By Reinhard Brembeck and
Egbert Tholl
The 68-year-old conductor Valery Gergiev is one of the most sought-after conductors, he is the head of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and the Munich Philharmonic, his traditional and passionate performance style has made him one of the most popular musicians worldwide. On the one hand. On the other hand, Gergiev is considered a supporter of Russia’s head of state Vladimir Putin. Like the singer Anna Netrebko, he campaigned for Putin’s re-election, he supported his anti-gay law, he conducted in Palmyra in Syria after the liberation from “Islamic State” by Putin’s and Assad’s troops, he supported Putin’s Crimea policy. All of this got him into trouble in the West. But his career was not damaged, especially since he cautiously rowed back and then preferred to remain silent lately. But that silence troubles him now that Putin is waging war on Ukraine.