DON’T GO FULL ‘LIBERTY CABBAGE’ ON RUSSIA: Orchestras Pull Tchaikovsky From Concerts Over Russia’s War on Ukraine.
Several orchestras have recently announced changes to their concert programs, removing the legendary Romantic-era composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from their lineups amid the Russian war on Ukraine.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the end of February, and several large companies and corporations have since cut ties with Russia in response. Even more support for Ukraine has been shown as citizens across the world have personally boycotted Russian-based goods or services, but some internet users say that the banning of 19th-century classical music might be taking it a step too far.
On Wednesday, Wales’ Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra announced it would be removing Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” from a March 18 concert.
Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic Period, best known for his ballets, “The Nutcracker,” “Swan Lake,” and “Sleeping Beauty,” as well as several more famous concertos and symphonies, including “1812 Overture.” The composer died in 1893 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
A statement on the orchestra’s official website said, “In light of the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra, with the agreement of St. David’s Hall, feel the previously advertised programme including the 1812 Overture to be inappropriate at this time.”
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(Classical reference in headline.)