"It's come to the belated attention of New York's opera lovers that Vladimir Putin is a thug," writes Terry Teachout in The Wall Street Journal:
Russia's dictator-in-waiting recently signed a stack of laws whose purpose is to persecute homosexuals. Needless to say, Mr. Putin's odious conduct, not only toward gays but toward anyone who dares to disagree with him, isn't exactly stop-press news to those who have followed his career.But it was the antigay legislation that pushed Andrew Rudin, a gay classical composer from New Jersey, over the line. Mr. Rudin responded by posting an online petition calling for the Metropolitan Opera to dedicate its opening-night performance, which took place on Monday, to the support of gays in Russia and elsewhere.
Part of what made the petition so interesting was its occasion, which was uncommonly timely. It so happened that the Met opened its season with a new production of Eugene Onegin, an opera by Peter Tchaikovsky, who was both Russian and gay (though Vladimir Medinsky, Mr. Putin's culture minister, denies the latter, absurdly claiming that "there is no evidence that Tchaikovsky was a homosexual"). Moreover, the performance featured two well-known Russian artists, the conductor Valery Gergiev and the soprano Anna Netrebko, both of whom are unabashed and enthusiastic Putin supporters.
The question then becomes, if in addition to picketing outside the Met, is interrupting the performance the right way to protest. There is a vast majority of opinion saying, rightly, that the answer is NO.
Another issue is the company's official stand. At the Met, Peter Gelb, the general director, responded to the request to have the opening-night performance to the support of gays in Russia and elsewhere:
As an institution, the Met deplores the suppression of equal rights here or abroad. But since our mission is artistic, it is not appropriate for our performances to be used by us for political purposes, no matter how noble or right the cause.
In San Francisco, General Director David Gockley responded to a similar request here. According to SFO Director of Communications Jon Finck:
At the time of our opening night, we released a statement to the local LGBT organizers/demonstrators from David Gockley that said we would not dedicate opening night to Russian LGBT community, that the Opera did not make political statements nor do we use the Opera as a platform for expressing political points of view, especially about laws in other sovereign nations, but that we respected the demonstrators' point of view and would work with them to provide a safe information picket.
There was outside informational picket at the War Memorial as Mefistofele opened the season on Sept. 6, but I have not noticed attemps to interrupt the performance. Which is all to the good: There are too many good causes that could — but should not — be espoused at performances.