Russian composer is led away in handcuffs
mainAnton Lubchenko, former artistic director of the Primorsky Opera and Ballet (now part of Gergiev’s Mariinsky empire), was arrested yesterday in St Petersburg and flown in handcuffs to Vladivostok.
No charges have been specified.
Lubchenko is a highly-regarded conductor and composer. His most recent work is an opera on Doctor Zhivago, commissioned by a German company in Regensburg and transferred to the Primorsky.
But that is good, expressive music, reminds me of the opera ‘The Brothers Karamazov’ by Alexander Smelkov (a generation older than Lubchenko), which was such a success with audiences and condemned by an inquisitional press. A return to Russia’s musical tradition, and thus very modern. Not easy, with such powerful forefathers, and the pathos sometimes borders on film music. It all sounds very Russian, though, the music (and the performance) smells of the rough steppe climate.
(What the moderatrice says at 1:27 is a bit offensive….!)
I can think of at least one contemporary French composer who deserves that kind of treatment, but not Lubchenko.
I can think of a fair few contemporary composers in the world that would deserve being arrested.
Interesting! Willl Gergiev stick to his buddy Putin, or stand by his employee?
As long as the “buddy” is in power, VG’s loyalty to him is guaranteed.