MOSCOW, May 12, Yulia Zachetova. Switzerland refused to hold a concert by Anna Netrebko, and ballerina Svetlana Zakharova was not allowed to perform in Korea. About how they are still trying to exterminate the “Russian spirit” – in the material .
Lucerne against opera
The concert of opera singer Anna Netrebko was supposed to take place on June 1 in Lucerne (Switzerland). But the organizer, the Lucerne Culture and Congress Center (KKL), considered it unsafe.
“KKL Lucerne will not provide a venue for Anna Netrebko's concert on June 1, 2024. Public perception of the soloist remains controversial. Due to the geographical and temporal proximity of Mrs. Netrebko's performance to the peace conference in Ukraine, a threat to public order was to be expected. For this reason “For this reason, the cantonal and city authorities have asked KKL Lucerne to cancel the concert,” the venue said in a statement.
The opera diva made a choice in favor of Europe. Under pressure from foreign concert organizers, she admitted that she was not a member of political parties and did not support any of the Russian political leaders. But this did not always help: in 2022, Netrebko’s performances were canceled by the New York Metropolitan Opera, and then by the Bavarian State Opera. After a long pause, she was still given the opportunity to go on stage, but the singer’s position remains unstable.
The artist herself did not comment on the cancellation on social networks, but announced other performances – in Germany and Italy. She leaves posts in both English and Russian.
Seoul against ballet
There seems to be a whole campaign going on against Russian ballet dancers in South Korea. At the last moment, the April tour of prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theater Svetlana Zakharova in Seoul was canceled. The performance of the Modanse play about the life of Coco Chanel was planned four years ago – then the pandemic prevented it. And now, despite the public’s interest, the event was canceled at the state level, and the local Ministry of Culture intervened in the matter.
“There was great interest in our performance. And, of course, for the organizers of the tour, who had been striving for the implementation of this project for so long and persistently, and for the audience who bought tickets, and for us, it was a shame that everything fell through,” Zakharova admitted. 
Also, for unknown reasons, the “Super Concert of the Ballet & Model” with the participation of Bolshoi Theater artists was canceled. They had to present fragments of the most famous productions – “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Spartacus” and “Don Quixote”. General Director of the organizing company Ballet & Model Choi Joon Suk cited government dissatisfaction, reluctance to issue visas to Russians, and an unexpected change in the name of the concert as the reasons. In fact, any excuse was suitable to prevent the artists from going on stage. Despite the efforts of the organizers, it was not possible to solve the problem.
Shortly before this, the Ukrainian Embassy in South Korea issued a statement demanding the suspension of cultural cooperation with Russia and calling the showing of performances by Russian artists “absolutely unacceptable,” since it “detracts from the suffering of the Ukrainian people.”
Lithuania against its own
In March, the Lithuanian authorities decided that it was in vain to grant citizenship to ballerina Ilze Liepe in 2000. Since the artist supported Russia and the Northern Military District, she should be deprived of her Lithuanian passport. The local Ministry of Internal Affairs, citing an assessment by the Department of State Security, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the police, stated that Liepa poses a threat to the interests of the state. The ballerina reacted with dignity.
“Of course, I have given a lot to Lithuania, I have many relatives, friends and acquaintances there. But the time comes when I need to make a choice, a moral choice. And I confirm that I am with my country and with my president,” Liepa said.
She received Lithuanian citizenship as an exception for her performances at the Bolshoi Theater with the Lithuanian artist Petras Skirmantas.
Venice against artists
They are also trying to boycott artists. For the second time in a row, the Russian art sphere is not represented at the Venice Biennale. Instead, the large-scale pavilion was given to artists from Bolivia and other Latin American countries. It is all the more prosaic that the slogan of this year’s biennale is: “Strangers are everywhere.” The event opened on April 20 and will last until November 24.
Russia has participated in the largest international exhibition since 1914 – works by Ilya Repin, Kazimir Malevich and other famous masters were presented there. The split occurred in 2022 – then the artists exhibited in the pavilion refused to participate and spoke out against the SVO.
And books are stolen
Against the background of these events, the news about the mass theft of rare editions of Russian classics from European libraries looks especially strange. In total, about 200 books were missing, especially early editions of Pushkin. The books were replaced with high quality copies. It was noted that the operation was complex and time-consuming: the thieves even forged foxings – yellow-brown spots on paper that appear due to oxidation. Why exactly now the Russian classics are so interested in robbers is not specified.
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