The leadership of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has objected to a party lawmaker accepting an honorary professorship at a music academy in Moscow.
The lawmaker, Matthias Moosdorf, is a member of the German parliament and acts as a foreign policy spokesperson for the AfD.
Moosdorf, a cellist, has confirmed that he started a part-time job at the internationally renowned Moscow Gnessin Academy of Music in Russia in September.
The leader of the AfD’s parliamentary group, Bernd Baumann, told journalists on Tuesday that he objected to the decision.
The Russians are among the world leaders when it comes to classical music, according to Baumann. But he added: “However, this also has a political component.”
“We are in discussions with Mr. Moosdorf,” he said, without specifying what that means in concrete terms.
“These discussions here have to be assessed differently than if it were simply a professorship somewhere abroad. We see a problem here and that is where the conversations are going.”
The cellist wrote in a statement that it was above all a sign of understanding, and that music knows no ideological boundaries. He said he spent three days in Moscow in September and plans to return regularly.
“I plan to spend a few days there once a quarter teaching chamber music to ensembles,” he said. “No contracts have been discussed yet.”
Moosdorf said he is not interested in any political orientation of the Gnessin Academy, which is funded by the Russian Ministry of Culture.
