Salzburg Festival goes grovelling to Moscow paymasters
mainThe festival chiefs have made a presentation in the Russian capital, where it was confirmed that President Putin would pay a state visit to Austria to coincide with its new production of Boris Godunov.
The show’s sponsor is the Russian state polluter, Gazprom.
Report here.
“Grovelling”? Take the emotion out of this item and what’s left? You have obviously lifted your headline right out of “The Guardian” playbook. You know, the one about grievance, nastiness and revenge.
Incredible. Just incredible. ‘Art is neutral’ – untill it is being used for political ends.
as taught by Barenboim
It is justified to be cautious in dealings with Russia & China, but in relation to state polluter Gazprom, what other alternative is there? Should Europe do without gas?
It’s always amazing how Mr. Lebrecht weaves in those ‘political’ barbs – the main sponsor is Russians ‘state polluter’ – that’s pretty silly and all list funny. Aren’t the real polluters those who actually burn Gazprom’s gas, which is pretty much all of Europe? How does Mr. Lebrecht cook his omelets ? Curious ?
Probably with British gas. That’s politically correct gas. It pollutes the same, but it defends the freedom. It is good gas. All Russian is always evil. My grandpa already told me. Russian is bad, and if it weren’t we would have to make it. The image of eternal enemy Russia breastfeeds our military-industrial complex. We need Russia to be very bad bad bad. China is coming along to take over, but not yet.
Also we will never forgive Putin, that he effectively protected Russia’s vast natural resources to be looted by foreign “investors” at a moment in history when Russia was very weak and almost ended up in a sell out by Jelzin.
Yes, he protected Russia’s resources from being looted by foreign investors, so that they could be looted by Russian oligarchs. Bog forbid they should be used to benefit the Russian people!
When USSR collapsed, we heard all the happy-talk about how everything was gonna be “privatized”. In real life, that meant: oligarchs stole everything which the government had previously owned, and then it was all PRIVATELY owned– by the oligarchs.
Pretty much, but still a lot of dividends are “trickling down” fro it within Russia, rather than elsewhere. After all, the “trickle down” principle was imported, it was invented elsewhere.
LOL *** ROTFL *** SMLMCU ***
Yes, “trickle-down” was invented elsewhere, and it was bullshtt propaganda, and still is, everywhere it is cited.
Taxes on oil/gas revenue pretty much fund the Russian government’s budget (e.g. pensions, health, education etc).
I thought with your comment about “British Gas” you were referring to Mr Johnson and Corbyn. But maybe they are just both hot air, not that I support either. Staying neutral on that topic.
Sickening. Perhaps protesters will descend on Salzburg just in time for their 100th birthday festivities.
For someone having a grasp on reality, Nestlé, the former main sponsor of Salzburg, is ethically more compromised than Gazprom.
Did you protest? Why not?
Silly non-story lacking context. The Festival President and Intendant present the next year’s programme in various major cities around the world every year in the preceding autumn. They were in London two weeks ago and were certainly not “grovelling” to anyone. Why should they not go to Moscow?
Companies should not be spending shareholder money subsidizing a filthy, corrupt business like classical music.
I wonder of which public this author is a member.
Kudos to Putin and Gazprom for promoting classical music culture.
Also, I’m sure BP and other British companies, government agencies, and UK government-supported media (BBC) pollute no less than Gazprom and also probably support various cultural events (and are at least as dubious politically). Apparently its only bad when the mean Russkies do it. The amount of irrational Russophobia these days is even worse than during the Cold War.
Yes, we all know how friendly the Russian regime always has been. Whether it is the Tsar, the Soviets, or the Oligarchs, they only want to have the Western assets to help the poor Europeans build a better, more Russian society, since in the East they simply know these things better.