Munich mayor sacks star conductor of city orchestra over Putin ties

Munich (dpa) – The mayor of Munich has sacked the chief conductor of the city’s philharmonic orchestra, Valery Gergiev, over his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mayor Dieter Reiter on Friday gave Gergiev, a strong supporter of Putin, a deadline of Monday to denounce Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

He was given the opportunity to “distance himself clearly and unequivocably from the brutal war which Putin has waged against Ukraine and now in particular against our partner city Kiev,” the mayor said.

Gergiev did not make any such statement, and therefore “Munich is parting ways with chief conductor,” the mayor’s statement said.

Gergiev, who has been chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic since 2015, has expressed pro-Putin attitudes that have repeatedly resulted in criticism.

In 2014, he signed an artists’ petition backing the Russian annexation of Crimea.

Other cultural institutions such as La Scala in Milan, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg have also called on Gergiev to break with Putin.

His agency in Munich also parted ways with him, and he has reportedly been dropped from the bill of at least two international classical music festivals.

He was also forced to resign from a post as honorary president of the Edinburgh International Festival. Like Munich, Edinburgh is also a twin city of Kiev.

The action “was being taken in sympathy with, and support of” the citizens of Kiev, the festival organizers said.