Update: Russian opera singer was killed on a Moscow street

Update: Russian opera singer was killed on a Moscow street

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norman lebrecht

November 22, 2018

We are receiving further unofficial details of the death of the bass Maxim Mikhailov, whose life support was turned off yesterday in a Moscow hospital.

Maxim, who was 56, was physically attacked on a Moscow street last Thursday.

His head hit the ground with great force and he was taken to hospital in a coma. The injuries to his brain were found to be severe and irreversible and death was announced last night.

This is Moscow 2018. The official media are not reporting the attack.

Comments

  • Terrible news. The murder rate in Moscow is 7 per 100,000. In Washington DC, it is over twice that at 16.7. In St. Louis it is almost ten times higher than Moscow at 66.1. Baltimore is 56. Detroit 40. Cleveland 28, Philadelphia 20. Almost all larger American cities would love to have a murder rate as low as Moscow’s. And to make all of this even more embarrassing, Moscow has more opera performances per year than any city in the world including Vienna, Berlin, Paris, and London. I don’t mean to defend Russia, but these facts are worth consideration.

    • Caravaggio says:

      Convenient and Inconvenient Truths. Therefore please don’t let Donald Trump read your post. Or, for different reasons, the U.S. “elites” controlling mainstream media left and right.

    • Ms.Melody says:

      As enlightening and valuable as these statistics are, let us not forget that a young, talented singer is dead, probably due to a thoughtless act of random violence. Opera has lost another voice. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.
      RIP Maxim.

    • Jack says:

      Excuse me, but I didn’t see anything about comparing murder rates in the story above. However, if that’s where you’re going, I’d suspect the per capita murder rate in Moscow is somewhat higher for various Russian journalists or known opponents of Vladimir Putin and his corrupt regime.

    • MacroV says:

      Yes, Moscow is a very safe city if you’re just normal white person out minding your own business. Less so if you’re of any kind of non-white persuasion, in which case you’re a visible target for both skinheads and police. And don’t count on police to help or investigate.

      • Marshall H Roe says:

        A man is dead. A great voice at that. Remember the beauty he gave the world. Stop the bloody politics. Either side.

    • You believe Russian statistics?

    • aj says:

      What a pointless thoughtless bizarre response
      to a tragic event .

  • AndrewB says:

    I think the last time I saw Maxim was during a series of performances of Stravinsky’s Les Noces several years ago in Paris. I also remember the intense physicality and theatricality he brought to a production of Boris Godunov.
    The terrible news of the manner of his death leaves me speechless and my thoughts are with his family at this time.

  • david wilson-johnson says:

    such a tragic end to a wonderful singer and generous and witty colleague……will always treasure our time on stage in The Nose with Gennadi in the pit……

  • Ana Luiza Daltro says:

    It is heartbreaking to know that a kind, loving and decent man like Maxim left us like that. Whoever did this horrible thing to him should rot in prison!

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