{"id":13347,"date":"2018-07-13T22:07:59","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T22:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/?p=13347"},"modified":"2018-07-13T22:07:59","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T22:07:59","slug":"dvorak-prague-festival-piano-chords-of-the-russian-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/informnapalm.org\/en\/dvorak-prague-festival-piano-chords-of-the-russian-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Prague Festival: Piano Chords of the \u201cRussian World\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dvo\u0159\u00e1k Prague International Music Festival will be held in Prague on September 2-21, 2018. First held in 2008, this annual festival is still quite young but has already won recognition. Its main goal is to popularize Czech music using the works of Antonin Dvo\u0159\u00e1k, his contemporaries and students. Past performers include world famous musicians and orchestras like the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Ji\u0159\u00ed B\u011blohl\u00e1vek, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the opera baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the pianist Evgeny Kissin, the violinists Vadim Repin and Julian Rachlin, the cellist Ji\u0159\u00ed Barta, and others.<\/p>\n

However, this year’s concert program features a rather peculiar performer best known for something completely unrelated to her musical skills. On Wednesday, September 19, 2018, performing in the Dvo\u0159\u00e1k hall of the Rudolfinum<\/a> Palace of Prague will be Valentina Lisitsa. She is an American pianist of Ukrainian origin, and her main claim to fame is her anti-Ukrainian stance. Incidentally, it is not entirely clear how her performance is related to the main theme of \u200b\u200bthe festival – only the works of Schubert, Liszt, Ravel, and Mussorgsky are included in her program.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The announcement of Valentina Lisitsa\u2019s concert in the festival program<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After the Revolution of dignity and the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, Lisitsa consistently began to support the anti-Ukrainian policy of Putin’s Russia. Because of this, in July 2016, she was added to the Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) Center database<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Accomplice of Russian terrorists in the Donbas (Ukraine).
\n<\/em><\/strong>Public justification of terrorism, propaganda of hatred against various ethnic and social groups such as: Ukrainians, African-Americans, people with disabilities, and also Holocaust survivors. Conducts a consistent anti-Ukrainian campaign on Twitter, supports the aggressive policy of Putin’s Russia in an armed confrontation with Ukraine in the East of Ukraine, is a supporter of the annexation of the Crimea in March 2014. Illegally crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border at an uncontrolled site in Rostov Oblast, Russia. In June 2015, she gave a piano concert in Donetsk.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Valentyna Lisitsa’s stay in \u201cDPR\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The entry also includes a document titled \u201cThe Schedule of the stay of Valentina Lisitsa in the Donetsk People’s Republic\u201d, with the most prominent item being \u201cDinner with the leadership of the Republic\u201d.<\/p>\n

In his report<\/a> written for the Russian language service of Radio Freedom, the New York political commentator, poet and publicist Alexei Tsvetkov gives the following description of Lisitsa\u2019s \u201cpublic position\u201d: “Ukrainians in general she calls \u201cukropiteks\u201d, patriotic Ukrainians she equates to \u201cdog shit\u201d, and she put a photo of Africans in a ritual dance and appropriate dress next to the photo of Odesa teachers in national costumes – a gesture, obviously not designed to flatter either Ukrainians or Africans”<\/em>.<\/p>\n