According to "Russia Today", on April 19, local time, the World Federation of International Music Competitions announced that it had voted to remove the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition (hereinafter referred to as the "Tchaikovsky Competition") from the members of the alliance, because the alliance could not support the competition "funded by the Russian government and used as a publicity tool".
On the same day, the Tchaikovsky Competition, known as one of the world's "three major classical music competitions", said that the so-called vote was held in response to the refusal of the tournament council to publicly condemn Russian military action, they strongly condemned the persecution of Russian artists, and the 17th competition in 2023 will be held as usual.
In 2015, Putin attended the 15th Tchaikovsky International Music Competition
The World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC) is a non-profit arts organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, founded in 1957. According to the league's official website, of their 120 members, the competition in Russia and Ukraine represents the highest level.
As a world-renowned classical music competition, the Tchaikovsky Competition began in 1958 to commemorate the Russian composer Tchaikovsky, held every 4 years in the hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, and in 1971 the competition joined the World Federation of International Music Competitions. The competition covers piano, violin, cello and vocal music, and the participants are 16-32 years old (the vocal group requires 19-32 years old).
On April 19, Peter Paul Kainrath, president of the World League of International Music Competitions, and Florian Riem, the league's secretary general, issued a joint statement, saying that in a vote on the 13th, most members voted to remove the Tchaikovsky competition from the league, and the results of the vote took effect immediately.
While many of the winners of the Tchaikovsky Competition are among today's top artists, the coalition cannot support or allow members to have members "funded by the Russian government and used as a propaganda tool" in the face of Russia's "brutal wars and atrocities" in Ukraine, the statement said.
The coalition also claims that their first priority is to support young artists, especially Ukrainian artists of the moment, but they oppose comprehensive sanctions against all Russians and discrimination and exclusion of artists because of their nationality.
In response, the official website of the Tchaikovsky Competition issued a statement on April 19 saying that the so-called vote of the league was held in response to the tournament council's refusal to publicly condemn Russia's military operations in Ukraine. The Council strongly condemns this persecution of Russian musicians, especially against Valery Gergiev, co-chairman of the organizing committee of the competition.
Statement on the official website of the Tchaikovsky International Music Competition
At the all-staff meeting on April 13, Andrei Malyshev, chairman of the council of the Tchaikovsky Competition, said that the World Federation of International Music Competitions wanted the Tchaikovsky Competition to express its opinion on political issues, but the Tchaikovsky Competition and russia's ROSCONCERT Cultural Project Management Company agreed on it, that is, "focus on music and art".
According to Malishev, Russian culture is an important part of world culture, and "whether you are a member of the union or not, the Tchaikovsky Competition is always open to talented musicians from all over the world."
The Tchaikovsky Contest also questioned the International Music Competitions World Federation saying one thing and doing another, pointing out that although the League called for the exclusion of musicians on the basis of nationality, Russian cultural institutions and musicians were asked to speak out against Russia, and when members of the Alliance, some international competitions, disqualified Russian musicians because of their nationality, the League turned a blind eye.
At the end of the announcement, the Tchaikovsky Competition announced that the 17th edition of the competition will be held as usual in 2023.
According to the Russian "Izvesta" newspaper, the Moscow Conservatory teacher and music critic Sergei Uwarov commented that the Tchaikovsky Competition is the most prestigious world event in the field of classical music, and its reputation is very high, especially the piano competition in it, "It is clear that if this competition is excluded from any international association, the blow to the association is greater than the blow to the competition itself."
Uvalov also said: "If the number of European and American players coming to Moscow is reduced, it will only give Eastern artists a better chance of winning, especially Chinese pianists, who have long been strong contenders for Western musicians." ”
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