The Minister of Culture of Italy, Alessandro Gui, has called out Valery Gergiev’s concert at the Reggia di Caserta. Gui released a statement noting, “Art is Free and cannot be censored. Propaganda, however, even if done with talent, is something else.” He added, “That is why the concert by Putin’s friend and advisor Valery Gergiev, which the Campania Regional Government {…}

Italian Politicians are divided over Valery Gergiev’s return to conducting in Italy. The concert, which is set to be held on July 27 at the Reggia di Caserta, has been met with criticism and support because the festival in which Gergiev is performing is being bankrolled by the European Union. According to The New York Times, its funding flows, via {…}

(Photo by Valeri Guérguiev) Vice President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, is speaking out about Valery Gergiev’s return to Italy. In a statement to X, Picierno said, “It is unacceptable that European funds are being used to finance the performance of a Kremlin supporter, Valery Gergiev, in the ‘Un’Estate da RE’ festival. Even after three and a half years {…}

(Photo by Valeri Guérguiev) Valery Gergiev is set to return to Italy this summer. The Putin-supporter will conduct during the Un’Estate da RE Festival at the Reggia di Caserta. The concert will be held on July 27, 2025, and Gergiev will conduct the Orchestra filarmonica “G. Verdi” di Salerno with soloists from the Mariinsky Theatre. This will mark his first {…}

Valery Gergiev has been sanctioned by the government of Canada. Following the G7 summit in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia and included 70 individuals and entities, as well as more than 200 vessels that have been transporting Russian oil. Among them was Gergiev, who serves in Vladimir Putin’s government and has been a {…}

Valery Gergiev could return to Spanish theaters in 2026. Platea Magazine is reporting that Agencia Camera is coordinating a tour for Gergiev in Spain and is only waiting for the conductor and the Marrinsky Theatre to confirm. If confirmed, the performances will be the first for Gergiev in the West since 2022 when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Gergiev {…}

Earlier this week, Valery Gergiev abandoned a performance of Mussorgsky’s “Salammbo” in order to conduct another performance at another theater on the same night. According to various telegram channels and a report from Slippedisc, “Valery Gergiev left one of the premiere performances at the Bolshoi Theater to conduct a performance of a song based on the poems of Maria Zakharova.” {…}

(Credit: Valeri Guérguiev) Russian conductor and Putin loyalist Valery Gergiev has been appointed to chair the jury for Russia’s newly established Leo Tolstoy International Peace Prize. The new prize awards an organization for “outstanding achievements in activities aimed at countering the threat of unleashing a third world war and at preventing a nuclear catastrophe.” The inaugural award was presented on {…}