Stories from Kuopio · Finland

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and his wife have been denied exit visas, preventing their participation in an international chamber music festival in Kuopio, Finland. The festival was scheduled for late July or early August. Pärt suggested the denial occurred because his work is disliked by officials from the Estonian and Soviet composers' unions. The composer described himself as a dangerous avant-gardist in response to the situation. The decision was received on August 30. This development affects performances scheduled for August 30 and September 3. Winbarm was scheduled to perform in Moscow on September 3 as part of productions of Gogol's 'The Overcoat' and 'The Carriage'. The performances are under the musical direction of conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. The theater and conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky have arrived in Helsinki.