\n<\/p>\n
When the Wiener Festwochen, a prestigious festival that brings leading international artists to Vienna, announced this spring\u2019s lineup, the backlash was swift and fierce.<\/p>\n
The festival had planned to make the Russian invasion of Ukraine a focus of its programming, juxtaposing an appearance by the Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv with a concert by the maestro Teodor Currentzis<\/a>, who has faced scrutiny over his connections to Russia<\/a>. Critics, including Lyniv, had argued that the pairing was insensitive and ignored the suffering of Ukrainians.<\/p>\n Now, after weeks of pressure, the festival has abandoned its plan, saying that it would cancel<\/a> the appearance by Currentzis while moving forward with the one by Lyniv.<\/p>\n \u201cThe decision was clear and there was no alternative,\u201d Milo Rau, the festival\u2019s artistic director, said in an interview on Tuesday. \u201cThis was the best solution from bad ones.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Since Russia invaded Ukraine, many cultural organizations have severed ties with close associates of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and the government there. Some institutions have been criticized for overreach after canceling performances by Russian artists with no known connections to the government. Others have grappled with how to handle artists who had less clear-cut allegiances.<\/p>\n Currentzis, a Greek-born, Russian-trained maestro whose leadership of the Russian ensemble MusicAeterna turned him into one of the world\u2019s most prominent conductors, has been at the center of the discussion because of his relationship with VTB Bank, a Russian state-owned institution that has been under sanction<\/a>s by the United States and other countries. VTB Bank was the main sponsor of MusicAeterna. Currentzis has also drawn scrutiny for his association with Russian officials: In 2014, Putin awarded Currentzis citizenship by presidential decree.<\/p>\n Currentzis has refrained from publicly commenting on the war. But as criticism has mounted, he announced<\/a> in 2022 that he would form a new international ensemble, Utopia, with the support of donors outside Russia. He continues to conduct in Russia, according to MusicAeterna\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n His appearance in Vienna was to be part of a tour in June with the SWR Symphony Orchestra of Germany, which he leads as chief conductor<\/a>, performing Benjamin Britten\u2019s \u201cWar Requiem.\u201d He was to appear with the Vienna Boys\u2019 Choir and the London Symphony Chorus.<\/p>\n Representatives for Currentzis did not respond to requests for comment. Anke Mai, the SWR program director, said in a statement that she regretted the Wiener Festwochen\u2019s decision to cancel the performance. She said the orchestra had never asked Currentzis to make a statement on the war \u201cin view of the consequences that such a statement would have for Currentzis in Russia.\u201d She added that she believed Currentzis and the orchestra were \u201csending a message that cannot be misunderstood\u201d by choosing to perform the \u201cWar Requiem,\u201d which is a call for peace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAll those involved would have liked to bring this message to Vienna,\u201d Mai said. \u201cNevertheless, we accept the decision of the Wiener Festwochen and hope to meet again in more peaceful times.\u201d<\/p>\n Rau, the festival\u2019s artistic director, who has a reputation as a provocative stage director<\/a>, said he had invited Currentzis to perform<\/a> in part because he was interested in the idea of starting a conversation about art in wartime. Lyniv was also invited to lead the Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and the National Choir of Ukraine in a performance<\/a> of the Ukrainian composer Yevhen Stankovych\u2019s oratorio \u201cKaddish Requiem,\u201d written to remember the 1941 massacre of Jews near Kyiv by Nazis<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rau said he was troubled by Currentzis\u2019s ties to Russian institutions. But he said he felt he had created a context in which he could appear.<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided this would be a nice thing to try to have this exchange,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was very intentional to say that we want to have something that is difficult and that is questionable.\u201d<\/p>\n Soon after the plans were announced, Lyniv issued a statement in protest, saying that she worried about \u201cwhitewashing\u201d Currentzis.<\/p>\n \u201cI cannot be responsible to the almost 150 musicians who are traveling to Vienna from the war in Ukraine to be put in the same context as Teodor Currentzis,\u201d she said in a statement at the time. \u201cCurrentzis\u2019s connections to Russia and his silence on this war of aggression against my homeland make it impossible for me to appear in a context with him at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Lyniv, who is in New York this month preparing to conduct \u201cTurandot\u201d at the Metropolitan Opera, said she was pleased by the festival\u2019s decision but declined to comment further.<\/p>\n As he searched for a solution, Rau spoke in recent days with artists and administrators. He said that he had received more than 50 messages about his decision to cancel the performance by Currentzis, many of them critical.<\/p>\n \u201cThe festival is big; we have 35 productions,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in this specific case I failed, and I\u2019m sad about it. But I\u2019ve failed so many times. It\u2019s part of the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n