An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the conductor of the Munich Philharmonic has been fired from his position in response to the full-scale invasion launched against Ukraine last Thursday.
The mayor of Munich, Dieter Reiter, said in a statement that Valery Gergiev, who had served as the chief conductor for the symphony, was let go after he did not condemn Putin’s actions regarding the invasion, according to the New York Times. Gergiev, who has previously endorsed Putin’s reelection efforts and has known him since the early ’90s, was fired from his position three years shy of his contract expiring.
“Munich parted ways with chief conductor Valery Gergiev,” the Munich Philharmonic posted in a Twitter thread. “With immediate effect, there will be no further concerts by the Munich Philharmonic under his baton.”
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A day after Putin had ordered troops to attack Ukraine, Reiter released a statement saying that he had requested that Gergiev not be involved with “the Russian invasion” and to make a decision as to whether he wanted to continue to support Putin by Monday.
“I made my position clear to Valery Gergiev and asked him to also clearly and unequivocally distance himself from the Russian invasion to distance ourselves from the brutal war of aggression that Putin is waging against Ukraine,” Reiter said.
Gergiev has shown his support for Putin over the past several years, according to Van magazine. He canceled a performance that he was supposed to play at in the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, in March 2018 in order to attend a campaign event for Putin in Moscow, according to the outlet.
Additionally, while leading a performance at the Russian National Defense Control Center on January 30, 2018, Gergiev was able to view weapons created by Russian armed forces in Syria, according to the outlet.
Reiter called upon Gergiev to “take a clear stance by Monday” in order to remain in his position with the philharmonic group.
UPDATE: Mayor of Munich Dieter Reiter has issued the following statement ?? pic.twitter.com/wGDySpoBxj
— VAN Magazine (@vanmusicmag) February 25, 2022
“I would have expected him to reconsider and revise his very positive assessment of the Russian ruler,” the Munich Philharmonic said. “He didn’t.”
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Among other Russian musicians, opera singer Anna Netrebko announced that she would be withdrawing herself from participating in several shows in Europe, according to Opera Wire. While Netrebko denounced the war on Ukraine, she issued a statement sharing that she felt in light of current events, it was best for her not to sing in Zurich, Germany, according to the outlet.
