Michelle ThompsonA renowned Russian conductor, Vladimir Jurowski, agreed to let climate activists who disrupted a classical music festival performance in Switzerland address the audience, even though some attendees expressed discontent.
Jurowski, who serves as the director of the Bavarian State Opera, struck an agreement on Friday with two protesters representing Renovate Switzerland, an environmental advocacy organization advocating for the Swiss government to recognize a climate crisis. This incident was recorded on video.
Two demonstrators from the Renovate Switzerland organization stepped onto the stage.
The activists made their entrance onto the stage while the orchestra was performing the third movement of Bruckner’s fourth symphony, as reported in a press release from the group. In response, Jurowski allowed them an opportunity to address the audience.
“We have reached an agreement: The young individuals will express their thoughts now. We will all listen without making any remarks. I pledged to them, and I gave my word of honor that there would be no commentary,” Jurowski explained during the Lucerne Festival performance.
“We will let them finish, and afterward, they will allow us to proceed with the fourth movement. That was the arrangement. Please assist me,” he added.
Subsequently, one of the activists began to speak.
Jurowski was serving as the conductor for the Bavarian State Opera at the Lucerne Festival.
“Anthony and I are present here today because we are deeply concerned. We regret having to interrupt this concert, but we are facing a climate emergency that demands urgent attention,” she explained, amid shouting and whistling from the audience.
“Stop it! Let them speak,” Jurowski insisted.
“Allow them to speak for once, and then we will proceed with our symphony. Otherwise, I will leave the stage right now. And if you don’t let them finish, I will have broken my promise,” he continued, sitting cross-legged on the podium.
Following their brief intervention, the two activists then exited the stage, as indicated in a press release from Renovate Switzerland.
Renovate Switzerland later expressed their gratitude to Jurowski for his support in a post on an unspecified platform, and festival director Michael Haefliger also issued a statement on social media.
“We deeply regret that yesterday’s concert was unexpectedly disrupted by two climate activists from Renovate Switzerland. While we generally endorse advocating for environmental concerns, we strongly disapprove of the manner in which the two activists conducted themselves last night. Their actions disturbed both our audience and the artists,” Haefliger stated.
“Conductor Vladimir Jurowski responded calmly and in a highly constructive manner, affording the activists a brief opportunity to convey their message. To prevent an escalation, they were not forcibly removed from the venue. Consequently, the concert was able to resume after a mere four-minute interruption,” the statement added.
Climate activists are increasingly targeting high-profile events as a means to raise awareness about environmental concerns.
For instance, during the US Open women’s tennis semifinal, there was a disruption when an attendee “affixed himself to the floor” during the match between Coco Gauff and KarolÃna Muchová, as reported by event organizers.
Despite this interruption, US tennis star Gauff, who eventually won the tournament, expressed understanding rather than frustration towards the protesters.
“I wasn’t angry with the protesters. I understand that the stadium was, because it disrupted the entertainment. I always advocate for expressing your beliefs and feelings. It was done peacefully, so I can’t be too upset about it,” she remarked.
“Of course, I didn’t want it to happen when I was leading 6-4, 1-0, and I wanted to maintain the momentum. But if that’s what they felt was necessary to make their voices heard, I can’t really fault them for it,” she added.
Emily Martinez
