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On Tuesday evening (1 March), La Scala's Intendant Dominique Meyer wrote a letter to Valery Gergiev informing him that La Scala will now hand over to a new conductor the performances of Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades that recommence on Saturday 5 March.
On the morning of 24 February, following the night-time invasion of Ukrainian territory by the Russian army, Meyer (in agreement with the Mayor of Milan, Beppe Sala, who is also President of the La Scala Foundation) wrote a letter to the Maestro inviting him to express his support for the peaceful resolution of disputes, in line with the provisions of the Italian Constitution. Having received no reply six days later, and with only three days before the next performance, the theatre has been obliged to find a substitute.
The remaining performances of The Queen of Spades will be conducted by Timur Zangiev, who conducted many of the rehearsals before Gergiev arrived for the dress rehearsal and opening night, and is respected by the orchestra. Zangiev is a conductor at the Stanislavsky Opera and Ballet Theatre, and a guest conductor at the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres. He was born in Moscow in 1994 and started his training to be a conductor at a musical school affiliated with the Valery Gergiev Arts College in Vladikavkaz. It was there that he first conducted an orchestra when he was just seven.
La Scala has reiterated its support for “the Ukrainian citizens who are victims of the aggression and for the many Russian citizens who have courageously expressed their condemnation of the war in recent days.”
The Theatre added, “Our theatre will always remain a place for discussion and debate between different traditions and cultures.”
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
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I don’t think that politics, music and arts go together. Everything is connected to Public Relations. Gergiev and Netrebko may be good friends, if at all, with Putin. This fact does not make them lesser artists ! Who, the hell, thinks that by condemning the Russian Invasion by those artists, Putin will change his attitude and behaviour and retreat his forces from Ukraine ? I find this very childish behaviour. In WWII the Ukrainians received Hitler and his army with opened arms ! Today, they pretend to be victims, but they carry their past sins. About 81 years ago they proudly assassinated Jews, including children, Gypsies and gay people. Did the world move a finger in the victims favor ????? NO ! So, why to pity them today ? TO EACH HIS OWN ! Let artists continue their careers ! Von Karajan, Boehm, Orff, Rachmaninov, etc., were declared NAZZI ! And which of them was stopped or prevented to work ? Herr von Karajan, proudly conducted at la Scala !!!!!! PLEASE, leave the HYPOCRISY out and let the art IN !
Nowadays all people, especially these famous ones, have to clearly state, whether they support Putin or not. Putin – who is responsible for this war and thousands of innocent victims. This makes them members of our civilization or not. Are not they guilty of what Russian troops do in Ukraine? Ok. But what is the guilt of 7 years old Elena, in Kiev, who died yesterday? Sanction must hit all Russians to change their mind. And as a result they must change their government.
I think you’re missing the point of why opera houses and institutions are dropping Putin-affiliated artists. The reason they are is to show solidarity with the Ukrainian people. That we stand with them. Media is exceptionally powerful in creating a feeling of ‘togetherness’. It is as powerful (or more powerful) as art in instilling certain group feelings. I agree with you that politics isn’t changed by art, but art creates awareness at least, which is very positive in progress. Can you see this side of things?
You are sadly misguided. These are different times and wrong is wrong whenever and wherever it occurs. It was wrong back then and is wrong now. These so called artists have a moral obligation as well as artistic. Putin is evil. Hitler was evil. There is no room for comprimise.
To Mickey.
Your comment is so misguided I don’t even know where to begin.
1 – The sanctions weren’t imposed because Gergiev and Netrebko are personal friends with Putin, the sanctions were imposed because the two of them publicly support Putin’s politics. Perhaps you should watch / read other news as well, not just culture news. Nobody believes that arts sanctions alone are going to make Putin retreat. There are economic sanctions as well.
2 – No, the Ukrainians don’t PRETEND to be victims, they ARE victims. I find it outrageous you care so much about a few gigs of an overbooked and under-rehearsed conductor with a personal fortune of 150 millions EUR in Milan alone, but don’t care about hundreds of people dying in the Ukraine every day, and a million leaving their bombed homes. Tell that little girl, aged 6 who died yesterday of shelling, that she isn’t a victim, she just imagines to be a victim.
3 – Let bygones be bygones. What happened eighty years ago is dead and buried, literally. “They carry their past sins.” I am speechless. Are you for real? Do you propose eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, AFTER 80 YEARS? If so we’ll never break this curse.
4 – “So, why to pity them today ?” Um, because we have compassion and don’t like children, women, men, to die like flies? Not everyone can be as hardboiled and vindictive as you.
5 – Learn your history. Von Karajan was allowed to conduct at La Scala first in 1954 and in Vienna in 1958. The war ended in 1945-46 in case you don’t remember.
6 – Learn to spell the N* word if you’re going to use it.
7 – I wish the arts community would extract their head out of whatever confined place it’s kept at the moment. Arts won’t die if Russian artists don’t perform in the West for a short while. Arts won’t die if Western artists won’t perform in Russia for a short while. Russian artists weren’t allowed to come to the West for almost 40 years, and nothing bad happened. Arts flourished in the West without Russian help, arts flourished in Russia without Western help. What DID happen however in that period was that the world almost blew itself to the smithereens and an estimated total of 70-80 millions people died, most of them a violent death.
8 – Let’s stop being naive. In times of war, culture is political, and sometimes not just in times of war. Speaking of hypocrisy, why do you think that authoritarian regimes are often the biggest spenders on culture? Or don’t you think?
9 – Reality check for you: Read in the news about macron’s interview with Putin.
I am sorry to be so blunt but these are blunt times.
Excellent comments. Thank you.
I do not intend to answer to the different people that expressed their opinions to mine. That’s what I think – and this is my RIGHT to think so. Each one has and knows his truth. I won’t permit to be patronized by people who have no idea what happens in Eastern Europe, while they live in the western side of the continent.
To Micky.
I had no intention of replying to your non-reply either but, like you, I somehow found myself commenting again…
I will say only as much:
1 – It is interesting you feel people who disagree with you are “patronizing” you, and denying you freedom of thought. No one is denying you anything. You are allowed to comment, as are all of us. No censure. Disagreement isn’t synonym to patronizing.
2 – So you are living in Eastern Europe (Russia)? I though as much. But, you know, one does not have to live in Eastern Europe to be aware of what’s going on there. There are history books. There are news channels in the West. Uncensored news channels. Also, the West and the East weren’t separated in the last 30 years, people traveled, people may have friends or relatives on the “other” side.
3 – I disagree with your “Each one has and knows his truth.” Everyone has a right to personal opinion, but not the right to personal truth. The truth is only one, this is why it is called truth.