2024-07-30 11:05:30
Renowned American composer Philip Glass described as “piracy” the fact that a theater in Russian-occupied Sevastopol staged a ballet with his music this Monday evening. The American distanced himself from the project in advance, but was unable to prevent it. AFP reported on the case.
The 87-year-old Glass published a statement a few days ago on the X social network, formerly known as Twitter. “I learned that a ballet called Na Větrné hůrce is to be premiered in your theater, which uses my music and uses my name in promotional materials. I never gave permission for this, nor did anyone ask me for it,” said the composer.
The reaction of the Sevastopol scene was reported by the Russian Internet newspaper Gazeta.ru. “We officially declare that the theater is proceeding within the framework of Russian legislation. There is no copyright infringement,” the statement read.
However, Philip Glass disagrees. He reminds that the use of his music and name without express consent means a violation of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which was concluded in 1886 and has already been signed by Russia. It has controlled Sevastopol since 2014, when it annexed the Black Sea port city located in the southwest of the Crimean peninsula.
“I am aware that due to the current situation in occupied Crimea, I have no way to claim my rights. But know that this is piracy,” says Glass.
According to AFP, the Sevastopol Theater presented a ballet created by contemporary British choreographer and dancer Jonah Cook based on the 1847 novel The Windy by the British author Emily Brontë. The first premiere took place this Monday evening, the second follows on Tuesday.
In recent years, Sergei Polunin has portrayed Rasputin, among others. | Photo: Luca Vantusso
The lead role was played by Sergei Polunin, a Ukrainian-born Russian dancer who shone at London’s Royal Ballet early last decade before becoming a vocal supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a supporter of President Vladimir Putin.
Today, Polunin manages the Sevastopol Theater and the local dance academy on his authority. He introduced her students, who are performing in the new production, to Putin in 2019. The Russian president then rewarded him for his favor last year when he awarded Polunin an award in the Kremlin for his work with young dancers in Sevastopol.
In addition to Polunin, Ksenija Ryžkovová dances in the novel. Mikhail Razvozhayev, the governor of Sevastopol appointed by Moscow, informed about the project on the Telegram social network.
Sergej Polunin was born in 1989 in Ukraine. From four to eight years old, he trained in ballet at the academy there, and for the next four years he attended the State Choreographic Institute in Kyiv. He lived in Great Britain from the age of 13, at the age of 19 he became the youngest soloist of the Royal Ballet in London, at the age of 23 its artistic director.
In 2012, he surprised the dance world when he announced that he was quitting because he wanted to pursue acting. But later he moved to Russia and continues to dance. In 2018, he received Russian citizenship and had the first image of Vladimir Putin tattooed on his body. Two more were added later. At one point, the artist removed them, but according to the latest videos on Instagram, he has already restored all three Putins on his chest.
In the Czech Republic, the dancer performed for the first time in 2017, when he danced in Prague’s National Theater and presented a film depicting his rise and fall, Dancer. Two years later, with the Satori project, he sold out the Forum Karlín adapted to the smaller capacity of the hall five times in a row. He then returned with a forty-minute solo inspired by the famous dancer and choreographer Václav Nižinský called Up, Close & Personal.
Sergei Polunin’s last planned performance in Kroměříž in 2022, i.e. after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was canceled precisely because of his sympathy for Vladimir Putin. The artist was supposed to perform in the Podzámecká Garden in Kroměříž, which is managed by the Archbishopric of Olomouc. “We requested the artist’s opinion on the situation in Ukraine, we did not receive this statement, and we agreed with the organizing agency not to carry out and cancel the concert,” said the spokesperson of the archdiocese at the time.
Video: Drugs were a waste of time, I don’t count tattoos, dancers don’t have money or freedom, says Polunin (05/07/2017)
During his first visit to Prague in 2017, Sergej Polunin gave an interview to presenter Emma Smetana for DVtv. | Video: DVTV