Exclusive: German opera star breaks Russia boycott
NewsRussian media are crowing that the German soprano Simone Kermes has accepted a booking for a Baroque Night on Decemer 30 at Moscow’s Zaryadye Concert Hall.
Almost all western artists of renown have shunned Russia since President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Kermes is scheduled to sing works by Vivaldi, Pergolesi, Broschi and Hasse as well as a song by Sting.
The best part of Slipped Disc today is this booty shared on this article.
I don’t mean to be dismissive, but is she a “star?” I have to assume a star is someone at least I – relatively knowledgable about the field – have heard of.
she is a mediocre German like her former Chancellor and so many who claim to fame in Germany – just think of all their pathetic directors….
Johnson , Truss, Sunak…and how about Bush I and II , and of course – Trump and Biden…What shining examples of “excellence”…
heh heh, a sure sign you’re not a star is when the headline says “adjective + star” and not your name.
Has anyone ever seen a headline that said “Greek-American opera star”? It’s just “Callas”.
Unless you follow Baroque opera and oratorio, you wouldn’t have come across her except possibly in Currentzis’s Mozart opera recordings.
But Simone Kermes is — was — a mid-level star in the relatively small world of HIP Baroque vocal music in the ’00s and ’10s
If I toss all her CDs that I have, I will end up with the same number as before.
Good one, IP!
A brave woman. Hopefully a first small step on the road towards no hysteria.
I assume you mean that it required courage to include a selection from Sting’s catalog. Perhaps she will dedicate it to the multitude of Ukrainian civilian victims of putin’s war of conquest.
What is so “brave” about giving a concert…Serge , baby ?
She is brave because she knew there woulx be a shitstorm from all the Fritz Grantlers and other failed musicians in the Slippedisc commentary section.
Even if it is “brave”, such “bravery” is certainly no substitute for intelligence, fairness, compassion, justice, humanity, conscience – and maybe just a little bit of altruism.
Define a “failed” musician for us. Is it the hack who plays ever gig by rote, or the person who can’t get gigs for any reason, or the person who has given up fighting for a life in music?
Oh Sergei,
You know nothing about me – you are just a pathetic pro – Putin troll…Now have some vodka and relax…
Serge is a Putin-supporting Russian troll – similar to the type of people who crashed the Met website for 9 days.
You sound pretty desperate.
I don’t know. Maybe having to deal with all the excoriation from the mass formation nuts in the West? Brave indeed.
In lieu of a star, she was all that they could get. And she thought that her obscurity was her cover.
Alas, she has few if any commitments. Unemployment will lead some people to do anything. She only has herself to answer to.