“Now it is very important that Russian figures do not have the opportunity to earn money in the civilized world and continue to bring Russian culture to Europe and the West.” This is how the head of Zelensky’s office, Andrei Ermak, reacted to the news about the participation of Russian soprano Anna Netrebko in the staging of the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini on the stage of the Roman Opera.
He called this fact “pretty amazing news.”
“Netrebko should not perform in Europe. The only place for her and her kind now is the opera in Moscow,” he is sure.
Yermak called on “all those involved and our allies” to respond.
As EADaily reported, for 2.5 years Netrebko’s concerts have been canceled and continue to be canceled around the world. In the spring of 2022, the Metropolitan Opera (New York) and the Bavarian State Opera (Munich) stopped cooperating with her. Moreover, the Metropolitan Opera court ordered to compensate for the cancellation of 13 performances of the singer, paying $ 200 thousand.
In March 2022, the Berlin Opera reached an agreement with Netrebko that she would not participate in the production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot, nevertheless, the theater has been trying all this time to find ways to interact with the artist. The management of the Berlin Opera advocates a differentiated approach and believes that it is necessary to give the artist a chance, and not hide it from the public.
As a result, on September 15 last year, for the first time in 18 months, Netrebko appeared on the stage of the Berlin Opera amid a full house and pro-Ukrainian protests.
In early May of this year, it became known about the cancellation of Netrebko’s concert scheduled for June 1 at the Center for Culture and Congresses in Lucerne (Switzerland). Presumably, the performance of the Russian singer was canceled due to a conference on Ukraine scheduled for June 15-16 in the vicinity of Lucerne.
However, in the upcoming 2024/2025 season, Netrebko will appear on the stage of the Berlin Opera (Staatsoper Unter den Linden) in two productions. In October, the first screening of the premiere performance of “Nabucco” by Giuseppe Verdi is scheduled, where the Russian soprano will play the role of Abigail. In May 2025, screenings of the opera “Troubadour” by Verdi are planned, in which the actress got the part of Leonora.