**Russian Conductor Valery Gergiev Returns to European Stage Amid Controversy**
In a move that has sparked widespread criticism, the Campania region of southern Italy has invited Russian conductor Valery Gergiev to perform at the Un’Estate da RE festival later this month. Gergiev’s return to Europe comes despite his close ties to Vladimir Putin and failure to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Gergiev, who was once a regular visitor to stages in Italy and across Europe, has been barred from European stages since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The 76-year-old conductor has never publicly denounced the war, leading many to view him as a cultural mouthpiece for Putin.
However, Vincenzo de Luca, the head of the Campania region, insists that Gergiev’s concert will go ahead despite growing criticism from European leaders and Ukrainian activists. De Luca has previously called Europe’s broad veto on pro-Putin artists “a moment of stupidity – a moment of madness” at the start of the war.
**Criticism Mounts**
Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, has condemned Gergiev’s return as “absolutely unacceptable.” She views him as a cultural envoys for Putin and his crimes. Ukrainian human rights activist Oleksandra Matviichuk also criticized the invitation, calling it “hypocrisy” rather than neutrality.
Russian opposition activists have similarly condemned Gergiev’s sudden return, with the Anti-Corruption Foundation calling on Italy’s interior ministry to ban him from entering the country.
**A History of Controversy**
Gergiev has been a vocal supporter of Putin since the 1990s and was handed management of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in addition to the Mariinsky Theatre. He was also accused of using donations for a charitable fund to pay for his own lavish lifestyle, according to an investigation by Alexei Navalny’s team.
Gergiev’s long and illustrious career includes stints at the London Symphony Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic, but invitations to Europe stopped abruptly on 24 February 2022, hours before Russia launched its first missiles at Ukraine. Despite being urged to speak out against the war, Gergiev chose silence, leading to his being dropped from concert schedules across the continent.
**EU Response**
The European Union has shied away from formal sanctions against Gergiev, despite Canada declaring him persona non grata and freezing any assets he may have in the country. A spokeswoman for the European Commission clarified that the Un’Estate da RE festival is not receiving EU cash and urged European stages to avoid giving space “to artists who support the war of aggression in Ukraine.”
As Italy hosts heads of state from across Europe to reaffirm their support for Ukraine, the controversy surrounding Gergiev’s return has raised questions about cultural genocide and the role of politics in art.
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