Anna Netrebko
Anna Netrebko is acclaimed as one of the greatest opera singers of all-time at the Metropolitan Opera, which is the foremost opera hall in the world. Netrebko was definitive in Tchaikovsky’s great opera, Eugene Onegin. A short sample is available on YouTube.[1]
Despite this, on March 3, 2022, it was announced that she was removed as a singer by the Met because she merely criticized the Russia-Ukraine war, without specifically criticizing Putin.[2] Netrebko posted on Instagram:
| "First of all: I am opposed to this war. I am Russian and I love my country but I have many friends in Ukraine and the pain and suffering right now breaks my heart. I want this war to end and for people to be able to live in peace. This is what I hope and pray for. I want to add, however, that forcing artists, or any public figure to voice their political opinions in public and to denounce their homeland is not right. This should be a free choice. I am not a political person. I am not an expert in politics. I am an artist and my purpose is to unite across political divides.”[3] |
In a surprising turn of events, the panel of leftwing extremists of The View were supportive of Netrebko's right to be free of coercion to make public political statements as a condition of employment.[4]
In July 2017, Forbes magazine recognized Netrebko as the leading Russian artists, and also awarded her ninth place among Russian celebrities in general. At the same time, according to the magazine, she was the highest-paid musician in Russia, earning $7.5 million that year.
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56MMagyMXs
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/03/entertainment/anna-netrebko-russian-soprano-metropolitan-opera-met/index.html
- ↑ https://operawire.com/anna-netrebko-breaks-her-silence-on-the-war/
- ↑ https://www.thewrap.com/the-view-russian-metropolitan-opera-singer-putin/
