Valery Gergiev’s anticipated return to European concert life is drawing criticism from high-ranking EU officials, notably Italian politician Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament. The Russian conductor is scheduled to lead a concert on 27 July at the “Un’Estate da Re” music festival, held at the Royal Palace of Caserta, near Naples.
Gergiev—known for his close ties to the Kremlin and his refusal to denounce the invasion of Ukraine in 2022—has not performed in Europe since he was effectively excluded from major institutions following the outbreak of the war. His upcoming appearance would mark his first in the region in over three years.
The program includes Verdi’s La forza del destino Overture, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, and Ravel’s Boléro, and features the Orchestra of the Teatro Verdi in Salerno alongside soloists from the Mariinsky Orchestra of St. Petersburg, which Gergiev continues to direct.
The performance is part of a festival largely supported by the Campania Region using European Union Cohesion Funds (2021–2027)—a financial mechanism aimed at reducing regional disparities within the EU. This has raised strong objections from Picierno, who stated that “it is unacceptable for European funds to support the performance of a Kremlin sympathiser.”
In statements shared via social media and in an interview with Corriere del Mezzogiorno, Picierno urged Campania’s regional president Vincenzo De Luca to cancel the Russian conductor’s appearance. “Gergiev is undoubtedly a great artist,” she said, “but he has supported a criminal dictatorship. Figures like him are used to generate sympathy for Putin’s regime. This is a well-documented strategy of propaganda, as outlined by General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian armed forces.”
Picierno concluded by encouraging organizers to consider inviting one of the many young Russian or Belarusian musicians currently living in exile across Europe.
Several media outlets also report that Gergiev is expected to appear in Barcelona in early 2026.
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