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Italy’s president says impossible to ‘cancel Russia’s great culture’

"Russia’s great culture is an integral part of European culture. It is an element that cannot be canceled," Sergio Mattarella said

ROME, December 8. /TASS/. Russian culture is part of European culture and cannot be canceled, Italian President Sergio Mattarella said when he attended La Scala’s opening night performance of Boris Godunov on Wednesday.

"These are views I do not share both on the cultural and political level. Russia’s great culture is an integral part of European culture. It is an element that cannot be canceled," ANSA quoted Mattarella as saying, citing sources in the presidential press service. The Italian head of state reportedly made the remark at a dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was also present at the premiere in Milan.

Russia’s Ildar Abdrazakov brilliantly sang the title role of Boris Godunov in the opera. Mostly Russian singers featured in other roles, including Anna Denisova and Alexey Markov from the Mariinsky Theatre and the St. Petersburg-based theater’s guest soloist Dmitry Golovnin. The opera was conducted by Riccardo Chailly.

Ahead of the La Scala premiere of Boris Godunov, the Ukrainian consul in Milan asked the theater to remove the opera from its program, but its administration made it clear that it was not going to delete Russian operas and ballets from its repertoire, while its CEO Dominique Meyer said he would continue inviting Russian performers.