Gay NY Opera Protesters Promise More Sour Notes for Russian Performers

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Gay rights protesters who raised their voices and disrupted the start of the New York Metropolitan Opera’s Russocentric opening night gala on Monday were singing victory on Tuesday, and planning new ways to pressure high-profile Russian performers to speak out against their country’s controversial legislation on homosexuality. Duncan Osborne, one of the protesters and a member of Queer Nation NY, a New York-based group that works to end discrimination against the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, said, “As we continue to press Russian artists who come to the USA, and as we continue to pressure Russian public figures who come to the USA, I think we’ll begin to see folks in Russia begin to question the wisdom of this law they have passed”.

The season-opening gala is a cornerstone event for New York society and opera enthusiasts. However, the performance of Yevgeni Onegin, written by famed Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and performed by two Russian stars, was a tempting target for protesters. The Monday night gay rights protest was aimed at world-famous Russian opera diva Anna Netrebko and renowned Russian conductor Valery Gergiev, both were headlining the opera at the Met and both are supporters of President Vladimir Putin. Patrons in black ties and sequined evening gowns were greeted outside the venue by what Queer Nation NY says was an estimated 150-200 chanting protesters passing out flyers, rainbow pins and holding a giant rainbow flag that’s come to symbolise the gay rights movement.

Osborne said, “We wanted Netrebko and Gergiev to hear from us. We think they’re important voices in Russia and we think it’s morally incumbent upon them to speak out and oppose what the Russian government is doing. I was one of the four people who were inside the theatre. I’m the person who yelled, ‘Anna, your silence is killing Russian gays! Valery, your silence is killing Russian gays’”. Ken Kidd, another member of Queer Nation NY who took part in the protest, estimated it lasted about three minutes, saying, “Once security nabbed him, I jumped up… and I started bellowing, ‘Putin. Stop. End Your War on Russian Gays!’ over and over and over again. Because security was focused on Duncan… it took a very long time for them to regroup and come get me, so I enjoyed quite a bit of time making our point”.

The point, protesters said, was to challenge a controversial law signed by Putin earlier this year banning the promotion of non-traditional relationships to minors. The Kremlin maintains that the law doesn’t prevent adults from making their own choices and its aim is to protect children; critics claim that the legislation is part of a much wider crackdown on Russia’s LGBT community. Kidd said, “The Russian Ambassador was there last night, and I’m sure that through him and probably plenty of others, Putin personally got an earful and directly heard Duncan’s and my voice. Imagine the impact Netrebko would have if she used her influence and celebrity and those same three minutes to say the same thing to Putin”.

In an email to RIA-Novosti, the Met dismissed the impact of the protest. Press manager Sam Neuman said, “The disruption last night consisted of two people seated in the family circle who chanted an anti-Putin message for approximately 45 seconds before the performance began. The ushers asked them to leave and they did, along with their two companions. This was before the performance happened and any artists were onstage, so I’m not even sure they were aware”. Neuman later told RIA-Novosti that Gergiev conducted the US National Anthem immediately before the protest began, which Queer Nation said was music to its ears. Osborne said, “Many LGBT Russians who aren’t powerful people, who aren’t wealthy people, spoke out against these laws, and if those people can do it, Anna Netrebko and Valery Gergiev can do it as well”.

Duncan said that other Russian performers and political figures can expect to hear from protesters at a broad range of upcoming events in the USA, including the Moscow City Ballet, scheduled to perform in New York in December, and conductor Yuri Temirkanov, scheduled to perform along with the St Petersburg Philharmonic at New York’s Carnegie Hall in February. Osborne said, “We’re also looking for opportunities to confront the Russian ambassador here in the USA. He obviously is an appointee of Putin, and I assume is going to be someone who is going to be supportive. So, we wouldn’t be looking to him to speak out. We would be looking to condemn him for his support of these laws and for his government’s support of these laws”. The Russian Embassy in Washington declined a request for comment from RIA-Novosti.

The Met protest is the latest in a string of protests over the legislation, including a push to boycott Russian vodka and other products, as well as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, concerns about the Miss Universe pageant scheduled to take place in Moscow in November, even a call from the American Kennel Club to move the 2016 World Dog Show out of Russia. Protesters say that they’re already seeing signs of success, including public comments on the issue from Putin and US President Barack Obama, attention from the International Olympic Committee, and QueerFest2013, an LGBT festival taking place in Russia this week aimed at promoting tolerance. Osborne said, “It’s notable to me that they were visited by the police, and the police came and left, so to my knowledge the Russian government has opted to leave that festival alone, which means the government understands it’s being watched, and it is being much more careful in the actions that it takes”. He added that ultimate success would only come with the repeal of Russia’s homosexual law.

25 September 2013

Maria Young

RIA-Novosti

http://www.en.rian.ru/world/20130925/183705945/Gay-NY-Opera-Protesters-Promise-More-Sour-Notes-for-Russian-Performers.html

Editor’s Note:

What are these guys smokin’? It’s goodass weed, for sure, and I want some. Let’s keep it simple. VVP isn’t going to bow to any pressure from organised gays. He’s not Barack Obama. When he says “nyet”, he means it, and it’s the end of the story. Gays are free to follow their lifestyle in Russia… however, the law states that they can’t suborn kids. Let me clue you in on something… most of the gays are satisfied that their orientation is no longer criminalised. Most gays know the boundaries, and know that if they stay within them, they can count on the law being on their side, Putin said as much recently. These protests are counterproductive… but they’ll continue, just you watch. It’s not going to amount to a mouse fart in a hurricane, but the protests will continue, as the protestors (and their enablers in Western media, academe, and politics) will get such massive “warm n’ fuzzies” from hating Russians.

Russian Orthodox people here should take notice. The zapadniki don’t like us, they never did, and they think that we’re inferior to them in all ways. We should be wary of both the “conservatives” and “liberals”… both groups wish to use us, neither group gives a damn for our culture, civilisation, and faith. We should remember that our true spiritual and inner homeland is the Orthosphere… even though we live here. These protests should remind us that this isn’t our “permanent city”… not only in a theological sense, but in the secular sense as well. Let’s remember who we are…

BMD  

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Maestro Valery Gergiev Fetes His 60th Birthday with Carnegie Hall Concerts

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Entertainment media reported that maestro Valery Gergiev would celebrate his 60th birthday at Carnegie Hall in New York this October with three concerts featuring music of Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Rachmaninoff. Broadway World.com reported on Monday that Gergiev, who’s also marking his 25th year with the legendary Mariinsky Orchestra, will conduct an all-Stravinsky program on 10 October, featuring the composer’s famous ballet music from L’oiseau de feu (The Firebird), Pétrouchka, and Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring). On 11 October, Gergiev will conduct a performance of a Shostakovich concerto and the composer’s Symphony No. 8 in C minor, opus 65, followed by the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances, opus 45 and a piano concerto on 15 October. The Mariinsky is one of the oldest orchestras in Russia, having premièred works by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich, just to name a few. Gergiev first conducted the orchestra in 1978; since becoming Artistic and General Director in 1996, he’s toured with the ensemble to more than 45 countries. winning acclaim for widely expanding its repertoire.

27 August 2013

RIA-Novosti

http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130827/182998034/Gergiev-Fetes-60th-Birthday-With-Carnegie-Concerts.html

1.7 Million People to Take Part in May Day Trades Union Gatherings in Russia

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On Wednesday, Mikhail Shmakov, chairman of the Federation of Independent Trades Unions of Russia (FNPR), said that 1.7 million people would take part in May Day trades union gatherings in Russia. He pointed up that more than 1,000 cities and towns across Russia would hold rallies and marches to mark International Workers’ Day. Shmakov told us that the holiday began in 1889, to pay tribute to Chicago workers striking for an eight-hour day. He said that more than 80,000 people would take part in May Day celebrations in Moscow, which will include a large-scale rally of the FNPR, which will include members of United Russia and the all-Russia People’s Front. The KPRF, LDPR, A Just Russia, and various public organisations will hold their own May Day actions.

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Kamchatka Krai will hold the first Spring and Labour Day celebrations in Russia. The central square of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russia’s easternmost city, will be the open-air venue for the festivities. A festive holiday programme will feature performances of amateur art groups and the city’s brass band. Moscow will host a large-scale procession of the FNPR, with participation by United Russia members, along with the all-Russia People’s Front. The KPRF, LDPR, A Just Russia, and various social movements will hold similar Labour Day events. Over a million and a half people intend to participate in May Day trades union events in Russia.

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Today, President Vladimir Putin will award the first people with the re-established Hero of Labour order. The ceremony will be at the Constantine Palace near St Petersburg. He will grant this distinction to five Russians “for outstanding performance in state, public, and economic activities”. Valery Gergiev, the outstanding conductor and art-director of the Mariinsky Theatre is one of the recipients. The Maestro trained a galaxy of world-class artists; much of his work is dedicated to supporting music ensembles and talented Russian artists. Vladimir Putin signed the decree on the re-establishment of this award on 29 March 2013. Now, the Hero of Labour is the second-highest mark of state recognition, after the Hero of Russia.

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Today, in St Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin said, “We need to make good work respected again, as this is the only way we can make Russia great”. He said this when he congratulated the first recipients of the reinstated Soviet-era title of Hero of Labour. Putin told the first five winners of the much-coveted award, “This country is proud to have people like you”. Amongst the first recipients were Valery Gergiev, artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, tractor driver Vladimir Melnik, prominent neurosurgeon Alexander Konovalov, and Rosatom metal worker Konstantin Chumanov. Chumanov said that Rosatom was now one of the world’s very best such companies, boasting a full portfolio of nuclear reactor orders. Mentioning the post-Fukushima safety level at existing nuclear power plants everywhere, President Putin said nuclear safety at Russian NPPs was second to none.

1 May 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_01/1-7-mln-people-to-take-part-in-May-Day-trade-union-demonstrations-in-Russia/

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_01/Spring-and-Labor-Day-in-Russia/

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_01/Russia-s-President-Putin-awards-honorable-distinctions-to-Heroes-of-Labor/

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_05_01/Putin-awards-insignia-of-distinction-to-the-first-Heroes-of-Labor/

Editor’s Note:

The title Hero of Labour is a Stalin-era title. You can have President Putin’s attitude to the Stalin era or you can have Victor Potapov’s attitude to the Stalin era. Most Russians (both at home and here in the diaspora) agree with President Putin, NOT Langley’s stooge Potapov… I wonder why…

BMD

Valery Gergiev: A Conductor of World Harmony

Maestro Valery Gergiev (1953- ), Director of the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra and well-known international art music figure

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Thorough the gifts and charisma of Maestro Valery Gergiev, The World Orchestra for Peace continues to bring hope that we can find genuine understanding and harmony, not only in music. “Of course, we can’t make peace all at once. However, we can show the world that people of different cultures can work together”. These words of the famous Russian maestro Valery Gergiev prefaced his performance on 5 August at the famous London festival of classical music, the BBC Promenade Concerts (BBC Proms), as the chief conductor of the World Orchestra for Peace. On the eve of the concert, this unique group, consisting of 90 performers, representing 47 of the best orchestras in the world, was awarded the honorary title of UNESCO Artists for Peace. Gergiev himself has held the title since 2003.

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“Artists for Peace” is the motto of the organisation according to its founder, British maestro Sir George Solti. The concert in honour of the 50th anniversary of the UN under his baton in 1995 was, unfortunately, the only one [under his direction]. Sir George died shortly thereafter, but his idealistic belief in the special mission of this international ensemble was remarkably resilient. The Peace Orchestra musicians played complex scores with almost no rehearsal, demonstrating miracles in understanding the music. In large part, this was due to the talent of Maestro Gergiev, who took the orchestra after the death of Solti. Then, critics unanimously declared that only Gergiev, with his charisma, could so brilliantly continue this project.

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Meanwhile, Valery Abisalovich, despite his worldwide fame and adoration, very modestly spoke of himself. “I never thought that I would be a leader as a way of life, I never thought that I would be a conductor, I never thought that I would lead a large orchestra. However, I was involved in music. Once it arises, a love for classical music doesn’t diminish. It’s an incurable disease, and I am a willing sufferer. What’s a conductor? Of course, he’s a musician, but he’s a man who every day, every morning and evening, and in every rehearsal and in every concert, who directs, above all, a group of people. I’ve always relied on very sincere human relations, proceeding from the fact that I treat my close working colleagues as my friends”, Maestro Gergiev said.

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Perhaps this simple principle allows the Russian conductor to overcome the difficulties that arise in working with musicians from different traditions. “An oboist from Vienna and a trombonist from America will have very different ideas about style, intonation, and even how to breathe. However, the great pleasure of working with such a challenging group consists precisely in how quickly different musicians of different performing schools can find common ground and achieve a harmonious sound”, he said.

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For Maestro Gergiev, a reminder about the need for peace and harmony in these days of August is particularly relevant. Two years ago, just days after Russian troops stopped the armed invasion of South Ossetia by Georgia, Maestro Gergiev with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra arrived in the destroyed Ossetian capital of Tskhinval, and gave an open-air concert in memory of the victims of the Georgian aggression. Moreover, the music and words he chose called us to reason, compassion, and humanism. Incidentally, the World Orchestra for Peace is not the only international ensemble that has worked with Maestro Gergiev. For example, he directed the World Youth Orchestra in a concert given in Moscow on Red Square. In addition, in recent years, he has spent his creative life on different stages throughout the world, with different musical ensembles, performing music by composers of all epochs and all nations. That is not very different from his work with the World Peace Orchestra; it’s the same thing, really; it’s a huge non-stop international project.

5 August 2010

Yelena Andrusenko

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/2010/08/05/14668257.html