Netrebko Faces Backlash After Attempt to Stay Away From Putin


Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, one of opera’s biggest stars, faced backlash in her home country after she tried to distance herself from President Vladimir V. Putin during her invasion of Ukraine on Friday.

Miss Netrebko issuance A statement on Wednesday that appears to be an attempt to revive his international career, which has recently collapsed due to his past support for Putin. In a statement, he denounced the war and said he was not allied with it.

In Russia, where Ms. Netrebko has a large fan base, her words were met with criticism. She was denounced as a traitor on Friday by a senior deputy, Vyacheslav Volodin. outspoken critic artists who opposed the war

“You can’t call it anything but treason” Volodin Wrote On Telegram channel. “There is a voice, but no conscience. The thirst for wealth and glory outweighed the love of the country.”

And the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater in Siberia canceled an upcoming performance of Ms. Netrebko, saying that she was more interested in her global career than in the “fate of the motherland”.

“Today is not the time to sacrifice principles for more comfortable living conditions,” the home said in a statement. expression on its website. “Now it’s time to make a choice.”

Ms. Netrebko could not be immediately reached for comment.

Since the war began, Ms. Netrebko has faced a worldwide wave of cancellations due to her ties to Mr Putin. Performances at the Metropolitan Opera, where she sang for 20 years and became her prima donna, were canceled indefinitely. Other leading opera houses, including Munich and Zurich, have also canceled upcoming deals she said.

Ms. Netrebko said this week that she tried to distance herself from Putin, saying they had only met a few times. “I am not a member of any political party and I am not allied with any leader of Russia,” She said, describing herself as a taxpayer in Austria, where she currently resides.

While denouncing the war in Ukraine, he did not openly criticize Putin and did not directly address his support for Putin.

It remains unclear whether he will be successful in reviving his career. On the day he gave his statement, the Paris Opera announced that he will be appearing in Verdi’s production of “La Forza del Destino” this fall. (Alexander Neef, director of that house, said Wednesday that the company was assessing the situation.) The Met responded by saying it was not ready to change its position; “If Anna shows she’s truly and completely separated from Putin in the long run, I’d be willing to negotiate,” said Peter Gelb, executive director.

Ms. Netrebko once supported Mr. Putin’s re-election and has supported his leadership over the years. in 2014, photographed holding a flag It is used in Ukraine by Russian-backed separatists. “I acknowledge and regret that my past actions or statements may have been misinterpreted,” he said in a statement this week.

Now, he runs the risk of being unwanted in his own country and abroad.

“He’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t,” said Simon Morrison, a music professor at Princeton University who studies Russia. “For years it was canceled for being pro-Putin, then criticizing the war to save his international career, and then denounced at home for caring more about his concerts than ‘Russia’s destiny’.”

Ivan Nechepurenko contributed to the reporting.



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