The Russian Embassy in BiH has condemned the cancellation of the Rising Stars classical music concert in Sarajevo, describing it as an “outrageous incident” and accusing the Bosniak Institute Foundation of yielding to pressure from what it called Russophobic political and media circles in the city.
In a statement, the Embassy said it received notification of the unilateral cancellation just two hours before the scheduled start of the concert, despite the event having been arranged and agreed upon in advance.
The performance was to feature talented young Russian musicians presenting works from the classical repertoire.
The Embassy expressed regret that the leadership of the Bosniak Institute Foundation had, in its view, succumbed to pressure from groups seeking to undermine cultural cooperation between Russia and BiH.
According to the statement, such actions were intended to obstruct opportunities for greater mutual understanding between the peoples of BiH and the Russian Federation.
“It is particularly regrettable that this incident involved talented young musicians whose sole intention was to promote friendship and dialogue through music and build new bridges between our peoples,” the Russian Embassy stated.
The diplomatic mission also pointed to the audience’s response to the cancellation, saying that reactions communicated to Embassy representatives demonstrated the strength of cultural ties between the people of BiH and Russia.
According to the Embassy, the public’s disappointment further illustrated that Russian culture could not simply be excluded from cultural life.
“For this reason, we hope that this incident involving the Bosniak Institute will remain merely a stumbling block on the broad path of our cooperation, and that people will continue to enjoy Russian art not only in Sarajevo but also in other cities across BiH,” the Embassy said.
Rising Stars concerts held in Banja Luka and East Sarajevo
The Rising Stars concert series, featuring young Russian musicians, had already been presented in Banja Luka and East Novo Sarajevo before the planned performance in Sarajevo was canceled.
The program includes Russian folk compositions and works by renowned composers such as Sergei Taneyev, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Konstantin Mostras.
It also features compositions by internationally celebrated classical musicians and composers, including Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt and Luigi Bassi.
The concerts were organized with the support of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia’s federal agency for international humanitarian cooperation.
The Russian Embassy expressed hope that the cancellation would not affect future cultural exchanges and that audiences throughout BiH would continue to have opportunities to experience Russian classical music and artistic traditions.
Source: RTRS
