star soprano
New York Opera suspends collaboration with Netrebko
Anna Netrebko in the role of Adriana Lecouvreur, during the final applause after the premiere of the opera “Adriana Lecouvreur” at the Salzburg Festival. Photo: Barbara Gindl/APA/dpa
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She is one of the most successful opera singers in the world. Now Anna Netrebko’s proximity to the Russian President is increasingly becoming a problem. Many cultural institutions keep their distance.
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the renowned New York Metropolitan Opera (Met) and star soprano Anna Netrebko have put their collaboration on hold for the time being.
The opera house has asked Netrebko to withdraw her public support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 50-year-old Russian did not do this, the opera announced on Thursday.
Netrebko then withdrew from planned appearances – including her role in “Turandot” in April and May and in “Don Carlos” in the coming season. The Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska is to take on the part in “Turandot”.
“It’s a great artistic loss for the Met and for the opera as a whole,” said Peter Gelb, director of the renowned opera house. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in the history of the opera house, but if Putin is killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there is no other way.”
The Met had previously announced that it no longer wanted to work with artists or institutions that support Putin. Concrete artists or artistic institutions were initially not mentioned.
Other opera houses had also canceled performances by Netrebko in the past few days, including the Zurich Opera House. “It’s not the right time for me to perform and play music,” Netrebko was quoted as saying. “I have therefore decided to withdraw from appearances until further notice.”
The singer is also no longer part of a “Turandot” production by the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden. As the opera house announced on Thursday evening, it had previously asked Netrebko to distance himself from the Russian government’s illegal actions in Ukraine.
«We appreciate Anna Netrebko as an outstanding singer and we have a long-standing artistic partnership. At the same time, in view of the brutal war, we see no possibility of continuing this cooperation,” said the opera house.
“I’m not a political person”
A few days ago, Netrebko publicly spoke out against the war – but not against Putin. “I am Russian and I love my country, but I have many friends in Ukraine and the pain and suffering breaks my heart. I want this war to stop and people to live in peace. That’s what I hope for and I’m praying for, »Netrebko had written – her husband, the Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov (44), had published an almost identical statement.
At the same time, Netrebko and Eyvazov opposed “forcing artists or any public figure to publicize their political views and insult their fatherland.” This should be a free choice. “I’m not a political person,” Netrebko said. “I’m not a political expert. I am an artist and my goal is to unite across political differences.”
Last year the soprano, who also lives in Vienna, celebrated her 50th birthday with a big gala in the Kremlin in Moscow. On Tuesday, she announced through her organizer that she would not be performing until further notice.
The Russian conductor Valeri Gergiyev has also lost a number of engagements since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among other things, the Munich Philharmonic had separated from him because of his friendship with Putin. The Russian had previously allowed an ultimatum to clearly distance itself from the war of aggression in Ukraine. The Festspielhaus Baden-Baden also ended the cooperation.
“There is often a bit too much malice involved in this discussion,” commented his fellow conductor Christian Thielemann. Gergiev is a great conductor. “I know him personally quite well. We never talked about politics. But I have to say I admire him a lot.” Gergiev is one of the colleagues with whom he likes to go to concerts.
He also has a very good relationship with Netrebko. He is very sorry about the development, said Thielemann, because the artistic achievements of Netrebko and Gergiev are incredibly good. If you can no longer hear them, it’s a shame: “I miss the human aspect a bit in this discussion.”