The Verona Philharmonic Theatre has withdrawn Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov from its upcoming production of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," scheduled for 18-25 January, reports Reuters.
The Arena di Verona Foundation announced the cancellation without providing reasons. Abdrazakov's representative declined an interview request, saying the singer was "too busy."
Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli endorsed the decision. "Russian art and culture" are welcome "when they serve as a vehicle for dialogue and peace between peoples," Giuli said, but not "when they become a propaganda tool serving a despotic power that cannot and must not have citizenship rights in the free world."
European Parliament Vice President Pina Picierno called the cancellation a victory against "the propaganda of Putin and the Kremlin."
The Anti-Corruption Foundation and advocacy group Liberi Oltre le Illusioni had pressed for Abdrazakov's exclusion, citing his inclusion on Putin's list of trusted representatives during the 2024 presidential elections and his membership in the Presidential Council for Culture and Arts.
In 2024, Putin appointed Abdrazakov head of the Sevastopol Opera and Ballet Theatre in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The same year, he received a state award from the Russian president.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the 49-year-old performed at London's Covent Garden, New York's Metropolitan Opera, and Milan's La Scala. By 2023, these venues had stopped working with him. Abdrazakov claimed he withdrew himself in protest against what he called a boycott of Russian performers, including soprano Anna Netrebko. Naples' Teatro di San Carlo also ended its collaboration with him in 2024.
In December 2022, Abdrazakov performed at La Scala in "Boris Godunov" amid protests against Russia's invasion. In July, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev had a concert cancelled in Italy under similar circumstances, drawing complaints from Moscow.
The Arena di Verona Foundation's website describes Abdrazakov as "one of opera's most sought-after basses and one of his generation's most celebrated and recognised artists."
