Pro-Ukrainian activists are calling for the cancellation of an award-winning pianist’s upcoming concert in the Netherlands after she performed in a Moscow theater that reportedly offered free tickets to members of the Russian army.
Georgian-born pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja is said to have performed in Moscow in November last year alongside Yuri Bashmet, a vocal supporter of Vladimir Putin.
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Ukraine’s foreign ministry said at the time that Leonskaja had repeatedly travelled to Russia and performed with pro-Kremlin musicians since the country launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At the request of the Ukrainian embassy in the Netherlands, the Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven, one of the most respected Dutch concert halls, consequently decided to cancel Leonskaja’s performance at their venue in December.
But the famous pianist is now set to embark on a European tour which includes a performance in the Dutch city of Groningen on February 22, just a few days before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
An open letter set up by supporters of Ukraine in the Netherlands and signed by dozens of organisations and hundreds of individuals has called for Leonskaja’s performance in Groningen to be cancelled.
The letter called it “insensitive” to hold the event “while millions of people around the world around that date are organizing events to support Ukraine, to honor the fallen Ukrainian defenders and civilian victims of Russian attacks.”
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Personal ties?
The open letter was circulated online by Karel Burger Dirven, the first Honorary Consul of Ukraine to the Netherlands. Dirven said the musician’s reported Moscow concert was “a stab in the back for all Ukrainians” and urged Dutch concert venues to act.
In a post on LinkedIn, he said that management of the hall where Leonskaja is due to perform in Groningen had told diplomatic officials that the pianist’s show in Moscow had been “personally motivated.”
The manager of an Amsterdam hall where she is set to give a recital in March reportedly responded similarly.
In an interview with France Musique, Leonskaja herself pointed to personal ties rather than politics as the reason for her performance in Moscow.
“I have known Yuri Bashmet since ... he was a young musician highly appreciated for his musical and personal qualities,” she said, adding: “I will always accept an invitation from him, because music is above all memory and Russia remains my native country.”
But Dirven cast doubt on this explanation, calling it “completely implausible.”
The open letter argues that, while Leonskaja has not directly endorsed Russia’s aggression, “her performances and friendship with people who did, speak volumes about her moral convictions.”
“Organizers should not willingly close their eyes to Leonskaja’s actions,” the letter says. “The notion of culture outside politics sometimes results in musical performances outside ethics.”
‘No choice’ but to cancel
While the current uproar is centered in the Netherlands, the pianist is scheduled to grace stages across the continent over the next few months, including in Switzerland, France, Spain and the UK. She has a sold-out concert in Leer, Germany on Saturday.
The Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven which cancelled Leonskaja’s performance last December wrote in a statement at the time that the decision was “difficult.”
It listed the veteran pianist’s many successes, including a lifetime achievement prize, and quoted Leonskaja as saying that her duty was to perform and mentor young talent rather than get involved in politics.
Nevertheless, the concert hall in Eindhoven said it had “no choice” but to cancel the performance and prioritize “the sadness caused by the military conflict in Ukraine.”
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