The Chicago Symphony has deleted the Putin bass Ildar Abdrazakov from its June Missa Solemnis with Muti.
He is replaced by the American bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen.
The US violinist has posted this message on…
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Wow. The self-righteousness continues. Where and when does this parsing end?
Should we ban the Israel Philharmonic because some members agree with the current settlements policy? Should the Chicago Symphony habe been banned during Nixon‘s bombing of Cambodia because some approved? If Rachmaninov were alive today, and have no public opinion of the war in the Ukraine, would he be denied a visa to enter the US?
With the ongoing willful, countenanced murder of 20000 children a year in the US by guns, and some artists NRA members, should we ban them from performing? Whole orchestras or just sections or only the individual? Clearly a blanket ban is needed coming from such a soulless society? Or should we have global records of all artists and mark NRA members with an asterisk? It’s been done before by countries.
What is the litmus test for „Putin support?“. Party membership? Performing for the man? Accepting funding from an organization or individual however tenuously tied (define!) to him? Lack of a sworn statement against the war (consider that this might simply be stubborn behavior in light of a pious and self-righteous demand)? Being a Russian patriot whether the country is “right or wrong“ (this applies to 95% of Americans and probably as many Brits and French)?
In these dangerous times, is there room for serious thought about such populist moves and yowling mobs (of subscribers?) demanding flesh (of any kind)?
When it’s all over, will we discover that we countenanced the economic destruction of certain respected and capable artists (a fragile business model at best) in our beloved and cherished world of classical music either by looking away or howling with the rabid mob? Historic parallels abound.
Just thinking…
“Just thinking…”
You should work on your thinking. (Because it’s bad. So, so bad. :-D)
Not at all, Brettermeier. The current crop of pious, virtue-signalling prigs are very selective in their hate. This has a lot to do with their ignorance of history and general lack of intelligence, full stop.
You seem to be living in the fantasyland of the motto “artistry trumps all”. Unfortunately, it does not.
Consider that in a free society, organizations are able to engage whomever they would like to sing, from Florence Foster Jenkins to Renee Fleming. All the time, half-baked artists are thrust upon the public by management companies thanks to good marketing, with nothing to do with merit.
Let’s make the opposite assumption here, that Abdrazakov is full of talent. But due to his own marketing failures, he let this happen. Whether he’s been silent about the war or outspoken in his support for Putin, or anywhere in between, he has failed. And that’s part of being an artist, too. It comes with the territory. That’s called a free-market economy.
It sounds to me like your bemoaning of “self-righteous” folks is actually just your own selfish temper tantrum that you can’t get to hear an artist whom you “cherish”.
You may want to work on your English Grammer. Your comment would indicate that you are a bot or an idiot or both.
Grammar.
And look who’s talking…
OK … Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago and this bass is a Putin supporter; but Muti did not have a problem conducting him in Salzburg last summer and it took Alexander until now to delete him?
The CSO is good at “deleting”: they also deleted the n-word in the English translation of the Verdi Ballo libretto (while Muti was bragging about it in interviews); with the same Mutian aplomb, they deleted from the Italian Stallion’s bio page the reference to the Putin award given to Muti (Russian Order of Friendship; but it is on Wikipedia still https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Friendship). Truth is, they should have deleted this entire “Russian” season, which was a complete disaster.
This Missa Solemnis is going to be one for the ages: after all, the Bill Clinton of classical music said “The true challenge is to play Beethoven without Germanic emphasis”. In this article (https://www.repubblica.it/venerdi/2019/12/27/news/ludwig_van_beethoven_250_anniversario_riccardo_muti-300801632/?ref=search), Muti expounds on how “Italian conductors, starting from Toscanini, understood Beethoven better than the Germans”. (Raise your hand if you can stomach Toscanini conducting Beethoven more than you can stomach Muti doing the same).
But this is all trivial chattering. The pressing question is: will Muti invite Cooper to the principal horn final, or is he “deleting” this world-class musician in quite the same way he has deleted the Putin award on his bio? That is what we want to know Chicago!! An update on your “civil war” waged with lawyers, orchestra tribes and all, for the hot principal horn seat and the best principal horn the orchestra ever had! A press conference on this topic would be welcome; we know that the Chicago newspapers and Hedy Weiss are in bed with Muti and will not report on this matter, so come clean with the public now please. Transparency, not “mafia-style”, please!
In the meantime, I am buying champagne in bulk waiting for June and Muti send-off party! :-))))
Disgusting writing you gross malcontent!
Each of your postings a new piece of crap.
Get a new cause right now.
Since last summer, Abdrazakov has stated that he’s the one who’s decided to withdraw from western engagements due to what he perceived as unfair treatment. Since last summer, he’s also done things like ditch Boris Godunov at La Scala, a theater that clearly did support him, in order to sing at Putin sponsored events in Russia. Anyway, to me, Kyle Ketelsen is a major upgrade over Abracadabra.
Do we really believe Ildar’s statement? He or his management just chose to get ahead of the anticipated bad image and decided “You can’t fire me, I quit!”
He was politically compromised and called out.
“the best principal horn the orchestra ever had”
That would be Dale Clevenger.
But Muti always speaks so highly of you!
There it is, right on cue! All roads, all topics inevitably lead back to the evils of Riccardo Muti in Chicago.
Much in the same way so many discussions here led (and sometimes still lead) back to a former U.S. president whose name escapes me at the moment……
Bet Putin has not ever heard of him. Too busy bunkered in the Kremlin.
A vast improvement – both morally and artistically.