The music director and principal conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, Tugan Sokhiev, announced his resignation on Sunday stating he felt under pressure due to calls to pick a side amid the war in Ukraine.
Citing the "unbearable choice," between his beloved Russian and French musicians, Tugan Sokhiev said he was giving up both prestigious jobs.
"People in Europe are trying to force me to make a choice and to place one member of my musical family before the other," he wrote in a Sunday statement, bemoaning the efforts to make him choose a musical tradition.
Many people had expected him to take a stance "on that which is happening right now," he wrote, without explicitly referring to Russia's 11-day-old invasion of Ukraine. But he did say the "current events" were "bringing up difficult feelings."
A recent law in Russia makes it punishable to refer to Russia's actions in Ukraine as an "attack" or an "invasion."
He added that he has never supported armed conflict and always felt for the victims of conflict.
He has been the Bolshoi's chief conductor since 2014. He began work as a guest in Toulouse in 2005 before eventually becoming a musical director. He was also chief conductor of Berlin's Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester from 2012-16.
He said musicians are becoming "victims of so-called 'cancel culture'" and suggested Russian music could come under threat.
"I will be soon asked to choose between Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Beethoven, Brahms, Debussy," he warned.
Bolshoi general director Vladimir Urin told TASS state news agency he was saddened by Sokhiev's decision.
"I'm very sorry. His departure is a serious problem for the Bolshoi Theatre. It's unclear how the situation will develop from now."
Internationally known Russian performers have been under pressure to take a stand ever since the Feb. 24 invasion by Russia.
Valery Gergiev, who has expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, lost his job as chief conductor for Munich's philharmonic orchestra after he missed a deadline by the mayor to publicly condemn the attack.
Star soprano Anna Netrebko has also come under pressure to make a statement.
Madrid's major opera house Teatro Real had on Friday called off some performances by the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet scheduled in May due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and humanitarian crises it caused.
