"As a Russian-born artist, it's shocking to me, with all the war going on, especially in Ukraine, where people are still trying to live their lives while protecting and defending their independence," Petrenko said to cheers from the audience.
Petrenko, 54, was born in Omsk, Russia. His father was born in what is now Ukraine, and Petrenko moved to Austria with his family at the age of 18.
Since 2019, Petrenko has been chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and has previously described the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine as a stab in the back of the entire world and an attack on culture.
