Estonian National Opera discontinues collaboration with director José Cura over his associations with Russia.
The Estonian National Opera has announced the cancellation of Benjamin Britten's opera "Peter Grimes," scheduled for Sept. 26, following the termination of its cooperation with director José Cura due to his ongoing professional ties with theaters and productions in Russia.
The decision was made in line with the National Opera's and Estonia's cultural policy stance against artists performing in Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Cura was expected to direct the production, but the severed cooperation has led to its postponement and effective cancellation.
The opera house stated that its core values—trust, dedication, and openness—must be shared by collaborators. However, Cura did not clearly condemn Russia’s invasion nor completely sever his ties, making continued cooperation impossible. Despite discussions with Cura and a written statement from him, the theater found his position insufficient to align with their values.
Cura's most recent supposed Russian engagement involved an "Otello" production at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, which was later canceled, with his representative claiming the announcement was made without his consent.
In response, Cura released a statement emphasizing his intention to respond more fully after the summer, suggesting the narrative may have been one-sided, but did not dispute the facts of the termination at the time.
The Estonian National Opera has not disclosed the financial implications of Cura's departure, nor have they announced any plans to fill the vacant director position left by Cura. The box office has also not announced a refund policy for tickets purchased for "Peter Grimes."
The upcoming season schedule does not include any other productions directed by Cura. The opera house has not revealed the reasons behind its decision to cancel any future collaborations with the director.
The cancellation of "Peter Grimes" reflects the Estonian National Opera's stance against artists performing in Russia, given the ongoing cultural policy against such engagement due to the war in Ukraine. As the collaborative ties with José Cura, who was expected to direct the production, were terminated due to his ongoing professional links with Russia, the opera's core values could not be upheld, leading to the postponement and eventual cancellation of the production.
