A concert by a famous russian pianist who supports putin was canceled in Austria

The Konzerthaus in Vienna has canceled a concert scheduled for February by the famous russian pianist Denys Matsuiev. On this day, the concert will be played by the French pianist Oleksandr Kantorov, who condemns russian aggression and was a participant in charity concerts to help Ukraine.

Previously, European and American venues repeatedly canceled concerts by Denys Matsuiev and some other russian performers who publicly supported military aggression in Ukraine.

"I want to remind once again that culture is a weapon. This is especially emphasized in the russian federation. But the civilized world can have nothing in common with the murderers of Ukrainians. Since their "great culture" has not taught them anything good," said Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

In 2014, Denys Matsuiev signed an open letter in support of the annexation of Crimea, and he also repeatedly spoke out with the approval of putin's policy, in particular regarding Ukraine. The pianist was a member of the initiative group to nominate putin as a candidate for the 2018 presidential elections and the working group to prepare amendments to the Constitution of russia.

Since the onset of the full-scale war in Ukraine, the Swiss Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation expelled Matsuiev from its board. In Latvia, Matsuiev, along with a number of other pro-kremlin russian cultural figures, has been declared persona non grata.

A petition on change.org calling for Matsuiev's concert in Genoa to be canceled in May gained about a thousand signatures in a short time. Along with this, the activist group Arts Against Aggression appealed the mayor of Genoa with a demand to cancel the concert.