The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) yesterday canceled a concert featuring Russian-Austrian opera singer Anna Netrebko originally scheduled for the weekend after Ukrainians and officials expressed concerns over her ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“To address public expressions of concern, the NSO convened the orchestra and the international company representative of the performer to reach the conclusion that, due to various factors ... the evening concert with Netrebko is to be canceled,” the NSO said.
Earlier yesterday, Taiwan Stands With Ukraine founder Alex Khomenko and Olek Shyn, a Ukrainian student living in Taiwan, wrote on Facebook that the NSO and the National Theater and Concert Hall “should not be associated with a person who supports Putin’s genocidal and expansionist war.”
Photo: AFP
Netrebko last year briefly went into self-imposed retirement after controversy surrounding her perceived reluctance to condemn the Ukraine war. She later issued a statement condemning the war, for which Moscow branded her a traitor.
She is barred from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, which said that she had not done enough to distance herself from Putin.
Netrebko has long supported Putin and she has been seen wearing a shirt with the Soviet war slogan “Onward to Berlin” and the Saint George ribbon, both pro-war symbols, Khomenko and Shyn said.
Netrebko “indisputably had a close relationship with Putin” and her belated denouncement of the war — which was hollow and insincere — contrasted sharply with other artists who immediately spoke out against Moscow, they added.
“Her presence would engender in Ukrainians the same feelings in Taiwanese if an artist from China who supports ‘reunification by force’ is allowed to perform in Taiwan,” they said.
In a statement issued after the concert was canceled, Taiwan Stands With Ukraine thanked the NSO for its “understanding and solidarity.”
“While millions of Ukrainian people are still suffering from Russia’s invasion, time and again Taiwan took actions to alleviate the pain of the Ukrainian people and stand on the side of light,” it said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said that the division of art from politics cannot be maintained when the artist in question is a personal friend to warmongers.
The NSO and NTCH made a mistake in inviting Netrebko, especially after her performance in Berlin sparked furor among the German public and caused Ukrainian and Russian musicians to quit performing in protest, he said.
“Although the ministry respects the professionalism and autonomy of the NSO, no room for ambiguity can be brooked in Taiwan’s stance toward the Russia-Ukraine war,” the Ministry of Culture said.
Previously, the NSO defended its decision to host the singer in a statement on Facebook that has since been deleted, saying that multiple venues in Europe have rescinded their boycott on Netrebko following her public condemnation of the war.
Quoting the German mayor of Regensburg, the NSO had said the public should not blame all Russians for Putin’s war.
Additional reporting by Hsieh Chun-lin and CNA
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