Barcelona debates what to do with Valery Gergiev

Who, beyond the artist themselves, has the right to politicize art? And yet, history shows the extent to which culture is a tool of power and has been used as an elegant propaganda device. Bernini empowered popes; Rubens was sent to the court of Madrid to promote peace; dancers were symbols of power during the Cold War... and Valery Gergiev is now perceived in the same way by some European institutions: as a show of force by Putin.

Following the recent case of Italy, with the political dispute that forced the Un'Estate da RE festival in Caserta to cancel what would have been the Russian maestro's return concert to Europe after three years, the debate now shifts to Barcelona, a city that—along with other Spanish tours of Ibercamera—has enjoyed the musical excellence of Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra for decades.

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The promoter's president, Josep Maria Prat, announced this March, amidst the prospects for peace in Ukraine, his desire to welcome the director back next season, although without specifying dates or venue. The question is whether Barcelona is prepared to welcome Gergiev and confront media accusing him of advocating the invasion of Ukraine.

There's no one-size-fits-all rule. Each case must be studied and assessed. Joan Oller

“There is no one-size-fits-all rule, one that works for everyone, and one that works forever. Each case must be studied and assessed,” says Joan Oller, general director of the Palau de la Música Catalana, after clarifying that he doesn't know of any dates reserved for Gergiev. “In general, I am in favor of greater freedom in the arts; the fewer vetoes and prohibitions, the better. That said, each case, each person, and each context must be analyzed. We would have to see where we are when that happens: it's a changing context and brings changing circumstances.”

The question is whether he is on a sanctions list that prohibits him from carrying out activities outside Russia. Victor Medem

L'Auditori, the venue that would be a natural for a comeback with the St. Petersburg orchestra, reminds us that it will not hire it as a venue. "We've never done so; we're a space that hosts concerts for a promoter," says director Víctor Medem. "When this request is made, we'll address the issue. I'm not in favor of any a priori veto; we have to act according to the context and the situation. Gergiev has performed countless times at L'Auditori and I have nothing against it; on the contrary, I have complete admiration for the maestro as a musician. I've worked with him and know his career firsthand. The question is whether he's on a sanctions list that prohibits him from carrying out activities outside of Russia. I don't think so. If that changes, we'll talk. But we also have to consider whether it's feasible for a Russian orchestra to travel; visas are processed by the relevant Spanish ministry."

Would Gergiev be a political ambassador for a war that hasn't ended, or could he shift his focus to open a period of peace and reparation through culture? What would Pau Casals think about this situation? The Catalan maestro found himself in the opposite situation: he refused to perform in totalitarian regimes, whether the Soviet Union, Hitler's Germany, or Mussolini's Italy. He was always consistent, never separating the person from the artist, and turning silence into a weapon. After the Allied victory, he saw that Franco's regime was still in place and the Cold War was brewing, and he decided to stop performing. Until he returned to promote peace and harmony in the face of the nuclear war.

Casals believed that music was much more than an artistic language. It's a dialogue, a fundamental expression for building hope. Jordi Pardo

Jordi Pardo, director of the Foundation that bears his name, recalls: “Casals believed that music was much more than an artistic language: it could express the best of the human condition. Building hope involves having an open and empathetic attitude, without reducing things to black or white. And music is dialogue, a fundamental expression for building hope. Peace doesn't mean the absence of war, but rather of conflict, which is why dialogue is essential. And peace is achieved through the defense of human rights.”

Because of politicization, let us not lose extraordinary artists who, deep down, do not proclaim” Victor Garcia de Gomar

Indeed, art has long been a propaganda device, as Víctor García de Gomar, artistic director of the Liceu, recalls. “An exquisite instrument of powerful institutions, it chooses (resigned) personalities who become ambassadors for causes. When art accepts this invitation, it paints obedient futures, while the public loses the opportunity to approach leading performers.”

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“If we understand that true art, the kind that burns in the darkness, is a precious tool for cohesion between communities and peoples,” he continues, “we must understand these musicians as builders (certainly not entirely free) of bridges that tend to seek new consensus. Because of politicization, let's not lose extraordinary artists who, deep down, don't proclaim. Beauty is that which breaks down margins, writes with silences, and reminds us that every imposed image is also a border. Welcome to those who don't need the glorious statue; art wants to question and be a refuge; propaganda shouldn't open a rift.”