 27 as part of the Un’Estate da Re festival, be canceled.
No official justification for the choice was provided.
The announcement was praised as “good news,” according to Yulia Navalnaya, the late Russian opposition leader’s widow.
No artist should be welcomed in Europe who supports the current Russian dictatorship, Navalnaya wrote on X.
The band’s representatives had launched a counterpromotion against the concert and said in a statement that “Putin’s pals should not be touring Europe like nothing happened.”
The 72-year-old maestro was not informed of the decision, according to Gergiev, who quoted him as saying, “I do not have this information.”
Scandalous circumstance
Before the Ukrainian invasion of 2022, Gergiev regularly performed in renowned Western theaters, including the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters in Russia.
Moscow’s ambassador to Italy referred to the cancellation as “scandalous situation” that was a part of Western politicians’ “policy of “cancelling” Russian culture, despite Kremlin critics who praised it.
Alexei Paramonov called it “sad” to see Italy “subordinate its cultural policy to the demands of Ukrainians and other immigrants” in a statement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page.
Alessandro Giuli, the minister of culture in Italy, had warned that the concert might turn into a propaganda event, and he claimed the cancellation was “common sense” and meant to “protect the values of the free world.”
Ukraine urged the concert’s organizers to cancel on Sunday, calling Gergiev “Putin’s mouthpiece” who should not be tolerated “as long as Russian forces continue to commit atrocities” in Ukraine.
One of the best orchestra leaders in the world, Gergiev is known for his success with Western opera houses’ epic symphonies of Russian classical music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, among others.
Source: Aljazeera
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