Breaking silence on the backstage Russia-Ukraine opera wars
OperaIn 1930s London, German Nazis and German-Jewish refugees sang together at Covent Garden and Glyndebourne and fought bitterly backstage.
In this week’s Spectator, Zoe Strimpel reports a similar situation going on right now between Russian and Ukrainian artists in opera houses around Europe…. only worse. Not only are the Ukrainians trying to have Russians excluded but the Russians are at war among themselves between pro-war and anti.
Two female composers at the same London concert pointedly blanked each other.
One formerly successful singers’ agent has gone to work in medical technology.
A well-known Moscow mezzo, resident in the UK, was told by an opera company ‘we just can’t afford the scandal of having a Russian artist’. Her diary is completely empty for the next yar.
Read Zoe’s important piece here.
“Not only are the Ukrainians trying to have Russians excluded but the Russians are at war among themselves between pro-war and anti.”
Being openly pro-war is a criminal offense in Germany. Just saying.
Btw., “Zoe’s important piece” is cheap propaganda:
“Swift and sure, the guillotine blade came down on Russians in the West”
That’s the first sentence. Amazing. I’m disgusted.
27 million people in the USSR, mostly Russians, killed by Germany during WWII. Purpose: to exterminate the Slavic people and colonize their land. Sometimes a tempered voice is best.
Dozens and dozens of Russian singers perform daily in the opera houses of the West, no one makes a fuss. Even the declared Putnist Abdrazakov had no problems, even when he canceled the last performance of Boris Godunov at La Scala (the season’s inauguration) to sing a concert in Moscow. Only Netrebko faced some problems for a few weeks, now she performs everywhere except USA and UK. La Scala, Arena di Verona are celebrating Putin’s stars as if nothing happened.
I can’t read the article because it’s behind a paywall but – who, if not russians themselves, are responsible for russia and its policies?
As such, they should at least feel embarrassed about the situation – the war caused by their country – but apparently they are not. Who among them is taking any position – almost no one. The West pays better than matushka rossiya so they want to perform here, that’s all they care about. Am I supposed to cry over their plight or what?
We might consider some sobering historical correlations. The Prague State Opera was originally opened in 1888 as the New German Theatre. At the time, Czechoslovakia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Prague had a large German minority that longed for opera in German. Wagner was especially popular in the house.
During the 1930s, the house was a bastion of democracy for Germans fleeing Nazi oppression. After the Munich accords which gave a large part of Czechoslovakia (the Sudentenland) to Germany, the theater was shut down because of the anger the Czech populace had for Nazi Germany.
After the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia and established the “Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia,” the theater was renamed Deutsches Opernhaus (German Opera House.) It was used for Nazi rallies and guest performances by Germans.
In 1945, the name of the house was changed to Theatre of the Fifth of May and became a home for Czech, rather than German opera. It existed for four years and was especially known for its avant-garde productions.
From 1949 to 1989 the house put under the control of the communist party and its name changed to Smetana Theatre. The theater was internationally acclaimed, and due to its large stage, it was able to host many international productions ranging from the Vienna State Opera to the Bolshoi Ballet.
When the wall came down, the house was renamed the Prague State Opera. It is home to approximately 300 performances a year. The Prague State Opera, and the more famous National Theater in Prague (which is also an opera house,) are two different institutions and should not be confused with each other.
The ethnic tensions continued even after the wall came down. Gerd Albrecht, a former principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, was the first non-Czech to ever conducto the orchestra. His short tenure was tempestuous due to what some view as lingering anti-German sentiments.
For better or worse, art has never been, and will never be separable from nationalism and politics, but we should at least try to avoid extremism and chauvinistic hatred in our artistic expression.
I meant to say, the first non-Czech to ever be the GMD of the orchestra.
Nazi’s at Glyndebourne? Glyndebourne famously took in those who were fleeing the Nazi’s in the 30s. Where is the evidence of bitter backstage fighting? Disgustingly under researched. Do better
There are reams of evidence which I will share when appropriate.
Norman Lebrecht, Thank you for your comments and link. Discrimination against Russians is being observed in music as well as other professions. A Russian accent by a U.S. citizen is enough to provoke a confrontation. I have witnessed it myself. Reminds me of the Cold War years.
Anything Russian makes me sick right now. I don’t want to hear Tchaikovsky or Prokofiev, whatever the rational argument is that they are not guilty of the ongoing savage war crimes against Ukraine, my gut is too sick to reason. I once loved Russian music and literature but now it makes me wretch.