Evgeny Nikitin withdraws from Der fliegende Holl?nder at Bayreuth because of the TATOO in the past
07/21/2012 Shortly before the opening of the Bayreuth Festival, the Russian bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin, who was scheduled for the title role in "The Flying Dutchman", canceled his appearances. The singer weared tattoos with Nazi symbolism in the past.
Bayreuth Festival "Dutchman" singer is leaving because of Nazi tattoo
Bass-baritone Nikitin (early June): "I wish I would have never done"
Just before the start of the Bayreuth Festival, the organizers have lost one of its most important singers. The planned as a "Dutchman" Evgeny Nikitin is a few days left before the event.
Bayreuth - Because tattoos with Nazi symbols has Evgeny Nikitin canceled his appearance at the Bayreuth Festival - and just days before its opening on Wednesday. The 39-year-old should be in the role of the "Flying Dutchman" on stage. "It was the scope of the irritations and injuries are not aware of that trigger these signs and symbols, especially in the context of Bayreuth and the Festival's history", said the Russian.
The festival management and the director were filming by the ZDF program "Issues" on Friday night became aware of a tattoo on his upper body, said festival spokesman Peter Emmerich. Above the chest you have to recognize a swastika. Furthermore, even though they had another motive was stung. However, Emmerich said: "This must be related attitudes since you can not just be business as usual.. "In the morning, the festival management Nikitin asked to report. He met the singer's decision to leave. "I can stand my tattoos when I was young," Nikitin told. "It was a big mistake in my life and I hope that I would never have done."
The ZDF are shots from that period show Nikitin and stripped to the waist and a shaved head on the drums. Current pictures of the singer to show that there is at that point on the upper body by now a very rich color tattoo. The festival management was not in occupation of the "Dutchman" role taken on the tattoos, so Emmerich. "It is committed to a voice, a singer." Skin color or nationality played no role, too.
But here lies in front of a different situation, Emmerich. The teeth of the festival with the sizes of the Nazi dictatorship in Germany marked the darkest chapter of German music history: Adolf Hitler was a regular guest and the festival could be celebrated in Bayreuth. Richard Wagner's music in Israel is still undesirable. Only troublesome in the fifties, managed to restart the festival. The search for a replacement for Nikitin run, said a spokesman for the festival.
Evgeny Nikitin has waived his appearance at the Bayreuth Festival.
Evgeny Nikitin has waived his appearance at the Bayreuth Festival. These he gave to the public a statement. The festival management accepts its consequences. The entire team of DUTCHMAN production is facing serious challenges. From the perspective of director Jan Philipp Gloger is the artistic production of the immense damage even after incorporation of a replacement and can be up to the premiere at 25.07. may not be avoided completely. Trigger for the decision Evgeny Nikitin was a search of the "Bild am Sonntag" on the meaning of some of his tattoos and Symbolhaltigkeit that are associated with the Nazi ideology. The festival management was aware of the research and then sought as soon as possible to talk to the artists. As a result of the approximately half-hour interview were Evgeny Nikitin, the connotations of these symbols consciously especially in conjunction with the German history. His decision to the game for these reasons, the Dutchman return is consistent with the consistently negative attitude to the festival line against any form of National Socialist ideas.
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Bayreuther Festspiele Official site
Explanation by Evgeny Nikitin 21/07/2012:
I'm with inquiries about the tattoos that I wear for a long time, especially to confront their meaning and backgrounds. I can stand my tattoos when I was young. It was a big mistake in my life and I hope that I would never have done. It was the scope of the irritations and injuries are not aware of that cause these signs and symbols, especially in the context of the Bayreuth Festival's history. That's why I've decided to waive my appearance at the Bayreuth Festival