Moscow: A Russian bass-baritone lost his chance of a grand debut at the Wagner festival in Germany over an old swastika tattoo.
Evgeny Nikitin, 38, was set to become the first Russian to sing the lead role in the production of ‘The Flying Dutchman’ at the annual Bayreuth Festival, set to open Wednesday.
However, Nikitin`s turbulent background caught up with him when a German TV channel aired a video from the time when he dabbled in rock music.
Archive footage showed bare-chested Nikitin blasting away a heavy metal song at the drums, with a swastika tattooed on his chest.
A media storm that followed prompted Nikitin to give up on his grand debut, German television ZDF said.
"I`ve done the tattoos in my youth. It was a big mistake," said Nikitin, who still sports many tattoos on his body, down to his hands, though the swastika has since been covered by another image.
No replacement was announced for Nikitin till Sunday.
Nikitin, a native of Murmansk, graduated from St. Petersburg conservatory and made a name for himself as a Wagner performer in the city`s Mariinsky Theater under famous conductor Valery Gergiev.
Richard Wagner lived and died in the Bavarian city of Bayreuth, which holds regular Wagnerian festivals since 1876. The festival was popular with Nazi leaders - who were big admirers of Wagner`s music - and had to go to great lengths to dismiss any ties to Nazism after its post-war relaunch in 1951.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.