Maria Zakharova: Don't throw your pearls before swine

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova characterized the cancellation of the concert in Italy of People's Artist of Russia Valery Gergiev with a quote from the Bible. "I remind you of the Bible - "Do not throw your pearls before swine" (Matt. 7:6), the diplomat said in response to a journalist's request to comment on the situation with the cancellation of the concert, TASS reports, quoted by BTA.

"When I hear about the development of humanitarian cooperation, this is very important, but only they should be able to accept it, precisely this gift, this genius that we were lucky enough to see, to hear Gergiev - this is a gift from God, not only from him, but we were also blessed with the happiness of hearing, and by the way, watching Gergiev. Because those who were present in the hall, who listened and saw, these people, and among them myself, those who understand that this is music that acquires some kind of matter, matter not only in the form of musical vibrations, sound, etc., but as if emotions acquire flesh".

"I just want to quote again that it is said "Do not cast your pearls before swine". "Everything, no insults, no humiliation, just a quote from this Book, which is recognized by humanity as the greatest, one of the greatest, some consider it the greatest," she adds.

Valery Gergiev was to give a concert in the Italian city of Caserta on July 27 as part of the "King's Summer" festival with the "Verdi" Philharmonic Orchestra of Salerno, with the participation of soloists from the Mariinsky Theater. The program included works by Giuseppe Verdi, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Maurice Ravel. However, on July 21, the management of the Royal Palace in Caserta announced that the artist's concert had been canceled.

Earlier, Pina Picerno, vice-president of the European Parliament, representing the opposition Democratic Party of Italy, called for the cancellation of the event on her page on the social network X. "Previously, she also resorted to political pressure to cancel projects with the participation of Russian artists. Some pro-Ukrainian activists in Italy also called for the cancellation of the concert in Caserta," the Russian agency writes.