Estonian National Opera ends cooperation with director José Cura due to Russia ties

TALLINN – The Estonian National Opera is ending its cooperation with the director José Cura due to Cura's ties with Russia, which means that the premiere of the opera "Peter Grimes," scheduled for Sept. 26, will not take place.

Based on the position of the Estonian Ministry of Culture that artists performing in Russia have no place on Estonian stages, and due to the fact that both the management and employees of the Estonian National Opera are of the same opinion that without an explicit condemnation of Russia's war against Ukraine and a complete severance of ties with Russia, it is not possible to continue cooperation with director José Cura, the premiere of the opera "Peter Grimes" scheduled for Sept. 26 has been canceled, the Estonian National Opera said in a press release.

At the request of the theater's management, José Cura submitted a written statement on the subject, which unfortunately did not contain a clear position on Russia.

"Our work can only be effective if everyone we work with shares the same values and contributes sincerely and openly to a common goal. If these fundamentals are lost and these values are not shared, the meaning of cooperation also disappears -- and in such a case we cannot continue this cooperation," Ott Maaten, director general of the Estonian National Opera, said.

Due to the change of the production team, the premiere of Benjamin Britten's opera "Peter Grimes" has been postponed. Since it is a valuable piece of music, to which the artists of the National Opera are committed, the production will definitely reach the stage within the next couple of years.

However, on Sept. 26 and 28, 2025, the audience will have the opportunity to attend a concert performance of "Peter Grimes." Anyone who has purchased tickets for the performances on these dates will have their tickets valid for the concert performance on the same day or can be refunded until Sept. 5. Anyone who has purchased tickets for later performances has the opportunity to exchange them for concert tickets or get a refund until Sept. 5.