One of the many opera houses Evgeny Nikitin's career has taken him to is Munich. And the Intendant of the Bavarian State Opera, Nikolaus Bachler, can see no reason to cancel any of the singer's future appearances there, he tells the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Instead Bachler, whose house runs one of the most effective press/PR operations in the business, accuses the Wagner family of hypocrisy and poor incident management.
"I view the 'Nikitin Affair' primarily as a problem with Bayreuth and the Wagner family, not with the singer," he said. "I find it dishonest that the folly of a 16-year-old rock singer who has long since repented and tried to undo the problem should be punished by the Wagner family. People often point the finger at someone else when they have a problem with their own history."
Pointing out that Nikitin had apologised and shown remorse, Bachler added: "I have never heard the Wagner family regret anything in the last 50 years ."
Bachler criticized not only Nikitin's departure, but also the manner in which he left Bayreuth: "A joint press conference would have been more appropriate than making Nikitin withdraw and damaging his reputation. " He described the affair as an ugly tale that demonstrates "how the past is still present."
Another major German newspaper, FAZ, has run an editorial piece along similar lines.
