A Russian opera singer pulled out of the Bayreuth opera festival on Saturday as it has been revealed he once had a Nazi symbol tattoo.
Yevgeny Nikitin, 38, had been scheduled to make his debut on Wednesday, July 25, in the lead role of Richard Wagner's "The Flying Dutchman" at the prestigious opera event. He said he got the swastika tattoo on his chest when he was a heavy metal drummer as a teenager.
"I was not aware of the extent of the irritation and offence these signs and symbols would cause, particularly in Bayreuth given the context of the festival's history," the bass-baritone singer wrote in a statement released by the festival.
"As a result, I have decided not to appear at the Bayreuth Festival," said Nikitin.
A German television program aired old footage of the bare-chested Nikitin, playing drums in a rock band, and drew attention to the controversial tattoos on his body, which is now hidden under other patterns.
The Bayreuth Festival is a world's oldest summer music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany. Founded in 1872 by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner, the festival is dedicated exclusively to performances of Wagner's operas.
Wagner, known as his association with anti-Semitism and Nazism, was a favorite composer of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. The composer's daughter-in-law, Winifred Wagner, who headed the festival during the Nazi era was a strong admirer of Hitler.
"That is a problem in Bayreuth," said festival spokesman Gunther Philipowski.
"Bayreuth has a bad history with the Nazis. It's clear that Bayreuth has to be careful about this terrible part of history and has to take a position against it."
It is not clear who might replace Nikitin, but the festival said the director Jan Philipp Gloger believed that the artistic damage would be "immense, even when a replacement has been found and familiarized himself with the production."
