The director of the best opera performance of the year refused the Golden Mask award

During the Golden Mask 2022 theater awards ceremony held on April 20, the organizers announced that the award in the nomination "Best Direction in Opera" was not awarded this year. As it turned out, in reality there was a winner, but he refused the prize. The magazine "Theatre" writes about this.

The Masks telegram channel provides details: “According to the results of the discussion and secret voting of the Musical Theater Jury, which took place on the afternoon of April 19, Klaus Gut, director of the opera Salome at the Bolshoi Theater, won the majority of votes in the nomination “Best Direction in Opera”. Late in the evening, after 23.00, on the day of voting, the Directorate of the Bolshoi Theater received a letter from Klaus Guth with the refusal of the Prize in case of its award. Klaus Guth could not have known about the decision of the jury, and the jury itself did not know about the letter at the time of the discussion - it was sent to the Festival Directorate later. According to the regulations on the Prize and the Festival, the results of the Jury voting cannot be changed, but it is also impossible not to take into account the decision of Klaus Guth. Therefore, the Prize in the nomination “Best Direction in Opera” was not awarded”.