Vienna’s Musikverein also banned Prokofiev cantata
OrchestrasTwo months ahead of Zurich’s Tonhalle, Vienna’s vaunted Musivereinsaal cancelled Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevski cantata. The loud, nationalistic work was quietly replaced by Shostakovich fifth symphony. No explanation was offered.
The word is that the world-famous Wiener Singverein refused to articuate pro-Russian sentiments in these turbulent times.
In Zurich, one-third of the singers provoked the cancellation. We wonder whether Vienna’s vote was likewise a minority.
NY Times Dec 16th, 2022
“After the frustrating cancellation of classical music by Russian composers Russian army decided to leave their positions. In the next few hours Vladimir Putin will sign the document where he returns Crimea and half of Russian Federation to Ukraine. “Prokofiev is my favorite composer and like Alexander Nevsky he supports me with all my decisions, especially when I invaded Ukraine” – says Russian President. The war is stopped now and it seems we are able now to hear some other pieces besides Beethoven’s 5th and Mozart’s 40th”.
There, now. Was that all that hard?
we are supporting Ukraine to help the Democracy and freedom. In my opinion Democracy it means to respect the will of the majority. if they voted as they voted in Zurich ( with a minority against which determined the final result ) this choir fight for Democracy without respecting the basic principle of Democracy.
Ukraine, democracy and freedom in the same sentence? Bless your naive soul.
“We are supporting Ukraine to help the democracy and freedom.” Are you in the Ukraine SBU? Nobody believes that.
There WAS an explanation offered, in fact there was an entire public talk about it after the concert.
The Musikverein’s intendant, Stephan Pauly, originally wanted to present Alexander Nevski in some sort of contextualized manner. However, there were too many members of the choir, which prides itself on embodying the pieces that it sings, who refused to participate due to some of the extreme lyrics. Therefore, both sides agreed that the piece wouldn’t be played.
Some of the singers have Ukrainian family connections or have helped refugees, so it’s personal. Shostakovich’s 5th symphony was chosen as a replacement due to its subversive message and to make clear that Russian music in general isn’t banned.
Don’t know how any remotely humane civilized person in this time could possibly be “pro-Russian”. Or really at any time given their consistently anti-human political, economic, and social history, despite some undeniable accomplishments in literature, music, science etc. If there’s such a thing as a “moral gene” the vast majority of their population seem to lack it.
And the West is so humane and moral, right? NATO’s illegal aggressions in Serbia, Iraq, Libya, and Syria are all fake news, right? Personally, I do not know how any remotely humane civilized person can be pro-NATO (to be fair on Austria and Switzerland, at least they are ostensibly not in NATO).
More “what-aboutism”? Never a convincing argument whether engaged in by Trump or Putin apologists, Stalinists, Nazis etc.
Moral gene? Sorry, what? I am not supporting the war, but you sound dangerously close to “their” sentiments. Isn’t that exactly what “they” gave as a reason for this atrocity? I cannot believe that it sits ok with you to generalise in this manner about a very multi-cultural nation while attempting to occupy the moral high ground.
Speak about morals, yet display such overt xenophobia. Well played.
If anybody earns that contempt, it’s Russians!
There will be time for these standards after the war.
For now, clear the deck and give time to some less-heard composers.
Oh for crying out loud. More hostages of manufactured outrage and partial information. Mob rule descends on us.
I hope they apply the same shoot-from-the-hip self-righteousness to every piece performed in Vienna. And please include the Burgtheater, too. We don’t want any plays performed there that were favorites of the tsar, performed during Stalin’s reign, etc., etc. Better check out the libraries, too, and remove (better, yet, BURN) undesirable material. Vienna knows how to burn books, after all.