3000 spectators celebrate the Russian opera star Anna Netrebko at the Thurn and Taxis Castle Festival in Regensburg. Outside on the street, a crowd of demonstrators hold up placards. What do you want?
A midsummer warm evening, a festive mood in the castle courtyard, visitors in elegant clothes, probably the biggest opera star of the present on the stage and quiet protest outside the gates – the performance of soprano Anna Netrebko in Regensburg is as celebrated as it is controversial.
The Russian singer has been criticized since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Appearances in Baden-Baden, Berlin and New York are cancelled, others are postponed. On Friday, the first of four planned concerts in Germany, the singer seems to enjoy the great applause.
“Why here?”
Netrebko’s concert, scheduled for September in Stuttgart in front of the New Palace there, was only canceled in mid-July. The Ministry of Finance in Baden-Württemberg, which also includes the administration of the state castles, had announced that it did not consider it conceivable for the singer to perform while the war in Ukraine was ongoing.
In Regensburg, on the other hand, the performance was considered conceivable – according to the organizer Reinhard Söll, the concert was almost sold out. He had no safety concerns, he said. As a precaution, however, he hired additional security personnel. Among the spectators in the castle courtyard was the lady of the house, Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis.
The demonstrators carried signs that read, among other things, “Anna, how about a benefit concert in Ukraine?”, “No support for dubious Russian cultural figures” and “Not in NY, not in Stuttgart, why here?” was to read. A poster showed an older photo of the singer together with Putin.
A critical star
Last fall, Netrebko celebrated her 50th birthday with a big gala at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Putin himself was not present but sent congratulations.
Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, she wrote 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 can live in peace.” However, together with her husband, the tenor Yusif Eyvazov, she opposed “forcing artists or any public figure to make their political views public and to insult their fatherland”. Netrebko said he was “not a political person”. Her goal as an artist is to “unite across political differences”.
After the criticism continued, she announced: “My position is clear. I am not a member of any political party, nor am I connected to any Russian leader.” She recognizes and regrets that her actions or statements in the past could sometimes be misinterpreted. “In fact, I’ve only met President Putin a handful of times in my life, most notably at awards presentations for my art or at the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games.” In addition, she has never received any financial support from the Russian government.
music in the foreground
For the audience in Regensburg, the focus was on the music. Netrebko was accompanied by her husband and the Hofer Symphoniker. The program included works by Giuseppe Verdi, Georges Bizet, Jacques Offenbach and Peter Tchaikovsky. When Eyvazov performed the Puccini aria “Nessun Dorma”, the audience couldn’t keep their seats. Thunderous applause – and Netrebko was visibly happy for her husband standing next to her.
In general, the singer seemed to have liked her stay in Regensburg. On Instagram she published numerous photos of walks in the old town, on the Danube and a visit to the nearby Walhalla Temple of Fame. (dpa)