Covent Garden loses 2 Butterfly singers to Brexit
NewsDinara Alieva has withdrawn from performing Cio-Cio-San and Olesya Petrova from the role of Suzuki.
‘Withdrawals are due to delayed visa processing times unfortunately making it impossible for both artists to take part in the upcoming revival’, they say – as we always predicted would happen post-Brexit.
Cio-Cio-San will now be performed by Lianna Haroutounian (pictured) and Eri Nakamura, and Kseniia Nikolaieva and Patricia Bardon will share the role of Suzuki.
Actually the problem isn’t Brexit, but Ukraine. Visa processing has ground to a halt because the Home Office is prioritising applications under the Homes for Ukraine scheme.
And they are making a complete mess of that too.
It is undeniable that Brexit has led to a massive increase in visa numbers, and caused an additional strain on the Home Office bureaucracy. All Europeans coming to the UK for work/long-term stay (after 2020) have to get one, whereas they didn’t before. That’s a huge number of additional visas. Blaming ‘Homes for Ukraine’ is missing the forest for the trees.
You are right that this doesn’t seem to be to do with Brexit. But surely the problem is not Ukraine, but Russia.
I have never been in favour of Brexit but even I agree it’s probably not the problem this time and, as Mark has said, it is due to housing refugees from Ukraine.
An Azerbaijani and a Russian.
Wouldn’t they have needed work visas even prior to Brexit?
Well, not if they had European work permits, which they likely do.
Besides, that’s besides the point. If I queue in a line with 5 people, that’s fine. If suddenly rules are changed and there are 500 people in line, I’m delayed even though my own requirements and circumstances haven’t changed.
Yes, but now EEA citizens wanting or needing to work or live in the UK add to the burden of an already inefficient Home Office, one of the points of freedom of movement was to eliminate this bureaucracy entirely at least within the confines of the EU/EEA.
All these inefficiencies, brought to you by Brexit, are insidious and affect things that aren’t directly related to it.
GOOD. Haroutounuan can sing rings around Alieva, whom I find mediocre. Haroutounian’s Butterfly is the best I’ve seen in the past fifteen years.
Absolutely nothing to do with Brexit. It’s Ukraine and the war, and the Home Office grinding to a halt – or else they simply didn’t apply soon enough.
Both sopranos are based in Russia. It should not come as a surprise that they’ve encountered visa issues. We as a global artistic community need to take a stand on the Ukraine war. Not watching both performing is hardly a small price to pay (or even life or death) compared to the sacrifices of our Ukrainian friends.
Absolutely right M L Chan. Surely the Home Office shouldn’t spend any time looking at visas for Russians currently? Just say No. it’s not like we are short of dancers, talented as particular ones are.
Vast numbers of EU and other overseas singers have been working with UK orchestras and opera companies every single week since the post-Covid reopening, but yeah, sure, a couple of visa delays for a pair of non-EU singers has absolutely got to be the catastrophic consequences of Brexit. Watch your head on the way out, I hear the sky is falling…