Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been barred from European stages since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A close ally of Vladimir Putin, Gergiev has never spoken out against the war. However, a region of southern Italy has invited Gergiev back to Europe, signaling his rehabilitation despite Russia’s intensifying attacks on Ukraine.
Vincenzo de Luca, the leader of the Campania region, insists that the concert will go ahead, arguing that culture should not be influenced by politics. But Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, has condemned the move, calling Gergiev a “cultural mouthpiece for Putin and his crimes.”
Gergiev was a regular visitor to European stages before the war, but his invitations stopped abruptly after he refused to speak out against the war. He was dropped from concert schedules and fired as chief conductor in Munich. The invitation from Italy is controversial, with some arguing that it is wrong and dangerous to allow Gergiev to perform.
Gergiev has been a vocal supporter of Putin since the 1990s and has avoided voicing open support for the war. However, he has been handed management of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and has been accused of using donations to a charitable fund to pay for his own lavish lifestyle.
The European Union has shied away from formal sanctions against Gergiev, but Canada has formally barred him from entry and declared it would freeze any assets. The European Commission has urged European stages not to give space to artists who support the war of aggression in Ukraine. Despite the controversy, the artistic director of the Un’Estate da RE festival is confident that Gergiev’s performance will go ahead.
Source link
