Civil society, despotism and showbiz: the cases of gergiev and netrebko | thearticle

Political propaganda has found a new outlet in reality TV. The broadcast of Russian officials queuing to profess their support for an imminent invasion came with a subtext. It needed no

commentary to spell out that dissent would mean disloyalty, and disloyalty means treason. Despotic and liberal societies differ in many ways. The former breeds fawning subjects, the latter

shields private opinions. But when under stress, liberal societies are at risk of eroding that distinctive hallmark. Clearly, with a country at war one cannot pretend to go on with business

as usual. Likewise, one would not wish such a country to host international events, such as football finals. And organisations and corporations need to ensure that their representatives act

with due regard for the reputation of their employer. But it is easy to ignore the fine line that separates a private individual from their public persona. In the world of music, a battle is

under way over where to draw that line. The conductor Valery Gergiev (above) has an unimpeachable artistic pedigree. His undisguised admiration of Vladimir Putin, on the other hand, has

often made his fans wince. Until two weeks ago, Gergiev could depend on the forbearance of his employer, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. But that ended last week. The Mayor of Munich gave

Gergiev a Monday deadline to revise his position on the Russian President and, in the absence of a response, then fired him. The soprano Anna Netrebko faces similar scrutiny. She has been

fêted at the Kremlin, donated money to the Donetsk Opera, and appeared in photographs alongside Crimean separatists. Even if it would be difficult to paint her as pugnacious, let alone

militant, opera houses are now in a quandary over whether to welcome her any longer. Gergiev and Netrebko have responded differently to these challenges. Gergiev has remained silent.

Netrebko, on the other hand, has declared herself an opponent of the war. To Netrebko’s critics, it has come a little too late. Indeed, Netrebko’s detractors have good arguments at the

ready. If Gergiev was fired, why not Netrebko? But such blanket condemnation overlooks a key difference between the artistic persona of a conductor and a singer. A conductor is a manager,

whereas a singer is a performer. One answers for the work of a corporate body, the other only for herself. While the rationale for terminating a contract is clear in the case of Gergiev, in

the case of Netrebko the investigation into her political leanings is a different matter. Remember the ill-advised zealotry of the House Un-American Activities Committee that blighted so

many Hollywood careers. If despots turn politics into show business, let us not do them the favour of turning show business into politics. A MESSAGE FROM THEARTICLE _We are the only

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