State Opera sticks to Anna Netrebko: “Artistically unique”

2023-08-31 18:29:05

Despite a petition, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden wants to keep the participation of the soprano Anna Netrebko in Giuseppe Verdi’s “Macbeth” from September 15th. The State Opera announced on Thursday that a conversation had taken place between the artistic director Matthias Schulz, the artist and her management, during which the artistic director was able to “get a personal impression of the authenticity” of her distancing from Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Netrebko made an unequivocal statement in March 2022 – very soon after the Russian attack on Ukraine. She said at the time: “I expressly condemn the war against Ukraine and my thoughts are with the victims of this war and their families.” ” met.

The State Opera points out that Netrebko “has not accepted any engagements in Russia” since the outbreak of war: “And her management has confirmed to us that there are still no plans for performances in Russia.” She has “both through her statement and has taken a clear position and distanced itself through its actions since the outbreak of the war”. Schulz told the Berliner Zeitung: “There are few artists who have expressed themselves so clearly. What is particularly important for us is the unity of the statement with the actions of the singer, who has not performed in Russia since the beginning of the war.”

According to Schulz, the State Opera has no business interests: “Netrebko sings in four performances, nothing more. However, anyone who saw the premiere in 2018 will remember that Netrebko’s performance is artistically unique and it would not have been easy to replace her with another singer.” Anna Netrebko knows the State Opera’s “clearly pro-Ukrainian position”. Both “full solidarity with the Ukraine” and “responsible handling” of the artists are “extremely important” to the house.

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An online petition called for the cancellation of the four performances in which the soprano is scheduled to perform at Opera Macbeth from September 15. According to the epd, more than 27,500 people had signed the collection of signatures by Thursday. In addition, Ukrainian exile groups are calling for a demonstration in front of the State Opera on September 15.