LETTER: MPAC arts celebration tainted by politics

Regarding the story “From mothballs to magnificence; anniversary concert marks 20 years of arts at MPAC” on Jan. 24 in the Daily Record, readers should be aware that Valery Gergiev, who will conduct his Mariinsky Orchestra at the Mayo Performing Arts Center gala in Morristown on Friday, is quite a controversial figure.

In 2013 gay rights advocates and supporters of human rights protested at venues around the globe where the conductor appeared. The reason: the anti-gay laws introduced that year in Russia and Gergiev’s close ties to President Vladimir Putin. Gergiev was one of the members of the Russian cultural elite who supported Putin’s re-election campaign despite his authoritarian policies.

In 2014, Gergiev again was among the cultural leaders who signed a petition supporting Putin’s policies — this time the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. The annexation of Crimea, which violated international law and numerous international agreements, was condemned worldwide. Since then Putin has invaded eastern Ukraine and his aggression continues, with over 5,000 killed in Ukraine.

Now, Mr. Gergiev, a staunch supporter of Mr. Putin’s repressive domestic policies, and his occupation of Ukraine, is headlining MPAC’s gala. His participation will mar what would otherwise be a great celebration, and it will discredit MPAC in the eyes of many around the world.

To be sure, there will be those who argue that an artist’s personal views should not matter, that politics should not sully the purity of the arts, but it was Gergiev himself who brought politics into the arts.

To defend this avowed supporter of Putin's terrorism is disingenuous and dishonest.

Roma Hadzewycz

MORRISTOWN