Evgeny Nikitin has withdrawn from his appearance at the Bayreuth Festival.
To that end, he issued a statement to the public. The Festival management accepts the resulting consequences. The entire team of the HOLLÄNDER production is facing significant challenges.
From the perspective of director Jan Philipp Gloger, the artistic damage to the production is immense, even after integrating a replacement, and may not be entirely averted by the premiere on July 25.
The trigger for Evgeny Nikitin’s decision was an investigation by “BILD am Sonntag” into the meaning and symbolism of some of his tattoos, which are associated with Nazi ideology.
The Festival management became aware of the investigation and immediately sought a discussion with the artist. As a result of the approximately half-hour conversation, Evgeny Nikitin became aware of the connotations of these symbols, especially in connection with German history.
His decision to relinquish the role of the Dutchman for these reasons is consistent with the Festival management’s consistently rejecting stance towards any form of Nazi ideology.
From the perspective of director Jan Philipp Gloger, the artistic damage to the production is immense, even after integrating a replacement, and may not be entirely averted by the premiere on July 25.
The trigger for Evgeny Nikitin’s decision was an investigation by “BILD am Sonntag” into the meaning and symbolism of some of his tattoos, which are associated with Nazi ideology.
The Festival management became aware of the investigation and immediately sought a discussion with the artist. As a result of the approximately half-hour conversation, Evgeny Nikitin became aware of the connotations of these symbols, especially in connection with German history.
His decision to relinquish the role of the Dutchman for these reasons is consistent with the Festival management’s consistently rejecting stance towards any form of Nazi ideology.