Great Russian culture cannot be
cancelled no matter what wars its leaders embark on, President
Sergio Mattarella said ahead of the La Scala Premiere of Boris
Godunov Wednesday, where he was given a standing ovation by the
public.
Speaking at a dinner with European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen before the premiere, the Italian head of State
gave his views on a row about putting on a Russian opera amid
the Ukraine war and potentially handing a propaganda victory to
Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"These are views I do not share both on the cultural and
political level," said Mattarella.
"Great Russian culture is an integral part of European culture.
"It is an element that cannot be cancelled.
"While the responsibility for that war must be attributed to the
government of that country and certainly not to the Russian
people or to its culture".
Boris Godunov is an opera by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky.
The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg.
It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his
masterpiece.
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