Superstar Russian soprano Anna Netrebko will not appear at the Metropolitan Opera this season or next, as she failed to comply with the company’s request to distance herself from Russian President Vladimir V. Putin, with whom she is waging war on Ukraine.
The end of Netrebko’s engagements, the Met announced on Thursday, comes after the opera company referred to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. he said he won’t be hiring anymore Artists supporting Mr. Putin. Netrebko, while making statements criticizing the war in recent days, has remained silent about the President of Russia, whose re-election he supported in the past.
“It’s a huge artistic loss for the Met and opera,” said Peter Gelb, the company’s managing director, in a statement. Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine, there was no way forward.”
Ms. Netrebko did not immediately respond to a request for comment made through her representatives.
While Thursday’s announcement only covers two seasons, Mr. Gelb said in an interview Thursday that it is unlikely that Ms. Netrebko will come back to sing with the company.
“It’s hard to imagine a scenario where he’ll come back to the Met,” he said.
Netrebko’s departure from the Met, where she has given close to 200 performances over the past 20 years and became the first day of her reign, was a stunning comeback for one of the world’s biggest opera stars. He has expressed his support for Mr Putin from time to time over the years, and in 2014 Photographed holding a flag used by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.
Leaving America’s largest performing arts institution in the midst of a wider backlash It’s against some Russian artists because of their ties to Putin – a question that raises tough questions about how far arts organizations should go in asking artists for public disclosures.
Earlier this week, star Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, who has long been closely associated with Mr. removed He was removed from his post as conductor of the Munich Philharmonic after he refused to denounce the invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Gergiev openly supported Mr. Putin, including at concerts at home and abroad. He directed a concert in 2008 in South Ossetia, It’s a separatist region of Georgia and spearheaded another in Palmyra in Syria in 2016. Recaptured by Syrian and Russian forces. Their international performances have almost dried up since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As criticism of Ms. Netrebko’s ties to Putin grew, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan abruptly canceled performances at the Zurich Opera and the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany. Public statements oscillated between condemning the war and saying it was wrong to ask Russian artists to condemn their government.
On Tuesday, Ms. Netrebko posted a photo. Instagram Smiling after a concert with Mr. Gergiev. Then, in a separate post, he wrote: “As I said, I am against this senseless war of aggression and I call on Russia to end this war right now, to save us all. We need peace right now.” Both messages were later deleted.
Russia-Ukraine War: Basic Things to Know
A city is captured. Russian troops took control of Kherson, the first Ukrainian city conquered during the war. Overtaking Kherson is important as it allows the Russians to further control Ukraine’s southern coastline and push west towards the city of Odessa.
The Met announced on Sunday that it will no longer interact with artists or other institutions that support Putin. In an interview Thursday, Mr. Gelb defended the Met’s stance, saying the company would still host many Russian artists and perform Russian music.
“We’re not doing an artistic witch hunt,” she said. “We do not interview or question any artist about their position.”
The decision means the Met will likely end its collaboration with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, including a new production of Wagner’s “Lohengrin” scheduled for next season. Mr Gelb said Thursday that the opera house has decided to set up its own sets and make its own costumes for this production, tasks the Bolshoi is expected to take on.
“My hope is that the relationship between the Met and the Bolshoi will restart at some point,” said Mr Gelb. “But I don’t see any existing or immediate solutions. This will not happen as long as Putin decides.”
In future performances of Puccini’s “Turandot”, Ms. Netrebko will be replaced by Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska. The Met did not immediately announce a replacement for Verdi’s “Don Carlo” revival next season.