So he did it after all. The German conductor Michael Güttler performed last Saturday in Moscow. In the Tchaikovsky Hall, where the pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja had recently played for Russian soldiers and their families with free admission, Güttler conducted the Russian National Orchestra in a concert performance of Wagner’s «Lohengrin», featuring well-known soloists known for their loyalty to the Russian leadership. This is documented by videos and photos that were sent to us by several members of the audience, as well as by the program booklet, which is also on file with the editorial team.

The director of the Elena Obraztsova Foundation, Natalia Ignatenko, who is rumored to advise Putin on opera matters, wrote on Facebook about that evening: “Everything came together in the most favorable way: a conductor of German nationality who understands Wagner’s style – Michael Güttler. According to his conception, six trumpeters were positioned in all aisles of the hall to create a spatial stereo sound in accordance with the opera’s score.”

Güttler’s performance is particularly remarkable because it cannot be ruled out that, prior to this concert, the conductor, with the help of his lawyer, may have used a lie: At the end of May this year, OPERN∙NEWS sent an email to the conductor asking whether he actually intended to conduct the mentioned concert on December 13, which was already listed at the time in the performance database Operabase and on the Russian National Orchestra’s website. That OPERN∙NEWS’s homepage went offline an hour after sending the statement request due to a DDoS attack was surely just a coincidence. Stranger was the fact that the Operabase entry simply disappeared the next day. On June 3, the day the deadline expired, the response came via Güttler’s lawyer, Stefan Wieser (law firm Dr. Flügler & Partner):

My client, Mr. Güttler, has submitted your email of May 28 for my response. I make it clear that my client has no contractual obligations in Russia, including for the Moscow ‘Lohengrin’ you mentioned. It is known to you that my client has been declining engagements in Russia since February 2022. The alleged ‘information […] on Operabase’ cannot be found at the link you provided. Even if the information were there, it would be incorrect. The same applies to the organizer’s website. I kindly ask you to refrain from publicly spreading false information regarding my client.

The reasons for such behavior are open to speculation. At the time of the inquiry, the conductor was involved in legal disputes both with OPERN∙NEWS and with Ukrainian activists, primarily concerning the extent of his connections to Russia. Might Güttler have been concerned that his Moscow engagement could negatively affect pending court judgments?

In fact, the Stuttgart Regional Court later ruled in Güttler’s second lawsuit in three out of four points against OPERN∙NEWS. Güttler also benefited from a miraculous refusal to act on the part of our lawyer, which made an appeal – and thus assessment by a higher court – impossible.

Not a blank slate

By that point, the competent chamber of the Regional Court had at least established that it was correct to write that Güttler and his wife, Alesia Shapovalova, had published comments on social media consistent with Russian propaganda, some of which were no longer publicly accessible. We are also allowed to state that Alesia Shapovalova, who repeatedly displayed her friendly connection to Anna Netrebko publicly, celebrated Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Nevertheless, on June 13, 2023, Güttler rejoiced on Facebook over his court victory, even though two important points went to OPERN∙NEWS:

And again there is a decision […] against a journalist who is learning the difference between baseless defamation and false claims on the one hand, and freedom of opinion and press on the other, in an expensive and ‘hard way.’ ;-) We did not lack offers to mediate. He wanted to know. Now he knows. […] Reminds one of a certain type of housefly that cannot understand that a closed window cannot be flown through…

In the cited thread, which is still publicly available on Facebook, Güttler even posted an excerpt from the ruling in which the passages prohibited to us were interestingly listed. The points lost, of course, are not included. Regarding the “offers to mediate,” it should be noted that OPERN∙NEWS offered the conductor an interview after a text by Martin Kienzl, against which Güttler had verbally protested, to present his perspective. Instead of an interview, the first of several lawyer letters arrived, and a pamphlet by Güttler appeared in two high-traffic online amateur magazines, simply reproduced without giving OPERN∙NEWS the chance to respond.

In any case, it is hardly surprising that Güttler came into the focus of Ukrainian activists, given his passionately contentious activity on social media, into which he must have invested enormous time and energy. Apart from regular exchanges with activists, he also stood out in seemingly insignificant channels with peculiar comments. In April 2024, for example, he participated – remarkable enough for a public figure – in a low-level discussion about the bombing of Dresden in World War II, which was undoubtedly a war crime, and responded to what was likely a rhetorical question from a user about who started the war with: “Great Britain declared war on Germany on 3rd September 1939. Didn’t they?” – which can be interpreted as blaming Great Britain for the outbreak of World War II, as if the German attack on Poland had not preceded the declaration of war.

A contentious talent

Such peculiarities are, of course, unfortunate, because Michael Güttler had already been recognized as a rising talent early on. During his time at the Klagenfurt City Theatre, he was considered Austria’s youngest chief conductor – until he was dismissed without notice by the intendant Dietmar Pflegerl. At that time, the Carinthian governor and FPÖ party leader Jörg Haider unsuccessfully intervened on behalf of the young conductor. A few months later, Güttler became assistant to Valery Gergiev, according to an affidavit submitted to court for just “about three months.” In contrast, Mikhail Agrest testified in court that he, like Michael Güttler, had been Gergiev’s assistant for years. Whether the title “assistant” applies to regular collaboration with Mariinsky director Gergiev or not, a patronizing profile of the conductor by Volker Milch in the Wiesbadener Kurier stated that Güttler was “a permanent guest conductor in St. Petersburg for 17 years and engaged as chief conductor in Yekaterinburg on the Urals.”

During that time, Güttler also frequently conducted at the Vienna State Opera. According to the opera house’s performance archive, he stood in the orchestra pit there 79 times until the end of 2020. This concerns only repertoire or repeat performances; once he substituted at short notice for his former boss Valery Gergiev.

Those days seem to be over. Two years ago, he was considered for the post of General Music Director in Wiesbaden, but ultimately was not appointed. Since then, the number of Güttler’s appearances has remained rather low-key.

A credible balancing act?

In Western media and even in court, Güttler – regardless of the aforementioned social media postings – repeatedly presents himself as friendly toward Ukraine. Volker Milch wrote in the Wiesbadener Kurier about an interview with Güttler: “Since February 24, 2022, the day of the attack on Ukraine, Güttler has not been in Russia: ‘That’s impossible. I can’t do it.’ There could be no doubt that the country is the aggressor. […] The Russians, who justified their attack with the ‘completely false narrative of liberation from fascism,’ would have to understand the fear of their neighbors.”

Did the Moscow organizer know this? After all, the Russian National Orchestra is funded by the Ministry of Culture, and only last September it was awarded a letter of thanks by order of Putin, which is usually given to institutions fulfilling the official mission of spreading the “great Russian culture.” The soloists Dmitry Korchak and Evgeny Nikitin, who performed in the concert in question, can also be counted among Russian cultural propaganda.

On the day of his Moscow performance, Güttler publicly shared news of the impending release of political prisoners in Belarus, calling it “Good news!” Absurdly, he claimed to be at La Scala in Milan (see screenshot). Furthermore, Güttler’s biography can be found in the Russian-language section of the Mariinsky Theatre’s website in St. Petersburg – after the English-language version, which we were able to prove in court, disappeared during the proceedings. Has Güttler’s peculiar behavior already become known among Western directors? Anyone searching for his name today in the Operabase database finds “No upcoming performances.”

Update from January 2, 2026: Mr. Güttler's lawyer states that Mr. Güttler canceled his appearance in the performance of “Lohengrin” in May or June 2025, whereupon another conductor was hired, who then fell ill at the beginning of December. Mr. Güttler then decided to perform. Why Mr. Güttler was nevertheless listed as conductor on the concert hall's website from May of last year until the day of the concert on December 13, according to our random checks, even though changes in the cast of singers for this concert were noted there, remains unclear.

Update from January 3, 2026: Official documents available to the editorial team state that Michael Güttler's participation in the concert was a condition for the payment of a fee, including an agency commission, amounting to 2,747,620 rubles (approx. 29,200 euros) to a participating “solo tenor.” This leads to the conclusion that Güttler was hired through Dmitri Korchak – and that his fee was possibly paid out via Korchak. Requests for comment on this matter addressed to Mr. Güttler and his lawyer have remained unanswered to date.

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Original German version of this article / Deutsche Originalversion dieses Artikels

Ukrainian version of this article / Українська версія цієї статті