There is chaos at the Romanian national opera: a row that began when the ballet company’s Danish artistic director resigned has led to shows being cancelled, dancers refusing to perform, local artists protesting over pay for foreign stars and has even claimed a ministerial scalp.

The tensions, which surfaced earlier this month, have escalated to the point where government ministers and even the prime minister have stepped in to try to find a solution. On Wednesday, the Romanian culture minister resigned amid the escalating row.

A day earlier, Romanian media published a letter written by the state-run opera house’s human resources department stating that Johan Kobborg, the Danish choreographer who resigned as artistic director, star dancer Alina Cojocaru and seven others were banned from entering the building unless accompanied by security.

This came despite the culture minister, Vlad Alexandrescu, announcing last Wednesday that a compromise had been reached that would allow Kobborg and Cojocaru to return.



The crisis began on 12 April, when Kobborg, who had been brought in to help raise the reputation of the company and bring in foreign performers and productions, resigned as artistic director after two years in the post.

Kobborg had clashed with the opera’s new management, appointed after problems with the previous team were made apparent to the culture ministry, and took offence to his title being changed from artistic director to simply being included among the list of artists on its website, though he says this wasn’t the reason he resigned.

Instead, Kobborg wrote in his resignation letter, his decision was due to the fact that under the new management dancers were “intimidated and threatened” and that “lies were used” to blame artists for the actions of the management.

“I fear for what the future might bring for the Opera Nationala Bucuresti and for the credibility of Romanian culture and the light in which Romanian culture will be viewed,” he added.

About 30 dancers gathered in front of the opera house in Bucharest in a show of support for Kobborg, announcing they wouldn’t perform in any upcoming productions. A counter-demonstration took place, with the opera’s Romanian employeesa supporting management and protesting about, among other things, the wage disparity between local dancers and those brought in from abroad.

“The Romanian dancers are paid Ron 1,000-2,000 [£180-£355] while Mr Kobborg gets €7,300 [£5,800],” Cristina Cotescu, one of the opera’s directors, told local media at the time, adding that Kobborg recruited only foreigners and that he “marginalised the Romanians”.

Two days later, the prime minister, Dacian Ciolos, met Cojocaru, a Romanian ballerina and Kobborg’s fiancee. “Bucharest National Opera needs valuable artists and performances,” he wrote on Facebook. “I am sure that we can respect our values, in the same way we can respect a remarkable artist or artistic act whether they come from Romania or elsewhere … beyond any differences in administrative opinions, the xenophobic discourse has no place in a Romania that wants to be open to the world.”

The situation appeared to be coming close to being resolved last Wednesday, when Alexandrescu announced a solution had been agreed upon, with the opera company reappointing George Calin as interim manager for three months, after which a new manager of “international stature” would be brought in. Kobborg and Cojocaru would also return, he said.



However, many of those belonging to the company continued to protest, saying no consensus had been reached. “There was no real agreement, but the communication of a decision,” Tiberiu Soare, the acting deputy director of the opera company, said in a statement sent to the press and company employees. Calin was subsequently removed from his post, the third interim manager in a matter of weeks.



Many now fear for the long-term reputation of the Romanian national opera. The deputy prime minister, Vasile Dincu, held talks at the opera house with employees for more than two hours on Tuesday. Among their demands were an audit of the opera’s financial operations for the last three years and the appointment of a replacement for Kobborg.