2023-08-17 23:24:04
By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted yesterday at 5:29 PM, Updated yesterday at 11:24 PM
Anna Netrebko had an ambiguous position on the war in Ukraine. In the past, she showed her support for Vladimir Putin. ANGELOS TZORTZINIS / AFP
The Russian soprano was scheduled to perform on October 16 in the capital of the Czech Republic. The organizers announced, in a press release, the deprogramming of the representation.
Prague has canceled a concert by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko scheduled for October, due to her country’s invasion of Ukraine, organizers said Thursday. Anna Netrebko, whose past support of Russian President Vladimir Putin led to the cancellation of several concerts around the world, was due to perform at the Municipal House in Prague on October 16.
The Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since last year’s Russian invasion and has provided Kyiv with substantial military and humanitarian aid. The agency Nachtigall Artists Management said on Facebook that it had agreed with the hall to cancel the sold-out concert, following opposition from the centre-right Prague city council.
Read alsoSoprano Anna Netrebko takes the Met Opera to court again
“A political and social controversy”
The agency quoted “circumstances that gradually transformed a purely artistic project into (…) a political and social polemic“. Prague City Councilor Jiri Pospisil hailed “the right decision in relation to our key partner who is fighting for its independence“, according to the Czech news agency CTK.
Anna Netrebko retired from the Metropolitan Opera in New York in March 2022 after refusing to disavow her support for Mr Putin following the invasion of Ukraine. The 51-year-old opera superstar later condemned the war and announced his return to European stages, but never publicly and directly criticized Mr Putin.
Anna Netrebko’s website lists dozens of performances for the rest of the year, including in Berlin, Guangzhou, Paris, Vienna and Milan.
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