(Credit: Per Appelgren)

The Deutsche Oper am Rhein has canceled the premiere of its new production of “Andrea Chenier” due to the war in Ukraine.

The company released a statement that said, “Against the background of the war in Ukraine, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein is canceling the premiere of Umberto Giordano’s opera ‘Andrea Chénier’ planned for May 14, 2022 in the Düsseldorf Opera House in the staging of the director of the Moscow Helikon Opera, Dmitry Bertman.”

It added, “Rehearsals with Bertman and his team were scheduled for early April. The decision to interrupt the cooperation was made by general director Christoph Meyer in consultation with the mayors of the cities of Düsseldorf and Duisburg, Dr. Stephan Keller and Soren Link.

For his part, Meyer said, “I deeply regret this cancellation, but there is no alternative in the current situation. I would like to emphasize that it is not directed against the artist Dmitry Bertman. Rather, we are suspending cooperation with an official cultural institution of the Russian state, which is inextricably linked with his name. In view of this breach of international law and out of solidarity with Ukraine and the victims of this war, there can be no artistic partnership that finds its symbolic expression on an institutional level.”

Meyer concluded, “The Deutsche Oper am Rhein stands for productive, peaceful coexistence and artistic cooperation between people regardless of their gender, skin color, religion or national origin. This principle will continue to shape our artistic work, with which we want to make our contribution to peaceful dialogue and cultural exchange across borders.”

The announcement comes after the Polish National Opera canceled its production of “Boris Godunov” and the Riga Jurmala Festival canceled its upcoming event.