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CBS News
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev's gig at Italian palace canceled amid outcry over support for Putin
Rome — A classical music concert in Italy has been cancelled suddenly following a public backlash over the Russian conductor's support for President Valdimir Putin. Russian maestro Valery Gergiev had been scheduled to lead an ensemble of Italian musicians and soloists from St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre — where he's the artistic director — on July 27 at the Reggia di Caserta, an opulent 18th-century palace near Naples. Italy's national news agency ANSA said the venue had canceled the concert, offering no explanation. A representative at the Reggia di Caserta confirmed the cancelation to CBS News over the phone. The move came after criticism from Italian lawmakers, human rights advocates and Russian political dissidents. Among the most vocal opponents to Italy welcoming Gergiev was Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. She condemned Gergiev's public support for the Kremlin and accused the conductor of using his platform to legitimize Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. In a message posted on social media, Navalnaya called news of the cancelation, "not joyful, but good." "No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcomed in Europe. It is precisely thanks to regime loyalists like Gergiev that Putin tries to promote his image as a 'respectable person' in the West," she said. "It's a small step, but great victories are built from such small steps." Gergiev, once lauded in the West as the "Wild Man of Music," has become a contentious figure in recent years, particularly in Europe, where a range of institutions have sought to distance themselves from artists aligned with the Russian government. Gergiev's refusal to denounce Russia's invasion of Ukraine has cost him engagements at other top-tier venues, including New York's Carnegie Hall and Germany's Munich Philharmonic, where he previously served as chief conductor. The cancellation drew sharp criticism from the Russian Foreign Ministry, which on Wednesday accused Italy of cultural censorship and claimed the move was the result of Ukrainian pressure. "We strongly condemn such discriminatory attempts at 'cancel culture,' carried out by the Italian authorities," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a statement, accusing Italy of caving to pressure from Ukraine. Italian officials did not immediately comment publicly on the cancellation.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Italian concert by Putin-linked Russian conductor called off after outcry
A concert in Italy by a top Russian conductor with close ties to Vladimir Putin has been cancelled after a widespread outcry. Valery Gergiev, who has repeatedly expressed support for the Russian president, had been scheduled to lead a local orchestra at a music festival on 27 July at Reggia di Caserta, a former Bourbon palace close to Naples. But the management of the Unesco world heritage site said in a brief statement on Monday that his performance had been cancelled. Gergiev's appearance, which would have been his first in Europe since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, had been strongly endorsed by Vincenzo De Luca, the leftwing president of the Campania region. The regional authorities organise and fund the Un'Estate da Re festival – billed as a highlight of the summer season in southern Italy. The cancellation came after more than 16,000 people, including Nobel laureates, Italian and international politicians and activists, signed a letter addressed to De Luca and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for Gergiev's appearance not to go ahead. Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny who died in an Arctic prison last year, wrote in an op-ed published by La Repubblica last week that Gergiev's performance would be 'a gift to the dictator'. She said the 72-year-old was not only a 'dear friend' and supporter of Putin but also a 'promoter' of the Russian president's 'criminal policies'. The concert sparked a clash between De Luca and Italy's culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, who warned that it risked sending the wrong message. 'Art is free and cannot be censored,' Giuli said in comments reported by Ansa. 'Propaganda, however, even if done with talent, is something else.' The event's cancellation was celebrated by critics, with Pina Picierno, vice-president of the European parliament and among the signatories of the letter, writing on social media: 'We explained, we fought and we won!' Riccardo Magi, leader of the small leftwing More Europe party, said Gergiev's performance would have been 'an intolerable humiliation for the victims of Putin's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine'. Gergiev has repeatedly voiced support for Putin, appearing in a 2012 campaign ad, endorsing the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and conducting a patriotic concert in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra in 2016, after Russian forces helped the former dictator Bashar al-Assad recapture it. Widely seen as one of Russia's most powerful cultural figures, Gergiev was fired from several European concerts, festivals and theatres, including Milan's La Scala, for refusing to condemn Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The last time he performed in Italy was at La Scala on 23 February 2022, hours after the invasion began. Gergiev's US agent has been approached for comment.
Al Jazeera
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Jazeera
Italy cancels concert by Putin ally Gergiev
Italy's Royal Palace of Caserta has announced it cancelled a concert by Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, a vocal backer of President Vladimir Putin, after an uproar from politicians and Kremlin critics. The concert scheduled for Sunday in the 18th-century palace near Naples caused a heated debate in Italy, was slammed by Ukraine and 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 on Monday. '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 Alexey Navalny, lauded the announcement as 'good news'. 'No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcomed in Europe,' Navalnaya wrote on X. 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.' 'Scandalous situation' Gergiev is the director of Russia's Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres, and before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, he regularly played in leading Western theatres. 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, Alexei 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 Ukraine. Recognised as one of the world's leading orchestra leaders, Gergiev is known for conducting epic symphonies of Russian classical music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, among other successes in Western opera houses. The conductor has stayed silent on Russia's invasion of Ukraine and mostly out of the public eye since 2022, but has played concerts in Asia.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Italy uninvites controversial pro-Putin conductor from Caserta classical concert
An Italian classical music concert has uninvited a famous Russian conductor who's known to be a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Valery Gergiev was meant to participate in A King's Summer festival (Un'Estate da Re) on 27 July that's organised by the Royal Palace of Caserta and held in the courtyard of the Vanvitellian Complex, close to Naples in southern Italy. However, his inclusion in the event had been fiercely criticised by Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny who died in a Russian Arctic penal colony in 2021. "This is good news. No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcome in Europe. It is precisely thanks to regime supporters like Gergiev that Putin tries to promote his image as a 'decent person' in the West," Navalnaya wrote on X commenting on the cancellation of the concert."The free and unquestionable choice taken by the Directorate of the Reggia di Caserta has my full and convinced support," commented Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli, who had already intervened on the issue, distancing himself from the decision to invite Gergiev to the festival and siding with those who described the concert as a boost to Russian propaganda. 'While respect is due to the exceptional artistic quality of the event, the cancellation of the concert conducted by Maestro Gergiev obeys a logic of common sense and moral tension aimed at protecting the values of the free world,' the ministry's note reads. Euro Chamber vice-president Pina Picierno, among the first voices to rise against Gergiev's hosting in Italy, expressed satisfaction on X: 'We explained, we fought, we believed and we won! Thanks to all of you, Campania will not host an ambassador of Putin. For those who want to, we will see you on Sunday evening with the flags of Europe, in front of the Reggia, to celebrate the strength and beauty of democracy'. The Christian Association of Ukrainians in Italy also rejoiced. "This is a victory of common sense and human and Christian values over the Kremlin's criminal policy. It is a small victory, but it is another step towards the common victory of good over evil,' wrote association president Oles Horodetskyy. The association was ready to organise protest initiatives and had already bought tickets for the first rows of the concert to make its dissent felt by Gergiev. There has been no comment from Campania's governor Vincenzo De Luca, who had described the affair as 'disconcerting', wondering where 'the limit between freedom of expression of one's opinion and propaganda' was and emphasising his desire to confirm the concert despite international appeals. Several Nobel Prize winners had even spoken out against the Russian maestro's participation, with letters sent to European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, Italian authorities and de Luca himself. An online petition had garnered more than 16,000 signatures. Romanovsky's case in Bologna Meanwhile, media attention is rapidly shifting to a similar case involving authorities in Bologna.** The city is preparing to host the Ukrainian pianist and naturalised Italian Alexander Romanovsky as part of the CUBO summer festival,* that's financed by Unipol. Romanovsky became famous for having played for the (Russian) cameras on the rubble of the Mariupol theatre, which Moscow forces had bombed in the first weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, killing hundreds of civilians who had taken refuge journalist Marco Setaccioli has led much of the criticism demanding the cancellation of the 5 August event, citing Romanovsky's appearances on pro-government Russian channels as evidence of his 'willingness to lend himself to the Kremlin's propaganda machine.' In January 2024, La Sapienza University in Rome called off one of Romanovsky's concerts in response to anger from pro-Ukraine activists and their supporters.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Russian conductor's Italian concert called off after outcry
A concert in Italy by a top Russian conductor with close ties to Vladimir Putin has been cancelled after a widespread outcry. Valery Gergiev, who has repeatedly expressed support for the Russian president, had been scheduled to lead a local orchestra at a music festival on 27 July at Reggia di Caserta, a former Bourbon palace close to Naples. But the management of the Unesco world heritage site said in a brief statement on Monday that his performance had been cancelled. Gergiev's appearance, which would have been his first in Europe since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, had been strongly endorsed by Vincenzo De Luca, the leftwing president of the Campania region. The regional authorities organise and fund the Un'Estate da Re festival – billed as a highlight of the summer season in southern Italy. The cancellation came after more than 16,000 people, including Nobel laureates, Italian and international politicians and activists, signed a letter addressed to De Luca and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, calling for Gergiev's appearance not to go ahead. Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Alexei Navalny who died in an Arctic prison last year, wrote in an op-ed published by La Repubblica last week that Gergiev's performance would be 'a gift to the dictator'. She said the 72-year-old was not only a 'dear friend' and supporter of Putin but also a 'promoter' of the Russian president's 'criminal policies'. The concert sparked a clash between De Luca and Italy's culture minister, Alessandro Giuli, who warned that it risked sending the wrong message. 'Art is free and cannot be censored,' Giuli said in comments reported by Ansa. 'Propaganda, however, even if done with talent, is something else.' The event's cancellation was celebrated by critics, with Pina Picierno, vice-president of the European parliament and among the signatories of the letter, writing on social media: 'We explained, we fought and we won!' Riccardo Magi, leader of the small leftwing More Europe party, said Gergiev's performance would have been 'an intolerable humiliation for the victims of Putin's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine'. Gergiev has repeatedly voiced support for Putin, appearing in a 2012 campaign ad, endorsing the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and conducting a patriotic concert in Syria's ancient city of Palmyra in 2016, after Russian forces helped the former dictator, Bashar al-Assad, recapture it. Sign up to The Guide Get our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Friday after newsletter promotion Widely seen as one of Russia's most powerful cultural figures, Gergiev was fired from several European concerts, festivals and theatres, including Milan's La Scala, for refusing to condemn Putin over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The last time he performed in Italy was at La Scala on 23 February 2022, hours after the invasion began. Gergiev's US agent has been approached for comment.
