Anna Netrebko

Last Friday, opera singer Anna Netrebko began her tour of Germany. In the first place in the tour program was the city of Regensburg, where a rally was held against the concert of the Russian star. Protesters gathered right in front of the castle, where the opera diva was supposed to take the stage. Nevertheless, the concert took place, and Netrebko commented on the attacks of ill-wishers.

Netrebko wrote.

The singer’s performance in Germany is now causing controversy. Critics say Netrebko wasn’t clear enough to distance himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin, but under pressure from the public, he eventually opposed the special operation.

Those gathered within the castle walls said, “Anna, how about a benefit concert in Ukraine?” They came with posters that said. and “not in New York, not Stuttgart, why here?”.

The concert, scheduled for September 3 in Stuttgart, was previously canceled by decision of the local authorities – the venue where Netrebko was supposed to perform belongs to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance. The New York Metropolitan Opera did not continue to cooperate with Netrebko even after he spoke negatively about the special operation.

Netrebko performed with a local symphony orchestra and his wife, tenor Yusif Eyvazov, in Regensburg. The program featured works by Giuseppe Verdi, Georges Bizet, Jacques Offenbach and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. At the end of the concert, the audience received an enthusiastic applause.

According to concert promoter Reinhard Söll, concert tickets are almost completely sold out. According to him, there was no threat from the concert, but he still hired additional security personnel as a precaution. The courtyard of the castle, where the concert takes place, can host three thousand spectators. Princess Gloria von Thurn y Taxis, the mistress of the castle, also attended the concert.

In Germany, Netrebko also has scheduled concerts in Hamburg, Cologne and Frankfurt am Main.