“Valery Gergiev, the conductor whose ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia have sparked protests at his performances in the West—over gay rights in Russia and the Ukraine crisis—wrote a letter on Tuesday seeking to explain himself to subscribers of the Munich Philharmonic, the orchestra he is set to take over as music director in 2015-16,” writes Michael Cooper in Wednesday’s (5/21) New York Times. “Gergiev, the head of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, recently met with Munich cultural officials and orchestra officials to discuss … the situation in Ukraine and how he might work with gays and lesbians in Munich.… Gergiev, who recently signed a petition hailing Mr. Putin’s annexation of Crimea, referred to recent events as ‘new rifts between East and West that are distressing to all of us,’ but did not clarify his political views.” A section of the letter “seemed to allude to the controversy over Russian legislation putting restraints on the discussion of homosexuality…. ‘I respect my people and their traditions.… These include upholding taboos that have not applied in Western countries for many years, but where many attempts and much time was needed to abolish them…. One of my most important principles is respect for others and their personal lives.’ ”
Posted May 21, 2014
