Valery Gergiev: The failed return to Europe of a Russian conductor who was a pariah in the West

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev's return to Europe could have been a discreet one. Invited by the Un'Estate da RE ("A King's Summer") festival near Naples, Campania (Italy), he was scheduled to conduct the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Teatro Verdi in Salerno and soloists from the Mariinsky Orchestra in St. Petersburg on July 27. This was without taking into account the stubbornness of the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Italian Pina Picierno, Russian opposition figures, and Ukrainian associations.

The announcement came from the management of the Royal Palace of Caserta, which hosts the festival, Monday, July 21: The concert by the 72-year-old Russian maestro, close to Vladimir Putin and considered a vector of the Kremlin's cultural propaganda, will ultimately not take place.

A cancellation reminiscent of February 24, 2022, the day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, when one of the world's most sought-after conductors was ordered to condemn the Kremlin's actions. For refusing to do so, he was declared persona non grata on American soil and banned from European venues.

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