Latest news with #Bolshoi
Al-Ahram Weekly
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Italy cancels concert by pro-Putin conductor Gergiev - Music - Arts & Culture
Italy's Royal Palace of Caserta announced on Monday it had cancelled a concert by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev -- a vocal backer of President Vladimir Putin -- after an uproar from politicians and Kremlin critics. Related Management drops conductor Valery Gergiev over Putin ties The concert scheduled for Sunday in the 18th century palace near Naples caused a heated debate in Italy, was slammed by Ukraine and had led to calls for protests by Russia's exiled opposition. Gergiev has not condemned Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a stance for which he was fired from the Munich Philharmonic in March 2022. He has since been shunned by the West and has not played concerts in Europe. Days of uncertainty over the concert ended with the abrupt announcement. "The directorate of the Royal Palace of Caserta has ordered the cancellation of the symphony concert conducted by Valery Gergiev, scheduled as part of the Un'Estate da Re festival for July 27," said a Caserta palace statement. It gave no official reason for the decision. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, lauded the announcement as "good news." "No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcomed in Europe," Navalnaya said on X. "And if Gergiev loves the dictator and murderer so much, let him conduct personally for him," she added. Navalnaya's team had campaigned against the concert and said in a statement: "Putin's pals should not be touring Europe like nothing happened." Russia's state TASS news agency said the 72-year-old maestro was not informed of the decision, quoting Gergiev as saying: "I do not have this information." Gergiev -- who is believed to have personal ties with Putin -- is the director of Russia's Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres and before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine regularly played in leading Western theatres. - 'Common sense' - While Kremlin critics lauded the cancellation, Moscow's ambassador to Italy called it a "scandalous situation" that was part of Western politicians' "policy of 'cancelling' Russian culture". In a statement on the embassy's Facebook page, Paramonov said it was "sad" to watch Italy "subordinate its cultural policy to the demands of Ukrainians and other immigrants". Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli -- who had warned that the concert risked turning into a propaganda event -- said the cancellation was "common sense" and aimed at "protecting the values of the free world". Ukraine on Sunday urged organisers to drop the performance, calling Gergiev "Putin's mouthpiece" who should not be welcomed anywhere "as long as Russian forces continue to commit atrocities" in the country. Recognised as one of the world's leading orchestra leaders, Gergiev is known for conducting epic symphonies of Russian classical music by Piotr Tchaikovsky, amongst other successes in Western opera houses. For decades, he has been one of the most vocal supporters of Putin's rule. He famously played a 2016 concert in the ruins of Syria's Palmyra after its capture by Russian-backed Syrian forces. He also conducted a triumphant concert in Georgia's Tskhinvali region after a Russian invasion in 2008, close to a detention centre where Georgian civilians were being held. The conductor has stayed silent on the Ukraine invasion and mostly out of the public eye since 2022, but has played concerts in Asia. Russia's cultural figures have been divided since the Ukraine invasion -- with many supporting the Kremlin while others have gone into exile to denounce the military offensive. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
News18
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Concert in Italy by Russian conductor Gergiev cancelled after protests
Rome, Jul 21 (AP) A concert by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been cancelled, organisers in Italy announced Monday, following protests against giving the stage to the conductor who has been largely barred from European venues for failing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Gergiev had been invited to conduct during a summer festival at the Royal Palace of Caserta near Naples next Sunday. The regional governor, Vincenzo de Luca, had defended the invitation, saying that 'the logic of preclusion … does not help peace." The invitation had been widely criticised by human rights activists, Russian opposition figures and European parliamentarians. Gergiev, who is head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Russian state theatres, is considered close to President Vladimir Putin. Milan's La Scala was the first theatre in the West to cut off relations with Gergiev, who was engaged at the theatre when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, after he failed to respond to Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala's appeal to speak out against the war. (AP) GRS GRS Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
A concert in Italy by Russian conductor Gergiev is canceled after protests
ROME (AP) — A concert by Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been canceled, organizers in Italy announced Monday, following protests against giving the stage to the conductor who has been largely barred from European venues for failing to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Gergiev had been invited to conduct during a summer festival at the Royal Palace of Caserta near Naples next Sunday. The regional governor, Vincenzo de Luca, had defended the invitation, saying that 'the logic of preclusion … does not help peace.'' The invitation had been widely criticized by human rights activists, Russian opposition figures and European parliamentarians. Gergiev, who is head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Russian state theaters, is considered close to President Vladimir Putin. Milan's La Scala was the first theater in the West to cut off relations with Gergiev, who was engaged at the theater when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, after he failed to respond to Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala's appeal to speak out against the war.
EVN Report
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- EVN Report
Discovering the Soul of Yerevan Wine Days
Lebanese and Syrian Armenian hairdressers are not only shaping tastes in Armenia's dining scene but also redefining its beauty industry, blending global techniques with Middle Eastern hospitality to deliver premium service, creativity, and warmth in Yerevan's top salons. Read more In a quiet Yerevan garage, a multicultural family reimagines identity, space and cuisine. Hummus Kimchi fuses cultural heritage with urban renewal, offering a fresh look at community, creativity, and culinary storytelling in a post-Soviet cityscape. Read more Yerevan Ballet Fest returned to Tumanyan Park, transforming the heart of the city into an open-air stage. With performances by the Bolshoi, Mariinsky, and local companies, the week-long festival brought world-class ballet to thousands under the summer sky. Read more Amid a digital age, film photography finds new life in Yerevan. This personal journey through snowy streets, underground labs, and passionate communities reveals how analog photography reemerged through creativity, limitation and human connection. Read more
Scotsman
20-06-2025
- General
- Scotsman
Under cover of darkness, I stumbled into a cunning trap
You have to be careful where you put your feet these days It's been lurking there for a long time now, like one of those unexploded bits of WW2 ordinance that occasionally wash up on Fife's beaches. It's a utility cover on the pavement on my way home. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... As a trap to trip the unwary traveller, it's right up there with something nasty deployed in jungle warfare. It's brilliantly camouflaged. It's almost the same colour as the paving slabs around it, which makes it tricky to spot, even though those surroundings have slowly sunk, leaving it slightly proud of the surface. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In the dark it waits, like that Great White at the beginning of Jaws. Should an unwary foot, moving at speed and with resolute purpose, come down hard on this sneakily uneven pavement, the results are not good. I can tell you in some detail what happens next, because I was that unlucky victim. My left foot came down and suddenly found the wrong half of itself in midair. Instinctively, The body lurched hard to port, then savagely counterbalanced to starboard. The tendons, muscles and boney bits of the ankle all stretched and wrenched beyond the recommended user limits. Unbalanced, I flew forward, my right hand slammed into the ground and wham, my days with the Bolshoi ballet are over. You bet it hurt. The only saving grace was that it was just after midnight and no-one saw the full-body pavement plant. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Safe to say the language was salty. But I'm lucky. Despite hitting state pension age, my bones have been medically proven to be strong enough to take a hit like this. Other people aren't so fortunate. A fall like that breaks hips. After a moment, I got up and limped home, cursing most fulsomely. A few minutes later I was nursing a rapidly swelling ankle, a very strong gin and my rapidly rising wrath. Vengeance, I swore, would be mine. But vengeance against whom? Oh, it's all very well telling me I should tell the council. Why? As far as I can see, the council is actively turning our pavements into no-go areas for people who actually want to just walk. Down here in the Republic, we've had mayhem and hullabaloo as Great Junction Street has been ripped up and remodelled. A bold new vision of a 'liveable' neighbourhood is being created, which came as something of a surprise to us. We thought we were living here. In a neighbourhood. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Part of this brave new world involves a shiny new cycle way to encourage more people to ditch the motor and hit the saddle. Now, I have nothing against cyclists. In fact, I admire them. I couldn't do it. Too angry, y'see. I fear I could become a UChube sensation upon the uploading of dashcam footage featuring me hurling a second hand bike at a delivery van windscreen. But it's not just fear that stops people cycling. You need a level of fitness. Then there's the Lycra shorts, a challenge for any bits that wobble, which in my case is just about everything below chin level. I am delighted that cyclists are getting a reasonable ride, but in the meantime, pedestrians are being left lurching along Leith's lumpy pathways. If we really want to break the reliance on the car and encourage a fitter population, then let's fix those pavements and get people walking safely.
