DictArt Clash: Harmony vs Tyranny

Recently, I’ve found myself pondering the current situation in Russia, haunted by the question: What would I do if faced with such choices, both as an individual and as an artist? Would I seek to immigrate, or would I attempt to reconcile and feign normalcy to avoid trouble? Perhaps delving into history, particularly into the harrowing eras of Stalin and Hitler, could offer some insight.

When I reflect on how artists coped with adversity in the past, figures like Wilhelm Furtwängler, Richard Strauss, Dmitri Shostakovich, Maria Yudina, Sviatoslav Richter, and others come to mind. While some may have seen them as merely adapting, Shostakovich and Yudina, the heroes of our concert, demonstrated that true independence of an artist may lie in his/her artistic integrity. Despite limitations and risks, they remained faithful to their beliefs, navigating a delicate balance between their artistic expression and survival.

Another question arises: why does art…