Arts And Media Groups Shun Foul Odors

Michael Hedges February 28, 2022 Follow on Twitter

We owe many lessons to the Happy Advertising People. One is choose your words carefully. Another is always choose your seat carefully. Nobody in ad land tolerates placing their works of creative genius next to a pile of dirt, unless they’re selling fertilizer or shovels. This wisdom has made its way to the arts and cultural communities.

Valery Gergiev is a well-known orchestra conductor, music director for the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. He travels extensively, directing orchestras around the world. He is an unrepentant admirer of Russian Federation president Vladimir V. Putin. Last week (February 23) he directed Tchaikovsky’s Queen of Spades at the La Scala Theater in Milan, Italy, other performances scheduled. The Russian-language opera opens with young male actors carrying machine guns exclaiming “the homeland we will save, together we will fight.”

Outraged by the invasion of Ukraine, Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala, also La Scala board of directors president, drew a line. “The teacher has repeatedly declared his closeness to Putin,” he said. “With the superintendent of the theater we are asking him to take a precise position against the invasion. If he didn’t, we would be forced to give up the collaboration. These situations make it necessary to intervene.”

Maestro Gergiev is scheduled, in theory, to return the La Scala in March. “We are still waiting for his answer,” said a La Scala spokesperson quoted by Variety (February 25). “If he does not answer our request, we will be forced to find another conductor.” He had been expected to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic at News York’s Carnegie Hall later last week. Those appearances, too, were cancelled. Russian pianist Denis Matsuev, also a supporter of the Russian regime, was also dropped by the Vienna Philharmonic. “This change was made due to recent world events,” said Carnegie Hall spokesperson Synneve Carlino to the AP (February 25).

In addition to duties with the Mariinsky Theater and a robust touring schedule, he is also chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic. That job is now in jeopardy. Munich, Germany mayor Dieter Reiter delivered “an ultimatum,” noted Bavarian public radio channel BR Klassik (February 27). "I made my position clear to Valery Gergiev and asked him to also clearly and unequivocally distance himself from the brutal war of aggression. If Valery Gergiev has not clearly positioned himself here by Monday (February 28), he can no longer remain chief conductor of our Philharmonic.” Munich is an official sister city of Kyiv, Ukraine.

Also on Friday the Dublin, Ireland Helix Theater cancelled a scheduled performance of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake by the Royal Moscow Ballet “to stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” said a statement, quoted by The Guardian (February 26). The Royal & Derngate Theater in Northampton, UK cancelled three performances of the Russian State Ballet of Siberia Saturday ““Given the situation in Ukraine.” Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet lost its summer season at the Royal Opera House in London, UK “under the current circumstances.” Newspaper, online, radio and television arts and culture journalists diligently - and brutally - covered all of this.

At the other end of the artistic spectrum, the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), viewed by ten of million of fans each year, will have no Russian participantion this year, said a European Broadcasting Union (EBU) statement (February 25). The EBU effectively governs participation in the ESC through the Reference Group, a board of national public broadcaster members. “The decision reflects concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s Contest would bring the competition into disrepute,” said the statement.

Just a day earlier, an EBU statement sent to all members, and reported by Swedish public broadcaster SVT (February 24), indicated “for now we plan to welcome both countries (Russia and Ukraine) in May. We are a non-political cultural event.” This did not sit well with some EBU member broadcasters, including STV, Denmark’s DR, Norway’s NRK and Lithuania’s LRT.

“The EBU needs to rethink,” said SVT chief executive Hanna Stjärne. “I sympathize with the basic idea of Eurovision as an apolitical event. But the situation in Europe is extremely serious, with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It crosses all boundaries. We have called on the EBU to change and will follow the development closely.” Taking that point of view quite seriously, the EBU quickly changed directions. The 2022 ESC will be held in Turin, Italy in association with Italian public broadcaster RAI during the second week of May.

Saturday Night Live, the weekly variety show on the US network NBC, is familiar to many, even outside the US. Filled with pointed satire, the show typically opens - cold - with a biting skit. Last nights (February 26) open was very different, timely and sharp.

Regular cast members Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong, standing center stage, introduced Ukrainian Chorus Dumka of New York. To an enraptured live audience they sang Prayer for Ukraine after which the cast members delivered the iconic “Live from New You, it’s Saturday Night.” Rather than cut to opening credits, the camera panned to a table with lighted candles that spelled out Kyiv.

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