The Cardiff Philharmonic had an all-Tchaikovsky concert scheduled for next week. It won’t happen, because the legendary 19th century composer has been canceled for being Russian:

The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra has removed Tchaikovsky from its programme of its upcoming concert ‘in light of the recent Russian invasion’.

Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture was due to be included in the orchestra’s upcoming all-Tchaikovsky concert at St David’s Hall on 18 March, but it was considered by the orchestra ‘to be inappropriate at this time’.

When they come for Prokofiev and Shostakovich, I really will be pissed.

Why should they stop at music? If cultural custodians want to be fair, they should signal their virtue by canceling great writers too. Hide away your Dostoevsky and Chekhov before Democrats pass legislation.

Our current society is dominated by a series of hysterical lynch mobs, lurching around with pitchforks and torches, looking for something to burn so as to showcase their righteousness. If people don’t stand up to them, our heritage will be lost.

After everyone from the past has been canceled, we will be left with modern composers. Imagine trying to sit through a concert of the crap composed nowadays. Maybe they could have a cat perform the complete works of John Cage by walking back and forth on a piano. Give the cat enough downers and it could play Morton Feldman.

But resistance to the mob does come at a price:

Conductor Valery Gergiev has been at the centre of the news lately, having refused to condemn the Russian regime and the rule of his friend Vladimir Putin. He has been dropped by management, festivals and concert series, and has lost roles at the Munich Philharmonic the Edinburgh International Festival.

If conductors have to pass political purity tests to ply their trade, Putin isn’t the tyrant we need to worry about. We have tyranny closer to home to deal with.

On tips from Varla and Wiggins.

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