Gergiev (68) did not comment despite being asked to clearly and unequivocally distance himself from the war against Ukraine, Reiter justified the step on Tuesday.
There will therefore be no further concerts by the Munich Philharmonic under his direction, said Reiter. Gergiev did not respond to the call to “clearly and unequivocally distance oneself from the brutal war of aggression that Putin is waging against Ukraine and now especially against our twin city of Kyiv,” the mayor said.
On Friday, Reiter gave the conductor an ultimatum until Monday evening. In the current situation, “a clear signal for the orchestra, its audience, the public and city politics would have been essential in order to be able to continue working together,” emphasized the head of the town hall.
Gergiev has been chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic, a city orchestra, since 2015. His friendship with the Russian ruler Putin has repeatedly brought him under criticism. In 2014, he signed an artist’s appeal for Russia’s annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, thereby officially supporting Putin’s policies.
Other cultural institutions such as La Scala in Milan, the Baden-Baden Festival Hall and the Elbphilharmonie also called on Gergiev to break away from Putin. His artist agency in Munich parted ways with him. A few days ago, the Vienna Philharmonic replaced Gergiev with another conductor at a series of concerts in New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Source: Nachrichten
