Exclusive: Zurich cancels Alexander Nevski after choir protests
NewsThe Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich has called off a January concert of Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky after protests from the choir that it was inappropriate in the current global situation.
Not the whole choir. Just a third of the members, but these days it’s the minority that rules.
Here’s what particiapnts were told:
Almost one third of our choir have decided they don’t want to perform the Newski piece at this moment.
That makes it impossible for us to perform the piece.
We have informed the orchestra and are waiting for their reaction (expected at the beginning of the coming week).
We wish to express our gratitude to all those who have taken part in the deliberations and the decision-making in a passive or an active capacity.
Please check the cancellation options for your trips and accommodation and refrain from making new bookings.
We’ll contact you again at the beginning of next week to let you know what will happen next.
It was obvious throughout the discussions that there were very different opinions among the choir members. This diversity was also reflected in the feedback we received after last Friday’s announcement.
We’d like to stress here that each and everyone’s opinion deserves respect and we’re grateful for everyone’s contribution to this process.
It is in this spirit that the Governors of our choir have decided to grant all choir members an indemnity of 50% of their fee, to be transferred by the middle of January.
Do Ivan the Terrible instead!
…after this somehow the war ended…
Understandable that members of the choir refused to sing it. It’s not any Russian piece, it’s a very nationalist one.
Same thing happened with the Singverein in Vienna. Shostakovich’s 5th symphony was played instead.
Pressure groups have always ruled. This isn’t new. What is new is that figures from the past are now blameworthy in the new cultural revisionism, instigated by barbarians.
Watch out; book burning coming to a street near you.
They’re absolutely right!
Chacun a son gout. I doubt that I’d have been against.
At my Benedictine monastery school, I was flogged mercilessly by flagellophilic monks. Fortunately, I was insufficiently pretty to be subjected to the widespread sexual abuse going on there.
That hasn’t put me off my love of Gregorian Chant and any number of masses.
I look forward till the day their funding will be taken away. But I’m sure Uber for $5 an hour will be much better for them than singing the terrible Alexander Nevsky.
Like a broken clock that is correct twice daily , so are you – occasionally , Sergei – Just stay off the vodka…
And do they get paid for not singing now? Or will they perform something else?
Whenever politicians like Merkel tell you that the wonderful Russian literature is CUTE and has nothing to do with Mr.P., you can be sure of one thing: they haven’t read any of it, not a single page.
I think of all politicians, Merkel is the most likely to be well-read in literature, including Russian.
As for Nevsky, yes, it’s highly nationalistic and no doubt pleased Stalin; on the other hand, it celebrates a victory in a defensive war, not a war of Russian aggression. In this respect, it’s much like Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture (except that Nevsky’s is the superior music).
Take the Nevsky plunge !
Given the jingoistic nature of the film this piece is derived from, it could certainly be thought to be feeding Putin’s purposely created delusion that Russians are somehow still fighting WW2. But they should keep the alto soloist and perform just the “Field of the Dead” section, which illustrates the results of the kind of slaughter Putin is currently wreaking on Ukraine. And musically speaking that’s by far the best section of the work in any case.
‘Field of the dead’ is indeed hauntingly beautiful.
The music was written for a Stalinist propaganda film designed to prepare the populace for war with Germany. In this case, perhaps it’s better a substitute be found.
That being said, it is a very well made, influential film. John Williams’ shark theme for Jaws was certainly influenced by the bass line in the Battle on the Ice scene.
Paul D, During World War 2, Russia was an Allied power and Stalin was called Uncle Joe. All of the Allies used the arts to rally their populations (movies, music, literature, books, news media, etc.). Music from WW2 and Russia’s defeat of Napoleon should not be condemned because of contemporary wars.
Nor should it be promoted to feed the Putinist fantasy being sold to the Russian people that they are still fighting that same war.
Ultimately it is entirely each choir members’ prerogative as to whether they wish to sing any particular piece or not. As the statement makes perfectly clear, it is difficult to sing such a piece with only two thirds of a full choral contingent and so the performance is cancelled, rather than it being a case of “it’s the minority that rules these days”. Yet more overly-politicised, click-baity drivel that we’ve come to expect from a rank charlatan like Lebrecht.
The Saxe-Coburg-Gothas did something similar in WW I. Stick with the winners.
Do Shostakovich 13 instead?
A people kicking out the brutal invaders of their country….not appropriate?
It’s terrible but the Putin war in Ukraine is much worse !
I find the Alexander Nevsky film to be unwatchable, not only because of the blatant propagandizing, but also because the acting is laughably bad. The large-scale action scenes, however, are very well done.
The music is often very beautiful, and the cantata is an effective work.
But in any case, I agree with the Tonhalle’s decision to cancel the Nevsky performance. Now is not the right time to play that particular composition.
How about substituting Prokofiev’s 7th Symphony? It is an underrated piece that is quite lovely.
Peregrinus expectavi
I remember showing parts of it to my son when he was about 10. He was sure it was a put on, the acting was so melodramatic and the special effects rather primitive for a young man brought up on computer graphics. He laughed uncontrollably until I irritably pulled the plug on the project.
The Swiss have discovered morality?! Ah, the misguided outrage of a minority rules again. What unadulterated crap that Russian composers – long dead – cannot be performed. And if we ban the “nationalistic” music of nations and peoples that have started wars , heavens, that would leave a short list. Out goes John Philip Sousa, Strauss the Waltz-king, not to mention Wagner, Verdi, Vaughan Williams, etc. etc.
The bigger question for me is: These chorus members are employed. Since when do we need unanimity among employees to perform a piece? Do you want a job or not? I say fire the dissenters and hire another local choir to fill in.
This is setting a dangerous precedent. If we’re tired of being pushed around by Russia and China, and acting accordingly in the Ukraine, why do we let ourselves be pushed around on the home front (apparently, the marshmallow front) by a loud-mouthed minority in a chorus??
If they were cancelling Prokofiev generally, I’d have an issue. But singing to the greater glory of Russia right now will understandably rub many people the wrong way.
Alexander Nevsky is a brilliant piece – by turns thrilling, beautiful and dramatic. It was written in 1939. If it could be associated with any political cause, it was supportive of Russia against the looming threat Nazi Germany. Notwithstanding Stalin’s murderous oppression of political dissidents and others, he was, compared with Hitler, the lesser danger – at that time.
Prokofiev himself was the victim of Soviet persecution. He was hardly an out-and-out Stalinist himself.
Supposing someone who has just become interested in classical music were to be given a CD of Alexander Nevsky and a translated text. Would they come to the conclusion that it was supportive of Putin’s genocidal ‘military operation’ in Ukraine? Why should any rational thinker reach that conclusion?
Hitler’s favourite composer was, supposedl, not Wagner but Franz Lehar. Should we ban The Merry Widow on that pretext?
There’s a danger that if we start banning this or that work simply on the most spurious inferences, we are simply enacting the odious ‘cancel culture’ that is no less than a polite form of terrorism.
This case is not about “banning” or “cancelling” anything, but only about a perfectly reasonable opinion that performing this certain particular piece is not appropriate (and may actually be offensive) at this certain particular time.
Show up or you’re fired. Easy.