Dutch regret misconduct by Ukrainian opera director
OperaVery long statement today by Dutch National Opera. Worth reading more for tone than content.
On Saturday, 26 October, Het Parool published an article about the behaviour of guest director, Andriy Zholdak, during the production period of the opera Fidelio at Dutch National Opera. Several important aspects were insufficiently addressed in this article. We therefore provide further clarification below.
Situation
During the production period of Fidelio, there was indeed unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour and misconduct by guest director Andriy Zholdak. This included impulsive, unreasonable, inconsistent, and/or intimidating behaviour, as well as physical contact during rehearsals without prior consent. We acknowledged this and took appropriate action.
Zholdak was not employed by Dutch National Opera but was hired solely as a guest director for the production of Fidelio. The rehearsal period lasted approximately seven weeks, concluding with the premiere on 5 June 2024. This was our first, and now our last, collaboration with him; Zholdak will not be invited back for future collaborations with us.
Actions Taken
Throughout the production process, Zholdak was repeatedly addressed by our staff regarding his problematic approach and inappropriate behaviour. Despite these warnings, his behaviour persisted. An incident also occurred during an ensemble rehearsal: while demonstrating a scene to an extra, in the presence of other artists and staff, he touched her hip/buttocks without seeking prior consent as required by our protocol. The extra subsequently filed a formal report of misconduct.
This incident prompted us to take decisive measures. Initially, we denied Zholdak access to the theatre, providing space to hold discussions with all principal cast members, extras, and directly involved production staff. Our goal was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation and determine whether they wanted to proceed and, if so, what they needed to complete the production safely.
Based on these conversations, we informed Zholdak that continuing the rehearsal process would only be possible under strict conditions: he could no longer directly rehearse with singers and extras, could only relay instructions through the assistant director, and, a member of the direction team had to be present at all rehearsals. Additionally, we required that he apologise to the artists and directly involved production staff for his behaviour.
The director accepted these conditions. Had he not done so, we would have stopped the production process and cancelled the Fidelio.
Under these conditions, rehearsals resumed, which was also the wish of the artists and directly involved production staff—they wanted to see the production through to its premiere. One artist, the aforementioned extra, held a different view and withdrew from the production.
In addition to these measures above, we decided to initiate an independent external investigation in response to the complaint from the extra. After initially agreeing to participate, she later withdrew her cooperation. As her cooperation was essential for a balanced outcome, we chose not to proceed with the investigation.
We offered the extra immediate support and provided full financial compensation, including for all performances. We are aware that she subsequently filed charges against Zholdak. The Parool article states that four witnesses were heard, and that the Public Prosecution Service has decided not to pursue prosecution, citing that, according to witnesses, there was “no sexual context.”
Background
Through our extensive industry networks, we endeavour to gather comprehensive information about the artists we engage. We were aware of Zholdak’s unconventional, improvisational approach to opera creation and were prepared for this. However, we were not aware of the earlier controversies around Zholdak mentioned in the Parool article at the time we hired him. These included remarks in 2016 in Romania, an incident with an actress in Hungary in 2017, and a protest action by actors in 2023. We have learned from this experience to be even more meticulous in our preliminary research.
Culture at Dutch National Opera
We deeply regret that some artists and staff members felt unsafe or uncomfortable in this production due to Zholdak’s rehearsal methods and approach. His methods and communication style do not align with the way we operate at Dutch National Opera.
Our discussions and actions are part of a culture that holds individuals accountable for their behaviour, according to our code of conduct, and takes corrective measures when needed.
This culture also entails learning from such events. For example, it raises questions about whether, and how, we can intervene or make adjustments earlier or more effectively if issues arise during a rehearsal process. We are currently evaluating these questions with the staff involved to further improve our ways of working and protocols. Supporting a culture of safety and well-being remains a critical focus within our organisation.
This incredibly elaborate defence is entirely understandable: any situation that could be interpreted as misconduct could have caused mass protest rallies in Amsterdam and help the new extreme-rightwing government to cut any culture subsidies even more – Wilders wants to get rid of culture as a whole and opera is a grave irritant of his soul from which he has sleepless nights (‘a leftwing hobby’). In the current political climate of populism, anti-intellectualism and anti-culture, any ‘misstep’ of a cultural institution can be used as leverage to cancel it altogether.
Apparently his direction was full of sex scenes that were not in the script.
Zholdak sounds like a piece of work, and one that may act out his way right out of work if he is not more careful.
But this extra sounds like a snowflake, with an eye for the main chance. She was lucky the Opera Company paid her off. Probably even luckier the Prosecution Service declined to pursue her “charge.” There are enough real predators out there without feeling “unsafe” during a blocking rehearsal — the ones I attended often featured some contact to make a point. This generation feels “unsafe” if they open a book they don’t like.
Still, it doesn’t do any harm to try to get people in positions of power — which, let’s face it, is usually men — to behave decently and respectfully to their colleagues, and Zholdak sounds like an unreconstructed bully.
Yes but even at my age I feel unsafe opening ANY book and I’m thirtyish
Sally
Even worse as well, so sadly Zholdak managed to violate Beethoven’s opera asa whole. We attended the general rehearsal, the 3rd of june last year. Seated high on the 2nd right balcony, and looking right into the pit. Half of the evening, my nephew as first replacing solocellist, and his colleagues of the KCO where sitting with their arms over each other. Several times I whispered to my wife ‘where is Bééthoven for God’s sake…’.
This all, because Zholdak obviously
found it nessesarily to treat the audience with an amount of nonsense interludes and video projections, presumably including his private preoccupations, unshaming degrading Beethoven to the second, or third plan…
After this recent arising new fuss around Zholdak, one can easily imagine broad growing social and political feelings in Holland about stopping or reducing public financial support to the opera, and to cultural and artistic high end stageproductions in general.
What a sad and unnessesarily testimonium paupertatis….
This was, by a wide, wide margin, the worst excuse for an opera production I have ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of rubbish in my time. Dutch National Opera should do the decent thing and refund all the tickets, which were sold under the false pretence that people were going to see Fidelio.
Ironically, ‘Fidelio’ means something like ‘loyalty’.
Staff didn’t ‘feel unsafe’. They *were* unsafe. Really wish organisations would stop putting the focus on victims’ feelings and instead focus on the abuser’s behaviour.
At least Ali B. got a couple of years in the clink for his behavior on The Voice of Holland. I guess that’s progress. The other guys on the show still got away with it, though.
Give me a break – Unsafe because someone touched your ass? Oh gosh, poor snowflake will have nightmares for years to come. What nonsense! Unsafe is when you get shot on the street in Amsterdam liek De Vries…
Dutch Opera Co should have done their homework more thoroughly before booking this producer – their foolish lack of doing so has only brought this mess on themselves and their companies reputation.
No doubt him being an Ukrainian, and probably a fugitive as well, was thought of as a good gesture of humanitarian awareness, which was also underlined by the subject of the opera. One could reconstruct the reasoning pretty well – only, something was overlooked, apparently.
I wasn’t there at the opening night but I gathered from one of the reviews that he wrapped himself in the Ukrainian flag at the curtain calls. It didn’t do anything to alleviate the audience reaction which was befitting of the quality of his work.
Western Culture is dead in favor of the East European (Russian,Ucrainian,Belorussian) culture where Everything is possible in order to obtain good results. That is the main reason why former USSR balrt artist are highly demanded and best in the world amd former USSR (Russia,Belorussia and Ukraine ) soloists and directors have best interpretation and high quality. Rehearsal /training process of artist in those societies are very harsh but results are always higher than now-shitty neoliberal societies.Long live East !
The reason that Eastern Europeans have remained largely traditional and with it, maintained high standards, was because they were FORCED by a totalitarian regime of scumbags to be traditional – i.e. oldfashioned, 19C style – as to give the regime a veneer of respectability. In Soviet times, the arts were living under a glass bell in the service of a criminal regime.
In the West, artists were free to experiment as they wished, demonstrating that liberal democracy was completely pluralistic and free – except for traditional art, which was only allowed to survive in a museum culture, not as contemporary art, because it might remind people of the Soviets.
Yet, the values of Western nations are, of course, in all their confusion and decadence, far superior to the barbaric regimes of dictatorships.
I would rather see a scumbag opera production and loudly protest against it, without the danger to end-up in prison for it, than watch perfect productions of Eugen Onegin in a paranoid country that invades its neighbours with the open aim to kill its population.
Well said. I vividly remember a survey exhibition of the Russian artist, Kazimir Malevich. Stalin disapproved of his work and eventually imprisoned him. After he was released, all the spark and innovation disappeared from Malevich’s work. It was very sad.
Please, I’d love to know when anyone in the last 30 years was locked up in any Eastern European country for protesting against an opera production. Or in any country at all, for that matter. You have a caricatured, outdated view of Eastern Europe.
Yes I also never get that kind of irony
Sally
Well, that’s what happens when you hire people solely because they have a fashionable nationality.