London's Royal Albert Hall Hosts UK premiere of Arvo Pärt's Symphony Dedicated to Khodorkovsky
On Friday, August 20th over 5,000 people gathered at the Royal Albert Hall in London to witness the UK premiere of Arvo Pärt's Fourth Symphony ‘Los Angeles' dedicated to Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The Royal Albert Hall has a long tradition of premiering Pärt's work in the UK and Friday's audience were not disappointed. In 1979, Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten, was the first of his symphonies to be played as part of the Proms series. Ten years later, his Third Symphony also had its UK premiere at the Royal Albert Hall. One of the world's most celebrated contemporary composers, audiences had waited over 35 years for his latest symphony, which was met with great applause and a standing ovation.
Among the audience was Khodorkovsky's mother who had travelled to Lo
ndon to attend the concert. Speaking outside the venue in an interview with Reuters, she accused Putin of blocking her son's release, stating that as long as Putin is in power, his release will not happen ‘unless the West, its leading nations, finds ways of influencing Putin.'
Pärt described the relationship between Khodorkovsky and Putin as ‘David and Goliath' referring to the ‘many year standoff of two incommensurate forces' which he said had reached ‘truly biblical proportions'. He told Khodorkovsky's mother that he hoped his music would ‘be a consolation to her' and ‘show that the world has not forgotten her son and is supporting him in the struggle for release'.
A message from Arvo Pärt:
"David and Goliath"
Everybody has already heard quite a lot about the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and Platon Lebedev. The unfairness and impropriety of this case no longer surprise anyone. We have encountered unfair trials in Russia before too. But there is something fundamentally new taking place in Khodorkovsky's case, and this is that the appearance of legality is no longer being observed in the judicial process: all of the usual masks of pretending to comply with the law and the constitution have been cast aside. Furthermore, the impression is being created that this independence from any legal notions whatsoever is being purposefully demonstrated. Everybody is being made to understand in no uncertain terms - "Mikhail Khodorkovsky must never become free and the truth has no significance here". The public is interpreting candidness with which this is being demonstrated as a clear signal, and specifically that henceforth, the law has a purely decorative, relative character, and all jurisprudence exists not to maintain legality, but to implement that same "higher will".
These new trends in the Russian legal landscape are transforming the trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and his associates into a truly massive event of state-wide proportions, its significance eclipsing everything else taking place in the country.
What is taking place in the Moscow courtroom can only be called a lynching. The huge machinery of state is at work to destroy a person it has been incapable of breaking morally. I bow before Mikhail Khodorkovsky's fortitude and composure, before his intellectual productivity in such unthinkable conditions. His articles can already now serve as valuable textbooks on the broadest spectrum of economics and law. Mikhail Khodorkovsky factually triumphs over his accusers. In my eyes, this many-year standoff of two incommensurate forces is acquiring truly biblical proportions. David and Goliath.
At the same time, we must not lose sight of the fact that in spite of the defendant's refusal to bend, this is a human tragedy unfolding before our eyes; yes, tragedies do happen here and now as well, and not only in literature.
It pains me to realize that the price being paid by Khodorkovsky could turn out to be too high: it may end up costing him his life. I do not have a viable opportunity to help him and his associates. My field - this is Music and I can dedicate it to these worthy people.
I greet from the bottom of my heart Khodorkovsky's mother Marina Filippovna, who is attending today's concert, and hope that my music will be a consolation to her and will show that the world has not forgotten her son and is supporting him in the struggle for release.
Arvo Pärt
August 2010