Who is Valery Gergiev, the conductor and friend of Putin who will perform at the Royal Palace of Caserta: De Luca against everyone?

“ I am simply obliged to say it: there is a big problem with the 'Summer of a King' festival. Because Valery Gergiev, the famous Russian conductor, was invited to the event. He is a dear friend of Vladimir Putin. Not just a friend. And not just a supporter. But also a promoter of Putin's criminal policies, his accomplice and supporter .” Yulia Navalnaya , wife of Putin dissident Navalny, explains this in the pages of Repubblica regarding the controversy that broke out over the presence of the pro- Putin conductor at the cultural event. “ I want to appeal to Italians: be consistent. For many years, the maestro has supported Putin's policies with a fervor worthy of the noblest causes ,” says the Russian dissident's wife, listing how Gergiev has supported or colluded with Putin 's policies.

Valery Gergiev at the Royal Palace of Caserta: words from Yulia Navalnaja

“ In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by my husband, Alexei Navalny, published an investigation titled 'Putin's War Conductor.' In it, we detailed how, for several years, Gergiev used the substantial funds from a charitable foundation named after him for personal gain, ” he recalls. “These resources, essentially owned by the Russian state and intended to support theaters and young talent, were used to ensure his comfortable life.” “Valery Gergiev is not just a simple companion of the dictatorial regime: he has become an integral part of it. Precisely for this reason, he has never condemned Putin for the invasion of Ukraine ,” he concludes . “Isn't this enough to never invite him to international music festivals again? ”

Who is Valery Gergiev, the conductor and friend of Putin who will perform at the Royal Palace of Caserta?

The political battle is heating up over the announced presence of Russian conductor Valery Gergiev on July 27 at the "Un'Estate da Re" festival at the Royal Palace of Caserta , planned and funded by the Campania Region . The one who raised the bar was Democratic Party MEP Pina Picierno , who in a post on X asked Governor Vincenzo De Luca " to intervene to modify the program and prevent taxpayers' money from ending up in the pockets of a supporter of a criminal regime ", calling Gergiev a " supporter of the Kremlin ". Ivan Scalfarotto , senator and head of foreign affairs for Italia Viva, also spoke out on the issue, taking the opposite view: “ I read that my friend Pina Picerno has asked that Valery Gergiev, a Russian conductor, be prevented from performing in Caserta because of his support for Vladimir Putin ,” Scalfarotto wrote on X. “As you know, I am totally on Ukraine's side and I think all the worst possible things about Putin and his regime, but I don't follow you on this, dear Pina. If we think we can fight this battle by censoring art, culture, and music, we risk becoming dangerously similar to those we rightly want to fight .”

Political reactions: Pina Picierno's first complaint and her appeal to Vincenzo De Luca

From FdI, the deputy group leader in the Chamber of Deputies , Alfredo Antoniozzi, stigmatized the attempted “ censorship ” against “ a great conductor like Valéry Gergiev. I find this inconceivable. Absurd. Gergiev is simply a great artist. If the Russians have to pay for the mistakes of their president, then we are committing a sort of cultural genocide. The Hon. Picierno would probably ban Dostoevsky, if he were alive, from coming to Italy today .” Gergiev ’s last performance in Italy was on February 23, 2022, a few hours after the Russian invasion of Ukraine . Then the maestro was “ removed ” from conducting the La Scala orchestra for not having distanced himself from Putin , as Mayor Giuseppe Sala had asked him to do. A ban then also came from other important cultural institutions, from Carnegie Hall to the Vienna Philharmonic , to the Munich Philharmonic . He is now on the bill at Un'Estate da Re , with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the G. Verdi Theatre of Salerno and the soloists of the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg : on the programme, the performance of Verdi's Overture, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 in E minor Op. 64, Bolero by Maurice Ravel.

Valery Gergiev at the Royal Palace of Caserta: Vincenzo De Luca's words

" We have welcomed thousands of Ukrainian citizens into our country, and we have shown solidarity. We do not intend to accept any logic of exclusion or interruption of dialogue, because this does not help peace. This only serves to fuel the rivers of hatred and distances us from peace ." This was stated by Vincenzo De Luca , President of the Campania Region, commenting on the comments of Yulia Navalnaja , wife of dissident Navalny , regarding the case of the concert in Caserta by Valery Gergiev , considered pro- Putin . "Therefore," De Luca added, "no appeal can be made to us ; we are the only ones who have been fighting for a ceasefire for years, in everyone's silence. Obviously, those least entitled to speak are those who don't say a word about the genocide of children in Gaza and pretend to worry about other things and other figures who are part of the world of culture and art and who do not have political decisions in their hands ."

" We are trying to stay within the realm of reasonableness," De Luca said . "Campania is the only institution that promoted peace initiatives when everyone else was asleep. Clear? We've been doing so since October 28, 2022, denouncing the aggression against Ukraine, so we have nothing to add. We have to criticize those who have been asleep for three years and are now perhaps trying to take action. Our position is one of dialogue with everyone, and on the Ukrainian situation, we stand by what we said three years ago. Putin is guilty and remains guilty. The West is not innocent because it did nothing to prevent the invasion of Ukraine, and we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Right now, " De Luca concluded, " they are talking to the person who decides, who is not a conductor, but his name is Putin. Everyone is talking, from Macron to Trump, to Trump's guests, with great cordiality. What do you propose? To also cut off communication channels with Putin? "

Valery Gergiev at the Royal Palace of Caserta: a clarification from the European Commission

The European Commission has confirmed that the ' A King's Summer ' festival, which is scheduled to feature Russian conductor Valery Gergiev , a supporter of Vladimir Putin , " is not financed with European resources, but with national funds, through the Italian Development and Cohesion Fund ." A spokesperson for the EU executive specified this during the daily press briefing. " The Commission has no responsibility for the selection and implementation of these national funds, which is the responsibility of the Member States, " she added, recalling that EU Commissioner for Culture Glenn Micallef " has repeatedly reiterated that European stages should not give space to artists who support the war of aggression in Ukraine ." " We also urge cultural organizations to work with artists who support democratic values ," she concluded.

Valery Gergiev at the Royal Palace of Caserta: Minister Giuli's words

" Art is free and cannot be censored. Propaganda, however, even when done with talent, is another matter. For this reason, the concert by Putin's friend and advisor, Valery Gergiev, desired, promoted, and paid for by the Campania Region and which will be held in the Royal Palace of Caserta, which, like all autonomous institutions of the Ministry of Culture, has the autonomy to choose which events to host, risks sending the wrong message ," said the Minister of Culture, Alessandro Giuli . " Ukraine ," Giuli added, " is an invaded nation, and Gergiev's concert could transform a high-level, but objectively controversial and divisive, musical event into a sounding board for Russian propaganda. Which, in my opinion, would be deplorable ."