The management of the Caserta Royal Palace has cancelled the symphonic concert conducted by Valery Gergiev, scheduled for July 27th as part of the ‘A Royal Summer’ festival in the Vanvitelli Complex courtyard. The Russian conductor’s appearance, criticized over his perceived closeness to Putin, had sparked intense controversy, raising fears of potential protests organized by Ukrainian associations for Sunday evening.
Recent opposition to Gergiev’s concert included interventions from several Nobel laureates who sent letters to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Italian authorities, and Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca. An online petition gathered 16,000 signatures. Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli previously stated that “art is free and cannot be censored,” but added that “propaganda, even if done with talent, is another matter.” He warned the concert risked “sending the wrong message.” Governor De Luca, initially supporting the concert despite international appeals, called the situation “disconcerting,” questioning “the boundary between freedom of expression and propaganda.” Ukrainian associations in Italy were ready to protest and had purchased front-row tickets to voice their dissent directly to Gergiev.
Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, head of Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, declined to comment on the cancellation. When asked by the TASS news agency, he stated, “I have no information on the matter.”
The Russian Embassy in Italy claimed the cancellation harms Italy, not Russia. “Those who think cancelling Valery Gergiev’s concert will damage Russia are profoundly mistaken,” the Embassy stated in a Telegram post. It argued the decision “inflicts damage on Italy itself, undermining its own authority and casting doubt on its hospitality and openness towards all those who, with their talent, professionalism, and sincerity, bring beauty and the eternal to the world.”
Culture Minister Giuli expressed his “full and convinced support” for the Palace management’s “free and unchallengeable decision.” In a statement, Giuli emphasized that while respecting the event’s “exceptional artistic quality,” the cancellation, “also in light of a subsequent partisan ideological exploitation, follows a logic of common sense and moral commitment aimed at protecting the values of the free world.”