A concert featuring Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been cancelled at a music festival in Italy due to criticism from Kremlin critics and human rights campaigners. The event, scheduled for a former royal palace near Naples, was set to take place later this month.
Gergiev, an ally of President Putin, was barred from Western stages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli said the cancellation was “common sense” and protected the “values of the free world”.
Ukraine urged organisers to drop Gergiev’s performance, calling him “Putin’s mouthpiece” who should not be welcomed anywhere as long as Russian forces continue to commit atrocities. The Royal Palace of Caserta gave no official reason for cancelling the concert.
The cancellation has been welcomed by some, including Yulia Navalnaya, widow of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who described it as “good news”. However, Moscow’s ambassador to Italy called the decision a “scandalous situation” and part of a “policy of ‘cancelling’ Russian culture”.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cdjxvz997lpo