Rome – A classical music concert in Italy was canceled suddenly following a public reaction on the support of the Russian conductor in President Valdimir Putin.
Russian maestro Valery Gergiev was to direct a set of Italian musicians and soloists of the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg – where he is the artistic director – on July 27 at Reggia di Caserta, an opulent 18th century palace near Naples.
The Italian National Press Agency Ansa said the place had canceled the concert, offering no explanation. A representative of Reggia di Caseta confirmed the cancellation to CBS News by phone.
This decision was made after the criticism of Italian legislators, defenders of Russian human rights and political dissidents.
Piero Cruciatti / AFP / Getty 
Among the most vocal opponents in Italy, welcoming Gergiév, there was Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition chief Alexey Navalny. She condemned the public support of Gergiev to the Kremlin and accused the conductor of having used his platform to legitimize the war during Russia in Ukraine.
In a message Published on social networks, Navalnaya called News of the Cancellation, “not happy, but good”.
“No artist who supports the current dictatorship in Russia should be welcomed in Europe. It is precisely thanks to diet loyalists like Gergiév that Putin tries to promote his image as” respectable person “in the West”, she said. “It’s a small step, but big victories are built from such small steps.”
Mikhail Svetlov / Getty 
Gergiev, Once rented in the West As “Wild Man of Music”, has become a controversial figure in recent years, especially in Europe, where a range of institutions has sought to distant artists aligned with the Russian government.
The refusal of Gergiev to denounce the invasion of Ukraine by Russia cost him commitments in other high -level sites, including New York Carnegie Hall And Munich Philharmonic in Germany, where he was previously conductor.
The cancellation aroused strong criticism from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which accused Italy of cultural censorship on Wednesday and said that this decision was the result of Ukrainian pressure.
Sasha Mordovets / Getty 
“We strongly condemn such discriminatory attempts to” cancel the culture “, carried out by the Italian authorities”, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova said in a statementAccusing Italy of giving in to pressure from Ukraine.
Italian officials did not immediately comment on the cancellation.
