Despite the absolute rejection of violence and war in Ukraine, for now the Palau de la Música, the Auditori and the Liceu, the three most important musical institutions in Barcelona, continue to support Russian musicians in their programming. Many of them play an important role in Barcelona Overture, a classic spring with top performers, interesting programs and some premieres, from March 6 to 30. The aim is to attract both music-loving cultural tourists and those who want to discover classical music to Barcelona with free concerts in the city by young artists in all the districts in emblematic spaces (just book through the Barcelona Obertura website).
Russian music and its performers will serve in Barcelona Overture to remember the cultural greatness of a country in the spotlight after the invasion of Ukraine. Recently the famous czar of classical Valery Gergiev has had to leave several projects in Europe and the US for refusing to condemn the war. For now, the Liceu holds the concert that the great Russian soprano Anna Netrebko will offer on April 3 to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the Gran Teatre, one of the great events of the season.
Russia and Barcelona Overture
In the programming they stand out Teodor Currentzis’s version of the ‘Symphony no. 1’ by Brahms with the Stuttgart SWR Symphony; the staging of the furero Àlex Ollé de Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande at the Liceu, with the first lyrical swords; the concert by the group Les Sciècles with a monograph on Stravinsky at the Palau; and the Rachmaninov Festival, that this weekend and the next one offers in the Auditori all the piano concerts of the Russian composer performed by his compatriot Denis Kozhukhin, with Matthias Pintscher and Kazusho Ono, in front of the OBC. Kozhukhin will also perform a chamber program with the violinist Janin Jansen with sonatas by Schubert, Brahms and Beethoven.
The singer, who lives in Vienna, has recently been forced to speak out on social networks: “I oppose this war. I am Russian and I love my country but I have many friends in Ukraine and the pain and suffering are breaking my heart. I want to that it ends and we can live in peace. I pray for it, “he assured. And she has added: “It is not fair to force artists or any public figure to expose political opinions in public and denounce their countries.”
Netrebko takes a break
The statements considered too timid have led to several cancellations in theaters in Germany and Switzerland. This Tuesday the diva has decided to leave the stage for a while. “After deep reflection I have made the very difficult decision to withdraw from concert life for now & rdquor ;, said the singer. In her statement, quoted by the Austrian public broadcaster ORF, the diva adds that “it is not the right time to act now and to make music & rdquor ;. At the Liceu, however, he has not received any notification of the singer canceling her concert, which is still advertised on the Gran Teatre website.
The Liceu study different scenarios “from the most aggressive to the most tolerant”
Víctor Garcia de Gomar, artistic director of the Liceu, has acknowledged that the invasion of Ukraine has created “an opaque cloud” over Netrebko’s performance. He recalled that “the Liceu is a sensitive opera house, which seeks to respond from art and not from confrontation, seeking dialogue. The stage is a space of freedom where any opinion fits, be it more or less appropriate. That is the spirit of art”. But he has confessed to studying different scenarios “from the most aggressive to the most tolerant” pending deciding “what position is the most appropriate to commemorate the 175th anniversary without making mistakes”. Without advancing much more, he added: “The history of the Liceu is made up of many difficult moments and this is one more that we hope to overcome with a clear, forceful but at the same time sensitive response.”
The Gran Teatre is not the only one studying how to act. A joint response to the situation created by the war by Opera Europa, an organization that brings together the main arenas, is not ruled out. Also from ECHO, which brings together some of the most important audiences on the Old Continent, they are seeking to agree on a common position.
“We cannot take refuge in the idea of ’art is free’. Ukraine is being attacked in a savage war”
Jordi Marti
Jordi Martí, head of the Culture area of the Barcelona City Council, considers that it is time to pronounce. “The commitment to peace is the minimum to demand from anyone who wants to address the public now that there is an armed conflict and victims.” And he added: “We cannot take refuge in the idea of ’art is free’. Ukraine is being attacked in a savage war. We must respond and not be mere observers.” Joan Oller, General Director of the Orfeó-Palau de la Música Foundation, has declared: “If a Russian artist has criticized the war and demonstrated against it, it seemed absurd to me to exclude him from a program.” And Robert Brufau, head of the Auditori, has warned of the sensitivity of the situation for Russian musicians: “Putting the focus on the artist is a mistake. It is putting extra pressure on them, especially if we are talking about countries where freedom of expression can have consequences. That’s why they prefer not to say anything.”
In other latitudes they have already positioned themselves. Peter Gelb, director of the New York Metropolitan has announced that he will stop working with artists or institutions that support Putin. Quite a warning to Valery Gergiev, acclaimed music director that he has already missed his concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic and his engagements at the Scala where he conducted ‘The Queen of Spades’ due to his refusal to speak out against the war. The Munich Philharmonic has also fired him as head today because of his support for Putin. It should not be forgotten that Gergiev, head of the Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg, is a member of the Kremlin’s Council for Culture and the Arts and has always closed ranks with the government of his country.
“As a Russian musician I strongly repudiate Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine and I am against the war”
alexei volodin
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Other Russian artists, however, have wanted to speak out. It is the case of Alexei Volodin, pianist who lives in Madrid and that we will soon see with the Franz Schubert Philharmonic of Tomàs Grau with the ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’, by Brahms. Volodin has made a statement criticizing his country’s war against Ukraine: “As a Russian musician, I feel the need and the responsibility to clarify in front of my audience and in front of the world that I strongly repudiate Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine and I am against war”.
Other concerts of Barcelona Overture
In the programming of the Barcelona Obertura, three Baroque operas in concert version stand out at the Palau. On the one hand ‘King Arthur’ and ‘The fairy queen’, by Purcell, by Vox Luminis and on the other, ‘Giulio Cesare in Egitto’, by Händel, with Forma Antiqva. But before, this very weekto the young and impressive violinist María Dueñas will offer a concert with the Die Deutsche Kammerphilarmonie of Bremendirected by lark of the vine after its fantastic debut at the Auditori, with works by Sibelius, Ginastera and Dvorák. And another director, the veteran Marin Alsop, will offer works by Eisendle, Schumann and Dvorak with the Vienna Radio Symphonywith the collaboration of Barcelona Clàssics.
For lovers of symphonic-choral music, highlight two works in the Auditori by the OBC: Gerhard’s ‘The Plague’, a rarely played piece Britten’s ‘Les Illuminations’ with the Ensemble O Vos Omnes of the Auditorium, the Cor de Chamber of the Palau and the Cor Madrigalwith the OBC directed by Francesc Prat and with the tenor Ian Bostridge as a soloist