Thousands, including Alexei Navalny’s widow, signed letter objecting to performance by Valery Gergiev, a close ally of Russian president
From: The Guardian by Angela Giuffrida in Rome
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”.
Voice of Ukraine 