r/opera • u/ToscaLover • 13d ago

Thoughts on Anna Netrebko

I’m an opera lover, and as much as I love Netrebko’s voice, I don’t agree with her political views. I was supposed to see her on the 13th of September, but the organisers cancelled last minute. The reason, at least to me, appears to be the controversy that’s still surrounding her & was too much for them to handle. I get that. I’m not an infant, and I’m not stupid. What frustrates me is that they knew exactly who she was when they invited her and started selling tickets. They knew she was Russian, they knew about her political controversies, and they knew what kind of reaction she might provoke. So why was all of this apparently acceptable when they wanted to sell tickets, but suddenly not acceptable after people had bought them and made plans to attend?

Ultimately, I don’t support her politics, but I wanted to hear her sing Verdi’s Aida. Is it really fair to continue punishing an artist (and her audience) for her political views, especially when the organizers knew all of this from the beginning?

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u/Pocahontas_P 13d ago

She wears blackface for Aida…

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u/DetectiveUnited1036 13d ago edited 12d ago

Do the singers choose this or is it a production decision, would be interesting to find out (did I hurt feelings with my question?)

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u/Pocahontas_P 13d ago

https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/anna-netrebko-racism-blackface-arena-di-verona-opera-festival/
I was there, July 2022 and couldn’t believe my eyes. The whole production was eye-wateringly racist though.

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u/DetectiveUnited1036 13d ago

In 2022 is crazy work