Because of his bloodlust, arts administrators are facing dizzying pressures from their sponsors, performers, audiences and consciences. But remember: this too is Mr Putin’s fault. Freethinkers in Russia need and deserve solidarity. For instance, Canadian venues have retracted their invitations to Alexander Malofeev, a piano prodigy who wrote on Facebook that “every Russian will feel guilty for decades because of the terrible and bloody decision that none of us could influence and predict.” Despite their bravery, some have been tainted, and rejected, by association. Conductors, directors, rappers, dancers, actors and film-makers have heroically signed anti-war petitions, published passionate denunciations, expressed their shame, and withdrawn from appearances or exhibitions in self-cancelling protest. Many Russian artists have spoken out anyway. “I have never seen anyone so frightened and crushed in all my life.” Such is the fear a totalitarian regime can instil in a genius, especially if his family is stuck at home. At any mention of current events, the composer fell into a “terrified silence”, Berlin wrote. Anyone calling (from the comfort of a Western keyboard) for them to denounce their president might read Isaiah Berlin’s account of a visit made by Shostakovich to Oxford in 1958. Most Russian artists, however, are neither power-brokers nor propagandists. In a country where the state’s influence is broad and tentacular, association with it can be hard to avoid altogether. Rightly, links with state-controlled institutions like the Bolshoi Theatre and the Hermitage Museum have also been suspended. The sound of shelling will always rumble in his music. After he refused to condemn the latest war, Western concert halls have cut Mr Gergiev loose (as some have Ms Netrebko). The conductor duly played victory gigs for his patron in South Ossetia in 2008 and Syria in 2016. Valery Gergiev rebuilt the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, making it and himself world-famous-with Mr Putin’s backing. So it is not illogical for Russian artists to be caught in the backlash against the invasion.