‘Putin Supporting’ Conductor to Perform at Reggia di Caserta

Reggia di caserta: A Russian orchestra conductor who was dismissed by La Scala for refusing to distance himself from Vladimir Putin following the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine is set to perform at a major cultural event this summer in Campania. The concert will take place at the former Bourbon royal palace and UNESCO World Heritage site of La Reggia di Caserta.

According to Ansa News Agency, Valery Gergiev’s participation in Un’Estate da Re (A King’s Summer) was confirmed by Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca. De Luca defended the controversial decision, emphasizing the role of art in fostering dialogue despite differences. “Culture and art are one of the cases in which dialogue between people can grow and the values of human solidarity can develop,” De Luca stated, confirming that Gergiev would conduct on July 27 in Caserta for the Un’Estate da Re festival, which is organized and funded by the Campania Region.

The decision has faced opposition, particularly from Pina Picierno, an MEP in De Luca’s center-left Democratic Party (PD). Picierno requested the cancellation of the concert to prevent taxpayers’ money from benefiting a supporter of what she termed a “criminal regime,” labeling Gergiev a ‘supporter of the Kremlin.’

Gergiev last performed in Italy on February 23, 2022, just hours before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He was subsequently removed from his position as conductor of the La Scala orchestra for not publicly distancing himself from Putin, following a request from Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala. This was followed by similar actions from other prominent cultural institutions, including Carnegie Hall, the Wiener Philharmoniker, and the Munich Philharmonic.

Now, Gergiev is scheduled to appear at Un’Estate da Re, alongside the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Teatro G. Verdi of Salerno and soloists from the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg. Governor De Luca emphasized on social media that their efforts have always been aimed at fostering meetings between personalities of different sensibilities. “We have favored the presence of Jews and Palestinians, Russians and Ukrainians, trying not to overlap the level of politics with that of culture,” he stated, citing an event in Naples that featured Palestinian, Israeli, Russian, and Ukrainian artists as a testament to Campania’s commitment to dialogue and unity between peoples.