Three German artists quit Currentzis Tristan in Moscow
NewsThe Bayreuth star Andreas Schager (pic) has asked for his name to be removed from a November Tristan und Isolde in Moscow. The baritone Matthias Goerne says his name was put up without his knowledge.
And the tenor Torsten Kerl, booked by Teodor Currentzis for the title role, has published an open letter of withdrawal:
He writes: ‘The partial mobilization has changed the situation for me and my partly Russian, partly Ukrainian family. Due to this renewed escalation, it is no longer justifiable for me, humanly and morally, to perform as an artist in Russia at this point in time.’
More in Tagesspiegel here
Schläger is Austrian.
Mostly right: Andreas Schager (née Andreas Schagerl) was born in Rohrbach an der Gölsen in Niederösterreich.
Hopefully he was né not née.
Nice spot, but…..!
“néé” was used first in the 18th century to indicate the birth family name/surname of a now-married woman: she did not actually “change” her name as she just acquired her husband’s name automatically. There was no parallel process for a man, so using “né” while linguistically correct (assuming the change was from his birth name and not a subsequent change!) does not include any indication why the change was made. Use of “formerly” for a man is more elegant and clearer, although inappropriate for a woman if the intention is to indicate the pre-marriage name!
Schager’s passport might say “Österreich” but quite clearly his heart and soul do not.
If it quacks like a duck…
Given the state of Russian media and society, what’s keeping TC from engaging Max Lorenz or Lauritz Melchior? Any dissenters? Comments?
Torsten Kerl’s wife is Russian.
I stand firmly with Ukraine against this brutal war led by a complete and utter monster, but honestly, withdrawing playing music simply because of politics is misguided. Music is above politics – always has, and always will be.
Richard Strauss❗️❓ Wilhelm Furtwängler❗️❓ usw.
Did they also withdraw from the performances in Baden-Baden?
If Torsten Kerl was hired as Tristan, what role was Schager going to sing? Melot? Is Schager replacing Kerl but incognito? The text is not clear.
The Tristans in B.-B. and Dortmund have been replaced by the Verdi Requiem.