Quebecois conductor steps in after Putin supporter booted last-minute from Carnegie Hall
CTV
Montreal-born maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin has agreed to a last-minute substitution at New York's Carnegie Hall this weekend, taking over after a Putin-supporting conductor was turfed.
On Thursday, the famed performance venue decided to cancel an appearance of Russian conductor Valery Gergiev that was slated for the very next day.
They made the announcement less than 24 hours after Russia invaded Ukraine on what was Wednesday evening for North Americans. Gergiev had been scheduled to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for three nights, Friday through Sunday.
The Moscow-born conductor normally leads the Munich Philharmonic. He's also a well-known supporter of Russian president Vladimir Putin and a "friend" of Putin's, according to the New York Times.
In 2013, a dormant Stalin-era award called the "Hero of Labour" was even resurrected by Putin specially for Gergiev, reported NPR, adding that Gergiev has appeared in election campaign ads for Putin, among other longstanding ties between the two.
