<\/p>
Russian conductor Valery Gergiev was issued with an ultimatum by Dieter Reiter, the mayor of Munich. If he refused to denounce the Russian president Vladimir Putin\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, he would be removed from his position as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic.<\/p>\n
Gergiev\u2019s dismissal from the orchestra comes after he was dropped by his management<\/strong><\/a> and removed from several concert and festival line-ups following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His longstanding support of the Putin and refusal to denounce the regime has led to his dismissal as music director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra and the cancellation of appearances with the Metropolitan Opera and Vienna Philharmonic<\/strong><\/a> and concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Lucerne Festival, among others.<\/p>\n The decision has been made by the Munich Philharmonic to remove Gergiev from his post three years before his contract was set to expire. He has held the position since 2015.<\/p>\n