Dohnanyi cancels Hungary appearances in protest (AP)

BUDAPEST, Hungary ? Hungary's State Opera says German conductor Cristoph von Dohnanyi has canceled a pair of appearances to protest the appointment of a theater director linked to far-right groups.

Dohnanyi said in a letter released Friday by the Hungarian State Opera that he does not want to "appear in a city whose mayor entrusted the direction of a theater to two known, extreme right-wing anti-Semites."

Mayor Istvan Tarlos' recent appointment of Gyorgy Dorner was widely criticized by Jewish organizations, as well as a large group of directors of other Budapest theaters.

Dorner has named Istvan Csurka, a playwright and former lawmaker known for anti-Semitic speeches and articles, as his deputy.

The Opera said it was considering suing Dohnanyi for compensation.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111021/ap_en_mu/eu_hungary_opera_protest

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