Netrebko no longer at the Berlin opera performance
star soprano Anna Netrebko has her participation in the “Turandot” production of the Berlin State Opera Retired to Unter den Linden. As the opera house further announced on Thursday evening, Netrebko had previously asked it to distance itself 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.
Netrebko should have embodied the role of “Turandot” in eight performances in Berlin in June and July.
Because the Russian opera singer, according to her critics not clearly distanced from Russian President Vladimir Putin, she has already had to cancel a number of concerts worldwide, such as an open-air concert in Stuttgart and several appearances at the renowned New York Metropolitan Opera. The concert with her husband Yusif Eyvazov planned for March 2nd in Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie was also postponed to September 7th.
Netrebko herself canceled her next appearances this week. “After careful consideration, I have made the extremely difficult decision to to withdraw from concert life until further notice”the star soprano announced on Tuesday via the organizer River Concerts.
On the weekend Netrebko had commented on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. she be against this war, the singer wrote in a statement on Instagram. “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 also emphasized that she is “not a political person”. Last year the soprano, who also lives in Vienna, celebrated her 50th birthday with a big gala in the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. (dpa)
