The West is rightly escalating its sanctions on the Russian economy. It is unfortunate but necessary that these sanctions and associated boycotts of the Russian market by major corporations impose a cost on Russian families. If Vladimir Putin is to reassess the cost-benefit analysis of war against Ukraine, he must feel the anger of both the oligarchs and the people.
Still, robust sanctions should not entail ridiculous stupidity. I note that in light of the Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra canceling a Tchaikovsky-featured concert next week. Wales’s foremost Philharmonic says that playing Tchaikovsky was “deemed to be inappropriate at this time.”
As the Washington Examiner’s Jerry Dunleavy observed, this is exactly the wrong decision. A celebration of Tchaikovsky is a celebration not of Putin but of Russian history and culture. It is thus the antithesis of what Putin is doing with his effort to annihilate Ukraine’s culture and identity. More importantly, Tchaikovsky shows that there is another Russia beyond Putin’s warped imperialism. Oscillating between themes that provoke somber contemplation and inspired confidence, Tchaikovsky’s music, as encapsulated by his Swan Lake masterpiece, is art for all emotional seasons.
When a music journalist asked for further context from the Cardiff Philharmonic, the orchestra responded with more silliness. Its two arguments are that a member of the orchestra has a family member in Ukraine and that the concert was to include the military-themed “March Slave“ and “1812 Overture.” They say that those musical choices would be “particularly inappropriate” to play.
Obviously, the family situation is tragic, but life must go on. Why not do for that member of the orchestra what sports teams are doing and allow them to take some time off? Or why not donate the proceeds of the concert’s ticket sales to Ukrainian charities?
Then there’s the “1812 Overture.”
History matters. The overture is no celebration of a war of aggression such as Putin’s war against Ukraine. Instead, it memorializes the heroic resistance of the Russian people to Napoleon’s invasion of their homeland. That makes the overture very well suited to the experience of the Ukrainian people at this moment. Like the Russians of 1812, the Ukrainians of 2022 are facing overwhelming odds. But just as the Russians of 1812 refused to surrender, even burning down their capital rather than surrendering it to Napoleon, Ukraine now applies a similar strategy of resolution to Putin’s invasion. And as with the collapse of Napoleon’s logistics train in Russia, Ukraine’s courageous defense has unveiled a totally inadequate Russian logistics train today.
Tchaikovsky’s influence is enduring, even if it’s unknown to some of those who have experienced it. The Nutcracker clearly inspired the theme song to the highly successful Stargate SG-1 television show, for example.
So, yes, let’s condemn, oppose, and sanction Putin and the economy that enables him. But let’s not sanction beautiful Russian culture. Doing so does nothing to support Ukraine. On the contrary, it only empowers Putin to veil his naked imperial aggression further as an honorable struggle for Russia’s identity.
