A violent attack on Russian composer Ilya Demutsky is reported by The St. Petersburg Times. Under the pretext of an interview he was ambushed and attacked near the Mariinsky Theatre, but he was able to escape without greater injuries. The attack is obviously related to Demutsky’s new opera ‘New Jerusalem,’ about a group of hunters who search for pedophiles. The premiere of the new opera was canceled in St. Petersburg last week probably due to pressure from authorities.
Following the attack, a note was found on the site saying “Pedophile Ilya. One more opera and you’ll be at the graveyard. Leave for your motherland, for the U.S.”
Demutsky, 31, became widely known last year after being awarded first prize in an Italian composition competition for a musical work inspired by an imprisoned member of the feminist punk band Pussy Riot.
