Lady Macbeth in the famous Verdi opera, on a prestigious stage and four times in a row. This is what controversial Russian singer Anna Netrebkova’s show in Berlin should be like these days. He will perform on the “boards” of the Berlin State Opera, with the first performance scheduled for Friday.
The singer, who holds Austrian citizenship in addition to Russian citizenship, has been boycotting her performances in Western countries since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Although Netrebkova condemned the war, she did not openly distance herself from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For example, her performance was canceled by New York’s Metropolitan Opera, and her planned October performance in Prague, which was canceled by the regulator under pressure from the Prague municipality in mid-August, will not take place.
The Metropolitan Opera will pay Russian singer Netrebkova 4.5 million
Nětrebková has already had several performances in Germany in recent weeks, and they have always been met with loud protests. However, the State Opera in Berlin is in a different league, and according to its president Matthias Schulz, there is no reason to cancel the performance. However, there are some concerns, according to the paper Berliner Zeitung revealed. “We are in dialogue with the police (…) I hope everything will be calm and constructive.”
However, this is uncertain. According to the paper, he signed a petition against Netrebkova’s performance in Berlin Guardian About 37,000 people, and especially the Ukrainian diaspora in Berlin, are very active in their opposition to the singer.
Even the singer did not contribute to peace, calling his opponents at demonstrations – referring to the traditional Ukrainian headdress – “screaming sirens with flowers in their hair”.
Demonstrations have included photo montages of Netrebkova’s bloodied appearance against the backdrop of bombed-out cities during her past appearances.
Russian singer Netrebkova’s concert will not take place in Prague
