Opera in Estonia terminates partnership with director José Cura over Russia connections
The Estonian National Opera has announced the cancellation of its September 2025 performance of Benjamin Britten's opera "Peter Grimes." This decision comes as a result of the opera house's stance against artists with ties to Russia, a position that has been influenced by the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The cancellation is not related to the postponement of "Peter Grimes," which was due to a change in the production team. However, it is a reflection of the Estonian National Opera's commitment to distancing itself from artists with ties to Russia.
The management and employees of the opera house believe that without explicit condemnation of Russia's war against Ukraine and complete severance of ties with Russia, cooperation with director José Cura is not possible. Unfortunately, Mr. Cura did not submit a clear position on Russia in his written statement, leading to the end of the opera house's cooperation with him.
The cancelled performances, originally scheduled for September 26 and 28, 2025, will be replaced by concert performances on the same days. Tickets for the original performances can be refunded until September 5, 2025, or exchanged for concert tickets. Tickets for the concert performances will be valid for the original dates.
The new director taking over the production of "Peter Grimes" for the September 2025 performance at the Luzern Theater is Wolfgang Nägele. The production of "Peter Grimes" will eventually be staged by the National Opera within the next couple of years.
Ott Maaten, director general of the Estonian National Opera, stated that cooperation can only be effective when everyone shares the same values and contributes sincerely and openly to a common goal. This statement echoes the stance taken by the Estonian Ministry of Culture, which has declared that artists performing in Russia have no place on Estonian stages.
The concert performance of "Peter Grimes" will offer an opportunity for the audience to attend the opera in 2025. The Estonian National Opera looks forward to sharing more details about the new production in due course.
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