Ukraine envoy skips Germany solidarity concert featuring all-Russian soloists
- Andrij Melnyk highlighted that the soloists were Russians. ‘In the middle of a war against civilians! An affront. Sorry I’m staying away,’ he wrote on Twitter
- The German president’s spokeswoman pointed out that central to the programme was renowned Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, who had sought refuge in Berlin
Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany on Sunday boycotted a solidarity concert hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, protesting that the soloists featured on the programme were all Russians.
The concert, performed by the renowned Berlin Philharmonic, was broadcast nationally, with compositions by Polish, Russian and Ukrainian composers played by Belarusian, German, Russian and Ukrainian musicians.
But Andrij Melnyk, Kyiv’s outspoken envoy, pointed out that the soloists – pianist Evgeny Kissin and baritone Rodion Pogossov were both Russians.
“In the middle of a war against civilians! An affront. Sorry I’m staying away,” wrote Melnyk on Twitter.
The German president’s spokeswoman Cerstin Gammelin voiced regret over the ambassador’s decision.
She pointed out that central to the programme was renowned Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov, 84, who had sought refuge in Berlin.
Not only were his works played at the opening and end of the concert, he himself performed the pieces “which he composed during the terrible flight”, she wrote on Twitter.