Forbidden City: how Italy reacted to the cancellation of Gergiev's concert
After the disruption of the performance at the festival "Un'estate da Re" ("Summer of the King") in Caserta, the head of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky Theaters Valery Gergiev was offered another concert venue in Italy, but he refused, the local press writes. His admirers in Italy are outraged by the situation and do not rule out that the ban on Gergiev is just the beginning of an anti—Russian cultural campaign. Izvestia traveled to Italy, met with maestro's colleagues and found out where Russian musicians can go on tour now.
All tickets were sold out
The Royal Palace of Caserta is called the Italian Versailles. A concert by Valery Gergiev and the Verdi Orchestra from Salerno with the participation of musicians from the Mariinsky Theatre was scheduled to take place here yesterday, July 27. But it did not take place. Unsold tickets were cited as one of the reasons for the cancellation. Izvestia traveled to Italy, talked with musicians, lawyers, and journalists, and found out the opposite: every single ticket for Gergiev's performance in Italy was sold out.
While the governor of the Campania region, Vincenzo De Luca, assured that he was expecting artists at the Un'estate da Re festival in Caserta on July 27, the presence of the Russian conductor caused a heated debate among Ukrainian activists in Italy. On July 20, they went to rallies. On July 21, the authorities of the town made a decision to cancel the performance of artists from Russia.
The Italian newspaper Linkiesta wrote that after the cancellation of the performance in Caserta, Gergiev received an offer to perform in Solerno. Vincenzo De Luca, who invited Valery Gergiev to the Un'estate da Re festival, decided to offer an alternative. However, Gergiev, the newspaper says, decided not to go to Italy, calling the situation humiliating. Izvestia sent a request to the press service of the Mariinsky Theatre with a request to comment on the reports of the Italian edition.
Russian Ambassador to Italy Alexey Paramonov confirmed that the host country had made another attempt to meet the maestro from Russia.
— There was even a proposal from the mayor of one of the cities, maybe not the largest in Italy, nevertheless, to host or hold this concert in his city, with the promise of all possible guarantees. So, of course, such a reaction is also taking place," the diplomat said.
Lawyer Alessandro Emanuele has been providing legal assistance to Russians in Italy for more than twenty years, including the Friends of Great Russia Association. He believes that the cancellation of Gergiev's concert could become an extremely sensitive precedent. After all, it is unclear how and by whom public order can be violated in such cases and how to ensure security.
— It is extremely important to determine whether there really were such reasons that could prevent the artist from performing, — said Emanuele. — In my opinion, this case should be brought to court. Politics should not cancel cultural events. It wasn't about political statements. The contract assumed an exclusively cultural event.
"As an Italian, I'm ashamed."
Unlike the Europeans, the Bolshoi Theater does not see the musicians as enemies and has not refused to cooperate with the Italians. In the season that ended, the playbill was replenished with the opera Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi, directed by Giancarlo Del Monaco, the son of the outstanding Italian singer Mario Del Monaco.
And at the Mariinsky, a representative of the famous family staged Verdi's "Aida." Valery Gergiev held a festival dedicated to the great Italian composer. And to perform the role of Philip II in the opera Don Carlos, Verdi invited the star of the world opera scene, the bass Ferruccio Furlanetto. In addition, Italian tenor Giovanni Ribiquezu is a guest soloist at the Mariinsky Theatre.
"The authorities in Italy realized that they had made a mistake, that they had done the wrong thing, and tried to fix everything, but the maestro decided to refuse, and I consider his decision to be absolutely correct," admitted Giovanni Ribichezu. — I think that the cancellation of this concert by Maestro Valery Gergiev is a disgrace. As an Italian, I am ashamed of this. Because when it comes to such a great name as Gergiev, everyone should be happy that he is coming to Italy. But instead, the high forces decided to refuse.
According to the artist, the Italian authorities are following the current, and when the current geopolitical escalation ends, "everyone will pretend as if nothing had happened."
— This is the difference between our countries: there is no such hatred in Russia. And the proof is me, the Italian who is here now. The hatred comes only from that side," says Giovanni Ribiquezu.
Alessandro Emanuele, in an interview with Izvestia, suggested that the cancellation of Valery Gergiev's speech could be just the beginning. And so it turned out. Immediately after that, Alexander Romanovsky's concert in Bologna on August 5 was banned. The pianist planned to play the program "Beloved Chopin". But despite Romanovsky's Ukrainian origin, the Italian side was not satisfied that he took part in a concert at the Mariupol Drama Theater in 2022.
—You understand, they think that we, the people of Italy, don't hate Russia enough,— Italian journalist Fiammetta Cucurnia told Izvestia. — And we, in their opinion, should hate Russia. Because they are preparing us for war. And for that, you have to hate the one you're going to fight against. And in the case of Maestro Gergiev, it is necessary to prove that this man is terrible. And the most important thing that they cannot forgive him is that he does not hate his country and perceives its policy as correct.
Fiammetta Cucurnia noted: The Russian conductor is not the first to be touched by the culture of cancellation. According to her, in Italy, politicians began by discussing Dostoevsky's ban. But then they woke up. They realized that it was really funny. Dostoevsky died a long time ago, we must get down to the living. And they started.
Director General of the Bolshoi Theatre, conductor Valery Gergiev
The Italian couple Mauro and Rita were planning to go to Gergiev's concert. They are very upset that it was cancelled. Mauro is a native of Naples, works in the social sphere in Campania. Since 1975, when he and his father visited the cosmonautics exhibition in Naples, he has been interested in Russian culture. He admits that he loves Tarkovsky and Eisenstein films. And among the composers he appreciates Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.
—You Russians, stop being naive and overly kind," Mauro began frankly. — You have to be stricter and tougher, otherwise you will just be deceived, fooled. Unfortunately, Gergiev was canceled by these idiots who control us. But the Italian Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and freedom of thought. How dare they violate the Constitution and ban the concert? If a person is Russian, is he automatically guilty? This is idiocy and madness.
Rita said that her father was a communist and for him the Soviet Union was the realization of a "sunny future" in the Marxist sense. The woman grew up surrounded by Russian culture, souvenirs from the USSR, matryoshka dolls at her home, and a wooden model of the Kremlin. "We haven't been to Russia yet, but we want to go there," Rita makes plans.
Valery Gergiev is expected in Lebanon
Meanwhile, the XVII Chekhov International Theater Festival was held in Russia on a grand scale. The final chord was the performance "One Thousand and One Nights" by the Caracalla Dance Theater from Lebanon on the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Izvestia visited the scenes of the GABT and talked with the founder of the collective, 86-year-old Abdel-Halim Caracalla. He managed to create a phenomenon of the ballet school of the Middle East, where previously this art was not known. And when, due to instability in the country, the troupe could not perform, Russia accepted the theater. And Abdel-Halim is still grateful for touring our country during difficult times.
Director General of the Bolshoi Theatre, conductor Valery Gergiev
"We didn't have the same situations [as with Gergiev], but there were cancellations of performances during the wars," said Abdel-Halim Caracalla. — We try to stay away from politics and religion. We believe that humanity is our religion and our life. Only through humanism can people unite. You know, if a person is talented, then he is obliged to share his talent with everyone. That's his mission on this planet. God gave him this talent and chose him.
And those who refuse to listen to Russian music, Abdel-Halim Caracalla calls inhumans. They haven't become human yet, according to the choreographer.
"We refuse to accept people who are not interested in music," Caracalla admits.
The great Lebanese is for synergy, for the penetration of cultures. And in the ballet "One Thousand and One Nights", created based on Arabic fairy tales, he used the music of the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and the Frenchman Maurice Ravel. It is a mixture of classical and modern with oriental motifs, expressed in the language of Karkalla.
—Russia is the foundation of art,— Caracalla believes. — The "Golden Age" of culture was born in Russia. There have been cultural heroes in every generation. If you go back in time — Sergei Diaghilev, Vaclav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Anna Pavlova, Maya Plisetskaya. And, of course, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov. Is this music only for Russia?
In a conversation with Izvestia, Abdel-Halim Caracalla admitted that it would be an honor for him to welcome Valery Gergiev to Lebanon. The theater will make every effort to invite the maestro.
—Music has the power not only to heal, but also to unite,— opera singer Erwin Schrott is convinced. — I don't understand what is happening in the world right now. My responsibility in what I do is to give a little hope and maybe a little pleasure to the audience.
The bass-baritone is originally from Uruguay, and recently performed at the Big Summer Music Festival Sirius. And nearby, in Sochi, Maestro Gergiev himself conducted the first acoustic rehearsal with the musicians of the Mariinsky Theater Orchestra. Construction workers are completing work at the new Sirius Concert Center. It will rank among the best acoustic halls in the world.
The Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Valery Gergiev during a rehearsal in the Chamber Hall of the Main Hall of the Sirius Concert Center
— The theater was struck by the fact that acoustics are very good for symphonic programs, believe me, not all the great theaters in the world have such acoustics that can be predicted, — said Valery Gergiev.
The total area of the building is about 50 thousand square meters. meters. The main hall will accommodate 1,200 spectators, the chamber hall - 500. The scenes are transformed. In just 20 minutes, you can turn the Philharmonic into an opera and ballet theater or vice versa. The newest complex is scheduled to host its first full-fledged performances in the fall. One of the world's best concert venues is expected to be fully completed in October this year.
While the ignoramuses are coming up with someone else to ban, the head of Russia's two main musical theaters has something to do and where to go. According to the maestro's press service, foreign tours are undoubtedly planned. But it's too early to talk about them yet.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
