Music by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff was performed by renowned Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa at the Russian Embassy in Rome on November 13, RIA Novosti reports. The audience, including diplomats and Italian cultural representatives, warmly welcomed the pianist. Notably, the only representative from the Italian government was Deputy Minister of Culture and prominent art critic Vittorio Zgarbi.
Italian deputy minister denounced attempts to restrict Russian artists from performing in the West. He also extended this criticism to athletes who face bans from international tournaments. Zgarbi questioned the connection between figures like Dostoevsky or Rachmaninoff and Moscow's policies. He emphasized that abolishing culture is madness, asserting that culture, in contrast, serves as an antidote to war and should be actively promoted.
Let us remember, earlier the management of the music festival in Lerici, Italy, had canceled Valentina Lisitsa's concert in July. Local media suggests that the cancellation was linked to Lisitsa's political views. Another performance by Lisitsa in Venice, part of a program organized by the Italian association Musikamera, was indefinitely postponed. The reasons behind these decisions seem to be connected to the pianist's political stance.
Valentina Lisitsa, Kiev native, has made multiple trips to Donbass and has been actively involved in sending humanitarian aid to the region. During the celebration of the anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, Lisitsa visited Mariupol, where she performed in an open-air setting.
Russkiy Mir
