Political uproar. The announcement that Russian conductor Valery Gergiev will perform at the “Un’Estate da Re” festival in Caserta on 27 July has sparked fierce debate.
- Campania Region’s line-up, fully funded by regional taxpayers, has drawn criticism for featuring an artist labelled as a Kremlin apologist.
- At Caserta, Gergiev will lead the Orchestra Filarmonica del Teatro G. Verdi di Salerno alongside Mariinsky Theatre soloists in a programme featuring Verdi’s overture, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and Ravel’s Bolero.
Picierno’s protest. European Parliament Vice-President Pina Picierno, a member of the Democratic Party, called on Governor Vincenzo De Luca, a fellow party member of hers, to revise the programme.
- She denounced Gergiev as a “Kremlin enabler” whose taxpayer-funded fee should be withheld.
- She argued that hosting him “risks funnelling public money into the pockets of a supporter of a criminal regime.”
Art vs politics. Senator Ivan Scalfarotto (Italia Viva) countered on X, agreeing on his opposition to Putin but warning that “censoring art, culture and music risks making us resemble the very forces we oppose.”
- He urged that artistic expression be kept distinct from geopolitical battles.
- Fratelli d’Italia’s deputy whip in the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Antoniozzi, condemned calls for a ban as “inconceivable” and “absurd,” defending Gergiev as “simply a great artist.”
- Antoniozzi, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s party, warned that punishing Russians en masse for their president’s actions equates to “cultural genocide”—joking that Picierno might even bar Fëdor Dostoevsky were he still alive.
Past controversies. Gergiev’s last Italian appearance was on 23 February 2022, hours before Russia fully invaded Ukraine.
- Shortly afterwards, Teatro alla Scala removed him amid demands to denounce Putin.
- Major institutions, from Carnegie Hall to the Vienna Philharmonic and the Munich Philharmonic, also severed ties.
Wider context. The controversy surrounding Gergiev’s upcoming performance comes amid broader concerns over Russian influence operations in Italy.
- In recent weeks, illegal billboard campaigns promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda appeared across several Italian cities, bearing QR codes redirecting users to Russian state-controlled outlets.
- Additionally, Italy recently hosted the first-ever festival organised by RT (formerly Russia Today) within a NATO country.
- These developments have fuelled criticism of institutions perceived as offering platforms to Kremlin-aligned figures, intensifying scrutiny over the Caserta concert.
