Kirill Petrenko Takes Over Berlin Philharmonic

Last week the world's most renowned orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, announced that Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko would succeed Sir Simon Rattle as music director in August of 2018. The news did not take America by storm.  Few people ever even heard of him.  I have been confusing him with Vasily Petrenko.  So when I received an excited e-mail from a Russian friend who otherwise never e-mails, saying "Wow! This is quite incredible; after Furtwangler, Karajan, Abbado, and Rattle, now this orchestra will be led by a man of the Russian-Jewish (and Soviet) upbringing - a rare moment these days when one can be proud to be Russian,"  I had to Google Petrenko to establish which one he was talking about.

There is actually no reason why Kirill Petrenko should be little known in the United States. When he performed here with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2009 and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2012, he received generally glowing reviews. He conducted Mussorgsky’s “Khovanschina” at the Metropolitan Opera in 2012 also with great acclaim.

According to Zachary Woolfe of the New York Times: "Perhaps the most impressive performance was Mr. Petrenko’s. The orchestra rose to powerful climaxes, but in quieter, conversational moments he held the sound carefully below the singers. His pacing was controlled but flexible, ebbing, flowing and inexorably building under Shaklovity’s dark monologue bemoaning the state of Russia."

Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, 2012

But Petrenko's performances in the U.S. have not been announced with great pomp as those of his compatriot Valery Gergiev, who enjoys a celebrity status here.  Petrenko seems to be far more appreciated in Europe where he is best known as an opera conductor.  In the past couple of years he has enjoyed success as the music director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.  His take  on Wagner’s “Ring” at the Bayreuth Festival in 2013 also was admired.

Gergiev has conducted some of the best orchestras in the world and there is no doubt that if he wanted to leave Russia for a prestigious position anywhere in the world, he could, said Washington-based Russia analyst Peter Eltsov. "Yet Gergiev has lent his art and his name to raising the profile of his political patron, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, " Eltsov said in an article on Gergiev in The Atlantic magazine.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/07/russias-hero-of-labor-comes-to-washington/277735/

Petrenko on the other hand has remained silent regarding his stance on Putin’s policies. As far as I am concerned, he can stay that way. When I listen to music I don't want to have to worry whether the performer has been politically correct or not. Gergiev is one of my most favorite contemporary conductors and he became one before I knew anything about his political sympathies. I enjoyed every performance he conducted here in Washington and in terms of recordings, I think he energizes anything he conducts, regardless of how many flaws some critics find.  

I also consider Furtwangler's "Ring" the best on record and enjoy most of what Karajan conducted.  Both have been suspected or openly accused of Nazi sympathies.  Should I shun them?  Perhaps.  But some of my best friends also have what many would consider unacceptable political opinions.   I still love them just don't discuss politics with them.  I like to think that art, friendship and love are eternal and celestial. Politics is earthly and passing.

Still it will be easier to listen to Petrenko without having to worry about what he thinks of Putin.

He will be the first Russian-born conductor, as well as the first Jewish one, to take the job in the orchestra’s 133-year history.  It would appear that he beat German Christian Thielemann and Latvian Andris Nelsons, for the lofty position in Berlin.

“Words cannot express my feelings, everything from euphoria and great joy to awe and disbelief,” Petrenko said. “I am aware of the responsibility and high expectations, and I will do everything in my power to be a worthy conductor of this outstanding orchestra.”

"He has led the Berlin Philharmonic only three times before, choosing the eclectic repertoire including music by Bartok, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky and Scriabin. He can be expected to move the orchestra away from the Germanic masterpieces at the core of its repertoire," The New York Times said. I will be looking forward to following that development.

To clarify any confusion with Kirill's namesake: Vasily Petrenko is Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of the Oslo Philharmonic.

He has recently caused a hoopla by telling the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten that orchestras “react better” when the conductor is a man. “When women get a family, it becomes difficult to be as dedicated as the job demands,” he added, joining the army of politically incorrect artists.

21st Century Trends: Who Knew?

At the turn of the century pundits offered a plethora of predictions of what the new era would bring. Few have foreseen the Arab Spring and its reverberation throughout the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. Russia was considered too impotent to pose a threat to anyone.

At the close of the 20th century, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War sparked hopes that we were entering a new era of peace and prosperity. Instead, we saw the September 11, London and Madrid bombings, violent sectarian and ethnic clashes and a growing rich-poor gap.

Lack of freedom, terror, civil strife, poverty, environmental disasters and deadly disease outbreaks are among the common problems in the world today. Almost all of Africa is affected and also large parts of Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Central America and now Ukraine.

Ten years ago, military geostrategist Thomas Barnett and author of The Pentagon's New Map said these problems beset mostly countries where globalization has not taken hold.

“If you are looking at violence in the global system, it is overwhelmingly concentrated in those parts of the world, regions and countries that are not integrating their national economies with the global economy, either because they live in an authoritarian state, or because they are isolationist, or because they suffer endemic poverty, or they are dependent on export of a single raw material, and that leads to poverty or mal-distribution of wealth - commonly.”

Barnett said that leaving these "non-integrating" parts of the world “alone,” as some people suggest, would only make their problems worse and the world less secure because of the terrorism they breed.

“We need to stop terrorist activities, illegal movement of arms, or money, or people, the smuggling of people, copyright infringement -–those kinds of things. And the reason why you need to keep a lid on those sort of bad flows is that there are positive flows that do have to occur.”

Some of these positive flows according to Barnett were legal migrations of people from overpopulated areas to under-populated ones, the flow of oil out of the Middle East and direct foreign investment from Europe and the United States in developing Asia. He said many of these flows were hindered by terrorism. Therefore, he predicted, this century could see more U-S military interventions like the one in Iraq.

Ten years later, Washington-based analysts Peter Eltsov says Barnett's observations were mostly right, but that he failed to acknowledge that socioeconomic and cultural configurations of these troubled societies make it very difficult for their people to embrace free markets, democracy, multiculturalism and other developments that can help make a country rich and prosperous. Military interventions like the one in Iraq cannot change that.

Peter Eltsov

At the start of the Iraq War, many analysts pondered the effects of the U.S. display of military power on the rest of the world. California-based business consultant and author Larraine Segil, saw the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as a major milestone, which would shape the coming decade in the Middle East.

“I think that what has happened in Iraq is an enormous and substantial change in the balance of power in the Middle East because it has suddenly become clear that there is somebody in the White House who is prepared to take action to follow words. ”

Eltsov says Segil was right in that the war in Iraq upset the balance of powers in the region. But, he notes, neither she nor anyone else foresaw the advent of the Arab Spring, the emergence of ISIS as the most powerful terrorist organization, and the unprecedented growth of extremist violence so soon after that war.

Segil acknowledged that military force is not an answer to every problem. She said that in addition to U.S. military force, another powerful new trend was shaping the world in this century: a rise of various formal and informal alliances across national borders.

Such alliances, according to her, have a great potential to improve life in the third world. For example, she said, African leaders could reduce famine and disease in their countries if they allowed private groups in their countries to connect with similar organizations in other parts of the world. China's economy has boomed, according to Segil, in large part thanks to business alliances with Taiwan, the United States, Germany, Africa and Latin America.

Ann Florini, professor of public policy in the School of Social Sciences at the Singapore Management University and a Brookings Institution fellow, agreed. She added that a wide range of transnational issues, from terrorism to environmental disasters to the global economy can be managed more effectively by non-governmental institutions, citizens movements and private corporations than by large international organizations such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

“The inter-governmental institutions that have the most influence right now in the world are the IMF, the World Bank, the World trade Organization, the UN Security Council, " said Florini.  "In all of those except the World Trade Organization, the rules are explicitly set up so that a handful of rich-country governments dominate.”

“The biggest problem is that most of the world’s population has been completely left out of global economic integration.  The overwhelming share of global trade and financial flows were among North America, Western Europe, Japan and some other parts of Asia. "

Florini said interests of poor southern countries have long been neglected. "There has been almost no foreign direct investment in Africa, while Latin America and parts of Asia have received much less than their fair share in proportion to their populations."

But she said, “NGO-s, particularly in northern countries, have had in some cases a very significant influence on global rules. They have had campaigns on poor-country debt. They have had campaigns on land mines. In those kinds of campaigns they’ve shown that they can have a significant influence in getting governments to consider a broader public interest."

Florini said that U.S. military prowess in Iraq alarmed many people around the world, and it also showed that most economic, environmental, social, health and other global problems cannot be solved by force.

Eltsov says her assessment of the global trends seems to have been the most accurate. "The interests of poor southern countries are still being neglected, and globalization has not been helpful to many impoverished economies throughout the world." Furthermore, he says, "the invasion of Iraq created a dangerous precedent:  Russian President Vladimir Putin used it as a justification of his own actions in Georgia and Ukraine. One cannot help but agree that force does not solve most global problems."

Eltsov says it was naïve for anyone to assume that the fall of the Berlin Wall would have signified the spread of free markets, democracy, peace and prosperity in the whole world. And as for the end of the Cold War, " it was significant mostly for the USSR, USA, and Europe - not as much for the rest of the world."

"As we witness today, nationalism and fundamentalism are on the rise in Europe, Eurasia, South Asia, the Middle East and East Asia, raising questions about the viability of democratic values in significant parts of the world. Likewise, the economic crisis of 2008 raised questions about the viability and universality of market economy," says Eltsov.

Ukraine Elections 2014

Washington, May 23

Just two days before Ukraine's presidential elections on May 25, violence continued in the country's east, where separatists propose to follow the example of Crimea and join the Russian Federation.   Despite turmoil, Ukrainians appear determined to cast their ballots in the hope that a new, legitimate government will bring peace and stability. 

Pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donietsk region on Thursday showed reporters weapons they claim were seized during an ambush on the Ukrainian military Thursday. At least 14 soldiers were killed in the attack.

International observers have called for the violence to subside by Sunday so the election can take place as planned.

"I do hope that there will be no military force used between now and the end of the electoral process in order to allow the electoral process to go forward," said OSCE's Wolfgang Ischinger.

Polls show wealthy businessman Petro Poroshenko ahead of two of his closest rivals, says Ukrainian analyst Andriy Bychenko.

"Comparing the main candidates, Yulia Tymoshenko, Sergei Tegipko and Petro Poroshenko, we can confidently say that Poroshenko will win, if not in the first round, then definitely in the second round," said Bychenko.

A retired teacher in Kyiv says he does not like any of the candidates.

"Again we have been asked to choose the best among the bad and the worse. We've been doing this for the last 23 years. When the time comes, we should vote for a wonderful future, consciously," he said.

Many Ukrainians say they will vote for the candidate that seems most likely to win.

"I think that we don't have a perfect candidate yet, as the one we would want. People are coming to me, asking who to vote for, I recommend to vote according to the poll results for the one who is in the lead," said retired Cossack commander Taras Senyk.

This is not unusual, says political scientist Graeme Robertson at the University of North Carolina."It's really important here because Ukraine's biggest problem right now is the lack of a government that is seen as legitimate," said Robertson.

Robertson says a big voter turnout would give some legitimacy to the new president, but that's not enough.

"If he can get in a new government that reflects some eastern interest, if he can get a new government that isolates some of the extremists that are in the current government, particularly in the security apparatus - then this, I think, will make a significant difference and it will be a big change in the atmosphere," he said.

The winner will not have an easy task, warns former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst. "He or she will face a major, major set of problems and the first problem is the Russian aggression. The second problem is the whole issue of the economic stability of the country," said Herbst.

Herbst said that continued Russian aggression could hamper Ukraine's economic recovery. And he added that Moscow's plans are far from clear.

"After weeks of saying that the elections are illegitimate, they agreed to the OSCE sending observers to monitor the elections and they’ve been making different types of statement - some critical of the elections and some saying: 'well, perhaps they can be helpful,' in recent days. So they are prepared to go either way," he said.

If no candidate wins the first round of elections on May 25, the two candidates with the most votes will compete in a June 15 runoff vote.

*****

Comment on August 28, 2024: this was then. Who knew Ukraine would be at war 10 years later.

Will Russia Move Further After Crimea?

WASHINGTON — Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk is meeting with President Barack Obama Wednesday, days before a referendum in Crimea where a Russian-speaking majority is likely to bring the strategic peninsula under Moscow's control. Analysts say the meeting will not stop the referendum, which is set for Sunday, but warn of the urgency of stopping Russia from moving on to other Russian-populated regions of the former Soviet Union.

Ukraine's Arseniy Yatsnyuk at the White House

Russia has made it clear that a flurry of diplomatic activity ahead of the Sunday referendum will have little effect on its plans to take control of the Crimean region.  Washington-based political analyst Peter Eltsov said that no matter what official name it will assume, Crimea is lost to Ukraine. He added Ukraine has to fight to prevent any Russian attempt to move further.

"It's the biggest fear of the new Ukrainian government and it is quite likely - depending of course on the political situation - that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will try to go to certain parts of eastern Ukraine.  We need to remember that there is no direct by-land connection between Russia and the Crimean peninsula," said Eltsov.

Stephen Blank, an analyst with the American Foreign Policy Council, agreed. He also placed blame on the European Union for a lax response to Russia's move to take over the strategic peninsula. 

Stephen Blank, AFPC

"There have been no real organized economic sanctions on Russia; there have been no systematic strategic military actions to strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself; and if I were Mr. Putin I would think I’ve gotten away with it.  I don’t think he will in the end, but I think up till now there has been too little action, and whatever action there has been, has been uncoordinated," said Blank.

Yatsenyuk's visit to Washington has another significant purpose; Eltsov said the interim government in Kyiv needs U.S. economic support to survive, and the political support to block Moscow from advancing further into Ukraine's territory. Eltsov added that for now, Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine seem to reject Russian intervention, but that the mood can quickly change.

"The identity really is a fluid category, as anthropolgists say. It depends on the situation, in particular in case of war like we saw, for example, in the former Yugoslavia.  Those issues can really change and switch between sides really fast - overnight - depending on rumors, depending on particular political developments.  This is a very dangerous situation," said Eltsov.

Eltsov also said Putin seems intent on reviving some of the former Russian Empire as his legacy, and if he is not stopped, he will attempt to bring back under Moscow's control other Russian-populated areas, for example in Kazakhstan.

"It is not impossible that given the political situation he would want to take a chunk of northern Kazakhstan, which is populated mostly by Russians. But that would be, of course, a much more difficult enterprise," said Eltsov.

Eltsov said the best guarantee against Russian aggression is a NATO presence in vulnerable areas. He thinks Russia is not likely to invade NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, despite their sizeable Russian-speaking populations. 

"The country which is not militarily allied and has a very weak military of its own, and is in such financial chaos, is definitely a very easy target," said Eltsov.

Last week, the U.S. government authorized sanctions, including visa restrictions, against those found to have violated Ukraine's territorial integrity. The European Union also took measures against Russia, suspending talks on visas and a new economic agreement.

To see the video version of this report click below:

http://www.voanews.com/content/ukraines-pm-to-meet-with-obama/1869353.html