Overthrown by Putin, Anna Netrebko returned to the European stage to a standing ovation

Anna Netrebko returns to the stage

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Russian opera star Anna Netrebko received a standing ovation in the Paris Philharmonic Hall, where she celebrated her return to the stage in the western capital after being criticized after the start of the war in Ukraine, AFP reported.

As soon as she entered, the audience greeted her triumphantly and applauded her for a long time.

Smiling and casual, dressed in a long black-and-white dress, Netrebko performed excerpts from works by Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Tchaikovsky. At the end of his performance, the soprano received a standing ovation.

The Ukrainian embassy in France, for its part, condemned on Twitter the “hypocritical” conduct of the concert.

“We are struck by the blatant dissonance between French public opinion mobilized in support of Ukraine and the hypocrisy of an audience that is quick to applaud the Kremlin’s soprano.“, wrote the embassy on the social network.

Anna Netrebko, one of the world’s greatest opera voices, was among the first Russian artists to be criticized since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24 for not publicly condemning the war.

Anna Netrebko condemned the war and returned to the stage

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The prestigious New York Metropolitan Opera, starring Netrebko, has canceled its performances indefinitely. The opera singer announced that she is temporarily withdrawing from the stage.

On March 30, Anna Netrebko “explicitly denounced the war in Ukraine,” which led to her removal from the billboard in her homeland.

In their country, Russian artists are called upon to show patriotism or remain silent, and Western countries expect them to publicly distance themselves from the military operation and the Russian regime.

Anna Netrebko has never openly declared her support for Russian President Vladimir Putin, but has been reprimanded for posing with the flag of pro-Russian separatist rebels in St. Petersburg in December 2015. The opera star caused controversy because she handed over a check for one million rubles (about 15,000 euros) to pro-Russian Ukrainian leader Oleg Tsarev.

Netrebko defended himself, explaining that she wanted to support the arts, in particular the Donetsk Opera, which Ukraine had stopped funding.. The opera prima also assured that she had never received financial support from the Russian government, and that she had never been “in alliance” with any Russian leader.

Soprano Anna Netrebko will not sing at the New York Opera “Metropolitan”

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In an interview with the French daily Le Monde, Anna Netrebko reiterated that she was not to blame for anything. The primate confirmed that her only mistake was that she did not find out more about the situation in Donbass and that she only wanted to help friends in difficulty.

“I was asked to speak out against Vladimir Putin. I replied that I still had a Russian passport, he was still president and I could not say such words in public. That is why I refused,” Netrebko added.

Her former mentor, conductor Valery Gergiev, who is close to the Kremlin, has been declared a persona non grata by Western concert halls.

Anna Netrebko’s concert at the Paris Philharmonic Hall has already been postponed three times due to the coronavirus pandemic. Her previous recital in the French capital was in 2019, during a gala on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of the Paris Opera. Netrebko will return to the stage of this institution in December to sing in “The Power of Fate” by Verdi.

In the summer, at the Arena di Verona, the primate will celebrate his great return to Italy.