In 2015, the theatrical world of Russia was shaken by the scandal associated with the opera Tannhäuser, which was staged at the Novosibirsk Theater. He led to several high-profile staffing decisions at this cultural institution.
The plot of “Tannhäuser”
Just look at the plot of the opera to understand what the scandal is about. “Tannhäuser” is far from a new work. The opera was written by Richard Wagner in 1845. It covers many religious topics. According to the plot, the main character Tannhäuser experiences a fall with the ancient goddess Venus. The opera also features the image of Jesus Christ and the Christian god.
For the XIX century, it was a very free-form performance, which many religious dogmas might not like. However, Germany is a Protestant country where principles of freedom of conscience and religion have long existed. Opera, like many other works by Wagner, has become a classic of the world theater.
Criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church
It is necessary to understand the confrontation between the Ministry of Culture and theater staff in order to understand the essence of the scandal. The “Tannhäuser” was criticized by the Russian Orthodox Church. A public dispute arose after Tikhon (Metropolitan of Novosibirsk and Berdsky) complained about the opera. At the same time, the leader of the church himself did not see the performance, but referred to the indignation of some Orthodox spectators of the local theater.
The metropolitan publicly criticized the Tannhäuser several times. In particular, he demanded to remove him from the repertoire of the theater. In addition, Tikhon called on the Orthodox inhabitants of Novosibirsk to go to a rally (prayer stand) against the "blasphemy against Jesus Christ", etc.
Administrative case against Kulyabin
For the first time, the opera house showed a production of “Tannhauser” in December 2014. Its author was a famous director Timothy Kulyabin. He did his best to publicly defend his brainchild from criticism of the Russian Orthodox Church, primarily appealing to the fact that there is freedom of speech in the country.
It is also necessary to pay attention to those court proceedings that began in connection with this story in order to understand the essence of the scandal. "Tannhauser" led to the fact that the prosecutor's office of the Novosibirsk region opened an administrative case on Kulyabin. He was accused of insulting the feelings of believers. Another defendant in this process was Boris Mezdrich, director of the Opera and Ballet Theater. The case was opened in February 2015, and it was then that the scandal first came to the federal level. The leading media drew attention to the incident, after which the whole country became aware of this story.
Theatrical community position
When it became known about the lawsuit against Mezdrich and Kulyabin, they were supported by almost all the famous theater figures of the country. This was a rare example of workshop solidarity among numerous actors and directors. Speaking in support of the performance: Mark Zakharov, Oleg Tabakov, Valery Fokin, Kirill Serebryannikov, Evgeny Mironov, Chulpan Khamatova, Oleg Menshikov, Irina Prokhorova, Dmitry Chernyakov and others. At the same time, theater critics in their reviews spoke positively about the artistic features of the opera Tannhäuser. Novosibirsk for several months has become the epicenter of the country's cultural news.
A few weeks later, the court closed the proceedings against Mezdrich and Kulyabin. But the flywheel was already untwisted. After a failure with the Prosecutor General, supporters of the Russian Orthodox Church began to complain to the Investigative Committee, the FSB and other government agencies. This agenda was intercepted by the Ministry of Culture. It became the main opponent of the Tannhäuser.
On March 29, 2015, the Minister of Culture of Russia Vladimir Medinsky fired the director of the Novosibirsk Theater Boris Mezdrich. The reason was that the latter consistently defended the opera and did not remove it from the repertoire, contrary to criticism from the church and its supporters.
The ministry demanded that Mezdrich, if not remove the play, then at least make the plot changes that activists demanded. The director was also ordered to reduce the funding of the production. He refused to do all this, after which he was fired. So the scandalous opera Tannhäuser led to even greater conflict in society.
Mezdrich's dismissal
Vladimir Kekhman was appointed to the place of the dismissed Mezdrich . Prior to that, he also directed the St. Petersburg Mikhailovsky Theater. However, much more Kehman was known as a businessman. In the 90s, he created the largest fruit import company in the Russian market, for which he was nicknamed the “Banana King”. Due to his previous activities not related to the theater, many cultural figures criticized the personnel decision of Minister Vladimir Medinsky.
Colorful Kekhman in 2012 was declared bankrupt. Prior to being appointed director of the theater, he publicly called for a ban on Tannhäuser. Opera, in his opinion, offended the feelings of believers and was blasphemy. March 31, 2015 Vladimir Kekhman, who had just become the director of the theater, removed the play from its repertoire. It is curious that Vladimir Medinsky did not support this decision, saying that the opera needed only adjustments.
Censorship dispute
The confrontation between the director Kulyabin and the Ministry of Culture is what the scandal is about (“Tannhäuser” is far from being considered a scandalous statement). This conflict has led to heated debate over whether there is censorship in state theaters. Minister Medinsky denied this wording and referred to Russian law.
In addition to the fact that the story of “Tannhäuser” led to criticism of the Ministry of Culture, a debate broke out in society with renewed vigor over legislation affecting religious issues. According to the Constitution, Russia is a secular state. This means that any church and religious organization is separate from the government. Also in Russia, the principle of religious freedom is enshrined. All these legal norms have become the main arguments for the defense of director Kulyabin and director Mezdrich in court.
Theater reconstruction
Opponents and supporters of “Tannhäuser” at various times organized several actions to publicly demonstrate their position. The “Prayer Stand” against the staging of the opera brought together hundreds of Orthodox activists demanding that Kulyabin be left without work.
Interestingly, after the scandal, the Novosibirsk Opera House, it was decided to temporarily close for reconstruction. The new director, Vladimir Kekhman, announced this a week after he was appointed to his post. Therefore, in April in the theater all productions were stopped altogether.
The management of the institution associated the closure with economic reasons. The building began repairing the auditorium, dressing rooms, foyer and rehearsal classes. It was then that interest in the scandal that triggered the performance of “Tannhauser” began to subside. Opera no longer appeared on the Novosibirsk stage.
Public response
It should be noted that even before the appointment of Kekhman, the Ministry of Culture organized a public discussion of the sensational Novosibirsk production. The walls of this institution brought together directors, theater critics and church representatives. They tried to discuss the opera Tannhäuser, whose libretto was written by Wagner, but the dialogue did not work.
Proponents of the production referred to the Kremlin’s “Fundamentals of Cultural Policy” document, which summarized the actions of the state in the field of culture. Excerpts concerning the creation of all necessary conditions for the realization of the creative potential of any citizen were emphasized in it. This principle was completely at odds with the position taken by church hierarchs who criticized opera.
Theater critics also noted that the play is a recognized international classic of the genre. This opera is staged at the best venues in the world. It should be evaluated also taking into account the fact that it was written by a person who lived in the 19th century - Richard Wagner. “Tannhäuser” eloquently conveys the vision of the world that was popular in that era. One way or another, but religious leaders and their opponents failed to agree. To date, the Tannhäuser case remains the loudest of its kind.