Overview
- The 81-year-old German pianist and conductor received the state decoration at a Kremlin ceremony held for Russia’s Unity Day.
- President Vladimir Putin praised Frantz for what he called a long-standing contribution to rapprochement and cultural exchange between Russia and Germany.
- Frantz traveled to Moscow despite Western sanctions and called the award a great honor, saying in Russian that he has devoted his life to performing Russian music, citing Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.
- Frantz has defended Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea, has described himself as a Putin-Versteher, and has maintained ties with Russian cultural institutions including service as a juror at the Tchaikovsky competition.
- German institutions have distanced themselves from him, including disinvitations from the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in 2023 and 2024.