A planned benefit concert in support of Ukraine was canceled in Vienna on Monday amid concerns over Russia-based ensemble MusicAeterna, which is led by conductor Teodor Currentzis and supported by a state-owned bank in Russia.
Organized by the Konzerthaus in Vienna, one of Austria’s most important halls, the concert was scheduled to take place on Tuesday and will take place with MusicAeterna, which is based in St. Petersburg and partially funded by VTB Bank, one of Russia’s largest financial institutions. . The United States and other Western countries recently imposed sanctions on the bank over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Vienna’s Konzerthaus said it canceled the concert after Ukraine’s ambassador to Austria, Vasyl Khymynets, expressed concerns about showing Russian performers at an event intended to benefit Ukraine. The founder of the ensemble, Mr. Currentzis, born in Athens, is a charismatic conductor who has built up a large following in Russia and abroad.
“The Vienna Konzerthaus cannot ignore the political dimension of the performance of a St. Petersburg orchestra at a time of immense suffering caused by the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Matthias Naske, general director and artistic director of the hall. . in a statement. “We understand and share the despair at the war crimes in Ukraine and condemn this aggression without reservation.”
The Konzerthaus said it would suspend ticket sales for MusicAeterna’s future performances until the group found an independent source of funding. But it also said it would allow MusicAeterna to hold a separate concert scheduled for Monday night. (The ensemble already performed in the hall on Sunday.)
Mr Khymynets and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The cancellation of the benefit concert comes as tensions between Russia and the West continue to reverberate in the performing arts. Several high-profile Russian artists have lost global engagements in recent weeks due to their ties to the government of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.
Known for its intense electric performances, MusicAeterna has come under scrutiny for its connections to VTB Bank, which has helped fund some of his tours and recording projects.
Mr Currentzis called for peace in Ukraine in a statement released last month by the SWR Symphony Orchestra in Germany, where he is chief conductor, although he has not directly criticized the Russian government or Mr Putin.
“Teodor Currentzis and the members of the SWR Symphony Orchestra unequivocally support the common call for peace and reconciliation,” the statement said.
The orchestra has said it is aware of the collaboration between MusicAeterna and VTB Bank, but has continued to defend Mr Currentzis. “From the current perspective, this is certainly problematic, but it has been around for a long time,” the statement said, referring to the bank’s support for MusicAeterna.
The benefit concert in Vienna would feature works by Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and others.
MusicAeterna will perform in Germany, Austria and France in the coming weeks. This summer, Mr. Currentzis will lead the ensemble in a production of Bartok’s “Blue Beard Castle” at the Salzburg Festival, combined with “De temporum fine comoedia” by the German composer Carl Orff.
The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, another major concert venue, said Monday it had no plans to cancel a string of MusicAeterna performances this week.