San Francisco Frontiers - Italy cancels concert by pro-Putin conductor Gergiev

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.

D.Brown--SFF