Manipulations are inappropriate: the management of the German theater reacted to the refusal of the Ukrainians to perform with Anna Netrebko July 2, 2023, 11:00 a.m.

The opera diva has built a successful career not only in Russia, but also in Europe – Anna performs on the world’s best stages. In February of last year, the singer faced a wave of attacks when a number of theaters refused to cooperate with her and de facto forced her to express support for Ukraine.

The owner of the lyric-dramatic soprano said that it was wrong to force the artist to publicly express his political views and condemn his homeland. Nevertheless, Netrebko made harsh anti-Russian statements. Despite this, the Ukrainian authorities put the singer on the sanctions list.

Now Anna’s career in Europe has been successful, she has again started playing in the best theaters, where the public receives her with enthusiasm. In May, the opera diva will take part in an international festival that will be held at the Hesse State Theater in Wiesbaden. The German side agreed to the performance of the People’s Artist of Russia, but representatives of Ukraine demanded that Netrebko be excluded from the declared composition.

They tried to remove the singer by all possible means, but these efforts were in vain. In response, the Ukrainian authorities banned their artists from sharing the same stage with their “disgraced” colleague. “That’s why our people are forbidden to perform with her,” said Vadym Kostyuk, Consul General of Ukraine in Hesse.

Later, the Ukrainian artists themselves said that they would not perform with Anna until she openly expressed support for their country. The organizers of the festival and the management of the theater reacted negatively to attempts at hard pressure. They noted that such manipulations in the current reality are inappropriate. “Culture always lives from human values, which are higher than nations,” said representatives of the theater.

A native of Kubana, she has been living in Austria for a long time, where she owns real estate, and is a kammerzenger at the Vienna State Opera. Anna has a 14-year-old son, Thiago, from a relationship with Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott. Now Netrebko is happily married to Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov. The artists got married in 2015 in Vienna.