Based on the position of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Estonia 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" on 26.09.25 will be canceled.
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.
The core values of the National Opera are trust, dedication and openness, and the same is expected of its partners and colleagues. Director General Ott Maaten: “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.”
Due to the change of production team, the premiere of Benjamin Britten’s opera “Peter Grimes” will be 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 September 26 and 28, 2025, the audience will have the opportunity to attend the concert performance of the opera “Peter Grimes”. Anyone who has already 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 September 5. Anyone who has purchased tickets for later performances has the opportunity to exchange them for concert tickets or sell them back until September 5.