Nice new Italian conductor is called ‘fascist’
NewsThere were demonstrations today at Nice Opera against the conductor Beatrice Venezi, whose father Gabriele Venezi is a former leader of the neofascist party Forza Nuova.
Beatrice herself is an advisor to the rightwing Italian Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, and a friend of the prime minister Giorgia Meloni.
She has only just started work in Nice. Not looking good.
“Pas d’opéras pour les fachos”.
Ce matin, action de @antifa06nice et @ANV_XR_Nice a l’opéra de Nice, contre la présence de la cheffe d’orchestre Béatrice Venezi, conseillère au gouv #Meloni. pic.twitter.com/Fpc6wUdYGV
— Mouais_Le mensuel dubitatif (@MouaisLeMensuel) January 1, 2024
Oh Yes, Yes!! We love Beatrice!!!! she is not a fascist at all!! Beatrice Venezi is the anti-Muti!
Finally the anti-Muti has come!! … Read this article: “My challenge to Muti. We young conductors can conduct too.” (It’s a wetoo of sorts, only different and more musical).
https://www.lastampa.it/spettacoli/2016/07/29/news/la-mia-sfida-a-muti-anche-noi-giovani-possiamo-dirigere-1.34841792/
Beatrice possesses and displays a number of “assets”that Muti is deprived of and desperately desires. No, it’s not what you think …. 🙂 (at least, not entirely); it’s not related to the second verse of Dante’s poem, whose metaphorical object (“La Selva Oscura”) Muti worships. This time, I am simply referring to assets such as a well functioning brain!
A nice quote from the article: “I do not fit the stereotype of the conductor-man with white hair and tons of experience: I am a woman, blonde, and still in formation”
And also: “I am thinking of Karajan, but I also heard that Riccardo Muti declared he has not approached important musical works before a certain age, while today’s young conductor dare to do it. I must say that an “a-priori” renunciation does not seem to be a form of respect; to study deeply is (a form of respect). I have followed the same formation path as Muti, and with all my esteem, I am ready to challenge him”.
YOU GO GIRL!!!!
I’m sorry but neo-fascism is not the opposite of “anti-Muti”. I think you deeply missed the point.
None of this makes her a non or anti-fascist. Her actual political allegiances make this quite clear.
She is an unpaid adviser to the Italian government on its cultural policy. Given the level of funding for the arts as a proportion of GDP has never been so high, it might be argued that she’s doing a good job! Or would you rather that the 14 Fondazione dell’Opera refuse money from the government, given its political colour? Did you see the recent law passed specifically to help those self-employed in the entertainment industry in light of their plight during the pandemic, how they are now guaranteed public funding in the face of employment breaks?
Can you point out her overtly political allegiances? The only one that I can see is her support for the independent, albeit centre-right, candidate in the last mayoral election in Lucca. Has she publicly supported the policies of Meloni with regard to, say immigration (which are, of course, less extreme than the UK’s) or LGBTQ rights?
Of course you could argue that she is being overtly political by performing in a country whose government displays islamophobia by way of banning muslim clothing in schools and public places, in contravention of the UNHRC.
Muslim dress is in direct violation of the French government policy of Laicité. As that policy is not banned by the UNHRC, government policy has been deemed to trump religious preference.
I would assume boys are not allowed to wear yarmulkes to school, and I believe crosses (the jewellery) are also banned from schools, the public service, etc.
Speaking of Italian conductors and Fascism.
As soon as the last elections were over, Muti courted the new neo-fascist Italian government. “The Left has not helped culture. Right does not mean fascism” (https://www.ilsussidiario.net/news/riccardo-muti-sinistra-non-ha-aiutato-la-cultura-destra-non-significa-fascismo/2438069/).
Sangiuliano took notice as Muti is a hero of Italian nationalists (the equivalent of Trump followers in the US – Make Italy Great Again). Salvini, the head of Lega, the Italian racist northern party, posted Muti bigoted comments on transgender issues and immigration on social media (Just google Muti and transgender). Sgarbi, Undersecretary of Sangiuliano AND a bunga-bunga party regular invitee of the late Berlusconi AND a buddy of Muti, AND the man who routinely refers to women as “figa” (“p***y”, I guess?), AND the man who was asked by many to resign from his post for that very reason; Sgarbi, we were saying, used the media attention on La Scala 2022 opening night to declare that there were too many foreigners heading Italian theaters, and that “he had discussed the matter with Muti”. Muti reasoned along similar lines (“Too many foreigners in Italy” https://news.italy24.press/local/185447.html).
After that, the wheels of destiny were set in motion. The Italian neo-fascists made a law “ad personam” (therefore, illegitimate) to get rid of Lissner in Naples and install Fuortes, the manager who had already worked with Muti in Rome (another Mutian epic disaster which ended with the Bill Clinton of classical music ‘offended’ because Rome did not confer the honorary Roman citizenship to him; later packing his s*** and leaving after the orchestra went on strike – ironic, no, for the Chicago picket line man, maybe he has a US doppelganger; then followed by the dismissal of the entire orchestra; because, you know that Muti cares about the musicians first and foremost). In his first press conferences, Fuortes presented his “intellectual credentials” by stating his top priority: bring Muti back to Naples (https://slippedisc.com/2023/07/riccardo-mutis-next-move/). Sangiuliano and the Region president De Luca made public their plans of bringing back Muti, too, and they met the Godfather in person.
But wait — they partied too soon; Lissner was re-instated by the courts and Muti is seething. As spiteful as he is, he recently called “ignorant” those who want to have Verdi’s Va Pensiero as the new Italian national anthem (a clear insult to La Lega, which lobbied for the anthem change).
Muti should chill and embrace his right wing tendencies; at the end of the day, he always looked like a resurrected Benito, especially with his chin up … time will tell if the marriage of Muti and the neo-fascist government comes to fruition. It is an alliance made in heaven (or hell, depending how you see it).
As we all know, Chicagorat suffers from MDS (Muti Derangement Syndrome), but his rant against the Italian PM by referring to as a neo-fascist, he also demonstrates his ignorance of Italian politics. She is no fascist by any objective mean.
I am sure he must be pleased with the progressive leadership of his home town that is riddled with ever increasing violent crime and with an out migration rate similar to Venezuela!
Brillant!
It is never a wise move for a musician to become involved in politics if one does no want to court controversy and lose a portion of one’s audience. The only exception I can think of is when Jan Paderewski was made Prime Minister of Poland in absentia in 1919 and head of the Polish National Council from 1939 to his death in 1941.
Is there anything the French don’t complain about?
Is there a chance that we could avoid making xenophobic generalisations in 2024?
Grazie, Signor Alex.
Felice Anno Nuovo a Lei ed ai Suoi più cari!
Sounds like she actually IS a fascist not just her father.
As far as I am concerned, it is chapeau to those who are willing to voice anti-Fascist sentiments. Heartening, even, when anti-Semitism is on the rise and its demonstrators are defended even by American university presidents.
Make that “president”: another one bit the dust today, though accusations of plagiarism also helped.
Yet those who scream ‘facho’ are invariably the worst. They go hand in glove with the type of box-ticking fraud who has just resigned from Harvard. Utterly worthless.
Years of wasted study pursuing an artistic career. Now that this is out, she won’t find international gigs. Politics and artists are dangerous bedfellows.
Many conductors are courtesans willing to serve and please whoever holds some power, so who can blame the lady for the way she managed to get a career? But Nice certainly deserves a better conductor.
Usual stuff. Half a dozen people complain, the rest don’t care. Slipped Disc pours some gasoline on the fire (yes, I know it’s their job), and in two weeks everything is forgotten.
As is the case with 99,99% of all the news you hear. Also in 2024 it will be enough just to read headlines.
Still cheering on Putin, Serge?
Thank you, Mrs ans Misses THUMB DOWN !
Idiot thinks its his right to disrupt a concert? The concert hall is going to need bouncers rather than ushers to eliminate these problems.
Musicians, conductor, singers, artists are all involved in politics! …. Until their pockets take a blow … then they become soul healers, humanists, misunderstood cultural entities… bla bla bla yawn!
Absolutely priceless!! Couldn’t agree more. In fact, for most of them, anything but rich!! LOL
Low resolution thinking and cheap shots. Only for dummies, I’m afraid.
Beatrice Venezi is a great conductor. She is truly one of the greatest conductors in the world today. She will become music director of a major orchestra in EU and America.
Some proof is required. Also your credentials for making this bold assertion.
She is quite hot, though. My credentials for this assertion are my eyes.
The irony of accusing her of fascism and yet wanting to ostracize people who think and vote differently…Who cares about her political ideas anyway? The only thing that matters is her music making or lack of. I have no opinion on the subject, I don’t know her conducting.