The Bayerische Staatsoper has postponed an upcoming production of Georg Friedrich Haas’s 2016 opera “Koma” and Monteverdi’s “Combattimento” due to the war in Ukraine.

In a statement, Serge Dorny said, “It is with great regret that we have decided, in consultation with Romeo Castellucci and Teodor Currentzis as well as our Munich and international co-production partners, to postpone the new production of Georg Friedrich Haas’s 2016 opera “Koma” to 2024.

The director also noted, “This decision was not easy for us, but became necessary due to the situation caused by the war in Ukraine and the accompanying uncertainty about the possible participation of the orchestra MusicÆterna. The resulting imponderables jeopardize the planning and realization of such a challenging project as ‘Koma.’ The work has a complex score, a large part of which must be played by heart by the musicians in the dark. This means demanding rehearsal work that is adapted to the performance venue – the newly built Munich Volkstheater. Considering the short time span remaining until the festival, we have not been able to find alternative solutions that would have ensured our artistic quality.”

These are the latest artist to be affected by the war in Munich after Anna Netrebko and Valery Gergiev were dismissed for not separating themselves from Russian president Vladimir Putin. MusicÆterna is a Russian-funded orchestra whose creative laboratory is now located at Dom Radio in Saint Petersburg; MusicÆterna residencies are being set up in Moscow, Lucerne and other cultural capitals.