Question 1, from The Weekly Standard
For some years, since around the time of the height of the Mariinsky/Kirov Theatre, life was dangerous—you were afraid for your personal safety. How has the political world changed in Russia now that there is a president from St. Petersburg? How have things changed in relation to the arts, because in the past, things were unsafe & turbulent for the arts; theatres couldn’t do certain things, the government decreed certain restrictions, etc