Italy cancels concert featuring pro-Putin conductor Gergiev
Photo: Italy refused to host Putin's friend (Getty Images)
Italian authorities have canceled a classical music concert scheduled for Sunday. The decision came following criticism over the participation of a Russian conductor who has been shunned in the West since Moscow invaded Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Valery Gergiev, known for his close ties to Vladimir Putin, was scheduled to perform on July 27 with an Italian orchestra and soloists from the St Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre, which he directs.
The Reggia di Caserta palace near Naples, where the event was to take place, published a brief statement announcing the cancellation without providing a reason.
Last week, the planned performance faced criticism from Italian politicians and international activists, including the wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who called for its cancellation.
The 72-year-old Gergiev, who also serves as director of Moscow's Bolshoi Theater, did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Controversial concert
The concert was part of a festival organized by the Campania region, which includes Naples. Regional leader Vincenzo De Luca defended the event, stating that artists should not be held accountable for the actions of their national governments.
De Luca, a critic of Israel's military campaign in Gaza, pointed to another festival concert conducted by Israeli conductor Daniel Oren as an example of efforts to maintain "channels of communication open even with those who do not think like us."
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said last week that Gergiev's concert risked "turn(ing) a high-level but objectively controversial and divisive musical event into a sounding board for Russian propaganda."
Putin's conductor
Valery Gergiev is a Russian conductor and music figure known for his open support of Vladimir Putin's policies, including Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. He held top positions in several prestigious music institutions around the world (such as in Munich and New York), from which he was later dismissed due to his political stance.
Gergiev has repeatedly performed in concerts organized in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
In 2022, after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Gergiev organized concerts in support of the war.
In May 2022, artists of the Mariinsky Theater under his direction gave performances in the temporarily occupied Donbas, including in Mariupol.
Gergiev has frequently used music as a tool of Russia's soft power, organizing performances in symbolically important locations for the Kremlin.
In 2016, he conducted in Palmyra (Syria) after it was captured by Russian and Syrian forces.
In June 2024, Canada imposed sanctions on Gergiev, calling him "an active supporter of the Putin regime."
