Around the Music Festival

The State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Novosibirsk, Russia, has announced that it will cancel a concert by star soprano Anna Netrebko scheduled for 2 June, citing ‘accusations of Russian behaviour’.

On 30 March, through a post on Facebook, Netrebko issued a statement condemning the war caused by Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, and also denying any relationship with President Putin.。

The theatre’s decision is seen as “retaliation” by the Putin regime for her statement. The theatre strongly condemned her in a statement. The statement said: “Yesterday, the artist issued a statement condemning the actions of our country. Living in Europe and the opportunity to perform in European venues turned out to be more important to her than the fate of her country”.

The statement also said: “We should not fear that some cultural figures will abandon their homeland. Our country is rich in talent and the idols of yesterday will be replaced by other idols with a clear civic position”.

The theatre has included in its next performance a concert featuring Veronika DiGioeva, who stood in for Netrebko in the Zurich Opera’s production of “Macbeth”.

In response to Netrebko’s statement, Peter Gelb, President of the Metropolitan Opera, who took the decision to drop her, told the New York Times: “We’re not prepared to change our position. If Anna demonstrates that she has truly and completely disassociated herself from Putin over the long term, I would be willing to have a conversation.”

Meanwhile, Putin’s regime has begun to enact legislation, including a law to severely punish behaviour critical of the regime, and since the 30 March statement, the Russian version of Netrebko’s social networking site has been shut down. Netrebko is likely to continue to face a difficult situation in which his appearances will be limited for the time being.

Photo：Anna Netrebko