Controversial Russian conductor Gergiev is no longer welcome in Italy

This article was last updated on July 21, 2025

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Controversial Russian conductor Gergiev is no longer welcome in Italy

A performance that the controversial Russian conductor Valeri Gergiev would give in Italy on Sunday is canceled. In Caserta, near Naples, Gergiev would lead a concert with an Italian orchestra and soloists from the Mariinski Theater in St. Petersburg, of which he is the artistic leader.

But Gergiev is considered a pronounced ally of President Putin. He is no longer welcome in the West because he has never distanced himself from the war in Ukraine.

For example, the Rotterdams Philharmonic Orchestra, which he was connected to for a long time and where a festival was held every year, broke the collaboration in March 2022. Other renowned music institutions, such as the Scala in Milan and the Carnegie Hall in New York, want nothing to do with him anymore.

Flaming

The planned concert in Italy could therefore count on a lot of criticism and protest. The widow of the Russian opposition leader Navalny had called on the organization to withdraw the invitation to Gergiev.

“How is it possible that three years after the start of the battle in Ukraine, Putin’s complicit is suddenly invited to a festival in Italy?” She asked rhetorically in a flaming argument in the La Repubblica newspaper.

The Italian Minister of Culture Giuli also showed his displeasure. According to him, the event in Caserta threatened to run on “a sounding board for Russian propaganda”.

Communication channels

The Campania region, which organized the festival, initially struggled against it. Regional director Vincenzo de Luca argued that Gergiev was invited to “keep the communication channels open with those who don’t think like us”. For that reason, an Israeli conductor, Daniel Oers, was also asked to lead a concert.

“We do not ask these representatives of the cultural sector to account for the political choices of their leaders,” said De Luca.

But the organization is now allocated to the protests. It is unclear to what extent pressure has been exerted from above. The Van Navalny foundation had urged the Italian Minister of the Interior to not allow Gergiev to Italy.

Credibility

Russia has responded critically to the decision to cancel the arrival of Gergiev. Italy has targeted “the demands of Ukrainian migrants and other groups,” writes the Russian ambassador in Rome on social media.

He expects the issue to come back to Italy like a boomerang. “With this, the country has damaged its credibility and sown doubts about its openness and hospitality.”