In the past, Anna Netrebko had a certain closeness to Russian President Putin. Now the star singer has positioned herself clearly against the war.
Berlin – The Russian star singer Anna Netrebko (50) has commented on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She is against this war, the world-famous opera diva wrote in a statement on Instagram.
“I am Russian and I love my country, but I have many friends in Ukraine and the pain and suffering breaks my heart. I want this war to stop and people to live in peace. I hope so and I pray for that.”
Netrebko’s husband, the Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov (44), published an almost identical statement on Instagram. The two stress that they took some time before commenting because the situation was too serious “to comment without really thinking about it”.
At the same time, Netrebko and Eyvazov opposed “forcing artists or any public figure to publicize their political views and insult their fatherland.” This should be a free choice. “I’m not a political person,” Netrebko explained. “I’m not a political expert. I am an artist and my goal is to unite across political differences.”
Last year the soprano, who also lives in Vienna, celebrated her 50th birthday with a big gala in the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. At the four-hour concert, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov read out congratulations from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who paid tribute to Netrebko’s internationally admired singing skills. Netrebko’s “dazzling individuality, your fabulous artistic power of representation, your voice, which is rare in this beauty and this sound” inspires millions of people in many countries, said Putin. “Russia is proud of you as the representative of our domestic singing school,” which is celebrating international success, said Putin’s telegram of congratulations. The Kremlin chief praised Netrebko, who had already supported him in the presidential election, as “an open, charming and kind-hearted person with a life-affirming character and a clear position as a citizen”. dpa
