Report: Russians build a concert hall for Currentzis
OrchestrasThe controversial Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Curentzis ended his last western engagement two weeks ago. Currentzis has maintained a pretence of being independent of the Putin regime.
Now, VAN reports that the Russians are welcoming him back home with the promise of a new concert hall in St Petersburg. That means he will join Gergiev in the boycott room.
This could be the last we see of Teo for a generation.
Go home, he is no loss at all.
Let’s now forget the Ildar Abdrazakov Festival. Amazing how these artists so easily sell their souls.
Well isn’t he scheduled to perform at the Salzburg Festival on July 19 ?
The Russians build concert halls, England gets ACE and the CBSO gets Emma Stenning. Which would you prefer?
Those concert halls are attempts to place a veneer of respectability over a murderous terrorist regime. Choices are not very difficult to make.
Obviously that’s a Potemkin concert hall and will be used to torture dissidents.
Personally I am perfectly at happy Seiji Ozawa Hall in Tanglewood, the barn at Marlboro, Carnegie Hall, as well as Symphony Hall in Boston.
That’s good for you, but those are geographically very inconvenient places for over 99% of the world population.
I’ll take the incompetent arts administrators over the dictatorship, thanks for asking.
Yes, totalitarianism is just so, like, amazing.
And the great thing about it is that when you’re immersed it in yourself you can image it being some other nation’s problem!!
Ah yes, the tyranny suffered by those living in Australia. Thoughts and prayers.
Democracy is even more, like, amazing! Look at the Americans, for example. Soon they will be choosing between a falling apart dementic zombie and an arrogant narcissistic bafoon. What a choice! I am sure it is a win-win. Or at the British, who, no matter how they vote, always get a PM who’s worse than the previous one. They love traditions, this is a British thing. Or at the Germans, who’s current Chancellor has a big sign “Kick me!” on his back and sheepishly leads his country to an economic suicide. Or at the French who reelected their President only to have someone they hate at the top. Or at the Italians who thought they were voting for a “neo-fascist” but their roaring lioness turned out to be a liberal shrew. What a bloody circus.
Simple question for you:
Given the opportunity, in which direction do people migrate, is it towards totalitarian countries, or away from them?
Well, moving out of California and New York is certainly the trend.
Yes, they vote with their feet – if they’re allowed out………….
Simple answer, Claire: People migrate to richer countries.
What do these rich countries have in common, pertaining to model of government? Clare just might be onto something.
They are rich! FYI, Saudi Arabia and Russia have more immigrants than UK and France, 13.5 and 11.6 million vs 9.4 and 8.5 million, respectively.
Well, aren’t we all currently living under the totalitarian system of capitalism in its end game, before it shifts to fascism?
Democracy? Human rights? Have become a sarcastic joke. The middle class, the bearer of any real democracy, is crippled, enslaved by debt and existential threats.
We can get outraged over Putin as much as we want, while our own societies are fundamentally failing. Just look at the travesty the current US presidential race is. Between a senile retard and a narcissistic mafia crook.
But… Putin!!!!
If delusion, also here, were a currency, we all would be super rich.
When our cultural landscape is completely fallow at some point, we will still be able to say that we are the good guys.
Better still. Our cultural landscape has more vitality and more durability than Russia’s censored and bootlicking one.
I don’t quite understand why he, given the numerous opportunities and resources provided by SWR, Het Concertgebouw, Paris Opera, Salzburg Festival, and Barcelona, would still align himself with Putin without hesitation.
If he were being boycotted and had his performances canceled, leading to an inability to conduct activities, I could understand. However, his performances in Europe are proceeding completely normally.
If I remember correctly, he is supposed to be Greek. What belief could make him so supportive of Russia?
That’s what I would like to know as well.
Building Utopia…
How privileged you are!
Oh good. Maybe he will stay there.
Would be heartening if the commenters on this site would be as critical of Western power’s totalitarian aspirations. Much of the criticisms of Putin on these pages are so theatrical and lack nuance. Russia is a vast country and expecting fellow musicians to suddenly take a hard line on Putin to their own detriment is quite silly. Putin does not own Russia nor does he define Russia or its culture. There is still a more liberal-order version to Russia even with him in power. It’s always a battle and no country is a monolith.
I don’t have a single good thing to say about Putin or his regime. But I agree with your comment. Of the nearly 28 million people in the Soviet Union who died in the 2nd World War, about 5.7 were ethnic Russians, 1.3 Ukranians. The privileged commentators on this forum could try to be more aware that it is NOT just the British (or ANZACs) who are entitled to proclaim ‘Lest we forget’! Sadly Putin is not the only dictatorial tyrant around.
Why music has to be used in unconscionable wars I do not know? We in the West could have risen above it.
You mixed apples and oranges. The 5.7M Russians and 1.3M Ukrainians are the numbers of the military casualties, 8,668,400 total, not the total dead, which you correctly gave as 28M.
Also, keep in mind that the Soviet ethnicity labeling when it came to Ukraine was based on the place of birth, not on the language spoken or the ancestry. Thus, my Grandpa (KIA Jan 04, 1942) was listed as “Ukrainian” because he was born in Poltava region, despite the fact that his family moved to Kostroma in Russia when he was 4 and he never spoke Ukrainian.
Germany in 1933-45 was not very much different. My father heard the Berlin Phil. In a “neutral” country during the war in successive years, conducted by Krauss, Knappertsbuch and Böhm. Gergiev is doing the same now.
Bravo. Like compelled speech (C16) in Canada. You betta use my pronouns or watch out…!! Plenty more where that came from. There is none so blind…..
And no suffering on Earth as great as that of a boomer who has been asked to consider the point of view of someone different from themselves.
The most important attribute deemed desirable to autocrats and dictators is loyalty. It trumps competency, patriotism, virtue or integrity. Through the demonstration of that singular quality leads a path of enhanced professional advancement, public recognition and financial accommodation. And it is always the most apparent and obvious tell of one’s true intended fealty and allegiance – any suggestions or representations to the contrary are absolute BS. To the extent he will be more fully ostracized from democratized nations throughout the world, Putin is doing all of us a tremendous favor.
And when one has the talent and ability to maintain a successful career and affluent lifestyle in many parts of the free world, this is a deliberate choice free from any underlying political or financial duress. All that remains is the inevitable medal ceremony (for some random distinction of service to the Motherland), providing the propaganda-driven photo op of literally bending the knee to one’s undisputed master.
Reading most comments here: we are so full of ourselves. „Man kann gar nicht so viel fressen wie man kotzen möchte.“ (one can‘t eat enough for the amount one wants to vomit.)
When the concert hall becomes a gym….what next; dumb-bells and exercise bikes?
Not every country is into tribute bands and pub karaoke!!!
Members of Germany’s top most orchestras have called him one of the best conductors they have ever worked with. He’s a superb musician according to musicians whose opinions are qualified by their own accomplishments.
I have listened to his recordings and would respectfully completely disagree.
Norman has done a wonderful job of trying to liberate Europe from the malign influence of The Putin and his willing sycophant musicians. However, there has to be an objective evaluation of the results of efforts to liberate the continent, combined with a willingness to engage in course corrections when efforts fail.
Norman was partially successful in prying this Putin-sycophant out of Europe, but The Putin has responded by rewarding the barking Currentzis lapdog with a billion dollar concert hall. Consider the cost of a single missile vs. the cost of constructing this gaudy concert hall in St. Petersburg that is nothing more than a monument to musical terrorism — it is my opinion that it is time for the British military to step up and finish the job that Norman has started.
Good riddance.
Time to flex those muscles Teodor. An interesting conductor, really if only for one regard, he’s sometimes brilliant & sometimes terrible- inflicting the most incredibly ill conceived interpretations on the composer, his orchestra & unknowing audiences.