St. Basils Church in Red Square, Moscow, Russia. Photo courtesy Pinterest.

We all probably suspected it was coming, but did we see it would be coming this way? The loss of free speech–even to be silent and voice no opinion–and the persecution of those who will not bow to pressure from government and artistic organizations is becoming more widespread. Geez, this country, and this world, sounds more like NAZI Germany every day.

So, how long before free speech and opposing opinions are totally banned throughout the country? The right to peacefully assemble is already going out the door based on lies in Washington, DC about so-called “terrorists” at the Capitol. Discrimination, once a watchword in the U.S., has obviously fallen by the wayside as Russian artists are discriminated against because they won’t condemn their mother country. Truth is rapidly disappearing in official circles of public education, and the list goes on.

The powers that want total world control have now rigged it so that if you don’t side with them in their highly slanted view then you are a racist, a nationalist, supremacist, a nobody and don’t deserve to be heard, display your displayed and enjoyed, or known about. Is the day coming when those who refuse to bow to globalist pressure—happening sooner than you think if you don’t stop it—are going to be shuttled off to the land of disappearance and extinction?

It appears Western Civilization—that’s the formerly Christian world folks—will be disappearing soon unless some miracle occurs to save the wretched hides of the remaining souls who refuse to see that the US is being transformed into a totalitarian hellhole under the current administration and their regime. All those of us who can see what is taking place will probably already be gone by the time others wake up due to our resisting the onslaught of tyranny, oppression, and Communism.

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev was ousted because he is from Russia and won’t condemn Putin. Photo courtesy mezzo.tv.

The world of performing arts in musical performance has now taken to towing the line on the politically correct Communist view of the United Nations. Artists used to be allowed to perform their music—and I’m talking about classical music without any words sung—but that is now disappearing due to ‘ethnic cleansing’ by the west!

For example, Russian conductor Valery Gergiev resigned from and is no longer President of the Edinburgh International Festival. “The Edinburgh International Festival asked for and accepted the resignation of Valery Gergiev as Honorary President of the Festival.” The sad irony is that  Gergiev has been described as “the greatest conductor alive”!

Isn’t this the type of ethnic cleansing that happened in NAZI Germany almost 90 years ago? Or during the “Great Purge” of Stalin in the late 1930’s? Or during the genocide of the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915? It begins by the systematic demonization of individuals belonging to distinct religious, national, or ethnic groups. Next comes dismissal from their jobs, positions, or loss of status. Finally comes the elimination of people who don’t kowtow to the powers in control.  Nothing is new, all tyrannies work the same!

The Cardiff Philharmonic Orchestra just canceled Tchaikovsky, including the 1812 Overture, and will not perform his works. Why? He’s a bloody Russian, that’s why! And anybody associated with the Russians must be “bad guys”—even if he’s been dead for 129 years and spent much of his time in Ukraine!

Russian soprano Anna Netrebko was prevented from singing because she is a Russian who refuses to condemn her country and risk extrication. Photo courtesy bizpacreview.

The Metropolitan Opera also terminated Russian soprano Anna Netrebko! This ban came against the Russian singer because she would not condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Can she help that her country has done this? Was it her fault? That’s like you or me getting banned or punished for the actions of Joe Biden! Or Donald Trump! Yikes! How absurd!

She couldn’t win either way in that argument. Russia is her native country, she lives there. As a notable singer from Russia, for her to speak out against her own country while visiting abroad could hold serious repercussions for her upon return to Russia—if she could return.

What fools! And I don’t use that term lightly, because it means one who is totally without the Almighty God in the mind, thinking, or life because they have rejected Him. Somebody needs to apologize to Joe McCarthy!

(To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. — Psalm 14:1

These whited sepulchers are using the same tactics on artists, composers, conductors and singers of beautiful and important music as did the NAZIs and Bolsheviks in days past. How long before you and I are subjected to a checklist to see if we are “pure” enough to pass muster and be accepted as ok in society?

How easily could the NAZI slogan “Germans! Defend yourselves! Don’t buy from Jews!” be radically twisted into “Americans! Defend yourselves! Don’t buy from Russians!” Photo courtesy Picture Alliance.

Heaven forbid that this purity checklist becomes a mark that will determine whether or not we can buy food, fuel, or have heat in our home, or even have a home to live in! Social credit anyone? But, if everything continues along this same road to destruction, count on seeing it in our lifetime. Traces of this insanity are already showing up on social media, and may soon be coming to your workplace!

I thought this was America? A land where people the world over risk death to get here because of our great freedom? I must have been thinking of some other bastion of liberty where ideas and artistic performances could be freely expressed and the God-given rights of the people were secured and guaranteed by their Constitution.

Does that mean Rachmaninoff is next to face the ax? Or how about Scriabin? Or Stravinsky? What about Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, or Borodin? Are they to be banned? They certainly can’t speak for themselves, they’re all dead Russian men too.

Does that ban on artists apply to other former Soviet satellites like Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and others?

And will other contemporary artists, composers, and musicians be banned? Fantastic performers like two of my favorites: Uzbekian born virtuoso pianist Lola Astanova, now a U.S. citizen, and the Russian band Leonid & Friends?

Virtuoso pianist Lola Astanova plays Rachmaninoff.

These acts are the kinds of behaviors associated with the beginning of persecutions of people groups and sects of a population. Books are written about such events such as “Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church” better known today as Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, or Franz Werfel’s “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh“.

Other books like “A Cloud of Witnesses” by John Thompson, and “Fair Sunshine” by Jock Pervis have been penned detailing similar events where people or sects of populations disagreed with a king or ruler, and thereafter they were jailed, banished, imprisoned, beheaded or in some way executed.

This writer immediately thinks of another of my favorites, the Austrian tenor and actor Josef Schmidt. He found himself at odds with the NAZIs during WWII and fled for his life to Switzerland where he was interned in a refugee camp. Unfortunately, due to his already frail health, coupled with the difficulty of escape from the NAZIs and poor medical care, he suffered a heart attack and died. Truly a loss to the world for those who loved his music and those who never would have the chance to hear him sing.

Many others were persecuted like Felix Mendelssohn, who had monuments to his memory destroyed. Another personal favorite, conductor and pianist Erich Wolfgang Korngold, fled to the U.S. prior to entering WWII.

It is notable when the entire world seems to be supporting one country, including the media. That makes me sit up and take notice. This doesn’t seem to make sense, there are always opposing opinions, unless of course there is fear to express your opinion. On top of that America has no dog in this fight. So, what is the case now of why it seems the entire world supports Ukraine only to the exclusion, discrimination and demonization of the Russian people, art, music, composers, and performers of all kinds?

And that reminds of another favorite musical artist of mine named Derek Warfield. Warfield and his music has in days passed been discriminated against, removed and banned from public performance, simply because of the Irish ballads his sings glorifying home rule for Ireland Independence and rebellion against dictatorial rule from England.

Regardless, if there was ever a time when people needed good music, classical and otherwise (check out some of my favorites above) to calm down the nerves and emotions at a time of instability in this world, that time is now. But, perhaps that is what the powers behind the curtain want, people who are frenzied and not calm. Frenzied people are easier to control, and Communism is all about control.

We live in challenging times to be alive, but that is why we have been born. It’s up to each of us to make a difference in our world. Perhaps we can start by letting the music play.

Leave me feedback if you check out my favorites.

Michael Reed is Publisher of The Standard newspaper, print and online, and TheStandardSC YouTube channel where many video reports may be found. Please share freely and donate to The Standard on this page to assure the continued availability of news that is ignored too often by the dominant media.

Please “like”, comment, share with a friend, and donate to support The Standard on this page. Become a Patron!