Anna Netrebko, the Russian soprano superstar, will no longer appear at the Metropolitan Opera this or next season after failing to comply with the company’s request to distance itself from Russian President Vladimir Putin while he is waging war against Ukraine.
Ms Netrebko’s commitments, announced by Matt on Thursday, came to an end after the opera troupe, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said it would no longer hire artists who support Mr Putin. While Ms. Netrebko has made statements critical of the war in recent days, she has remained silent about the Russian president, whose re-election she has approved in the past.
“This is a great artistic loss for Met and the opera,” said Peter Gelb, the company’s general manager, in a statement. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but there was no way forward with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine.
Ms Netrebko did not immediately respond to a request for comment through her representatives.
While Thursday’s announcement covers only two seasons, Mr Gelb said in an interview on Thursday that it seemed unlikely that Ms. Netrebko would ever return to sing with the company.
“It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which she will return to the Met,” he said.
Ms. Netrebko’s breakup with Matt, where she sang nearly 200 performances over the past 20 years and became a ruling diva, was a stunning turnaround for one of the world’s greatest opera stars. Sometimes over the years, she has expressed support for Mr Putin, and in 2014 she was photographed holding a flag used by Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine.
Her departure from America’s largest performing arts institution came amid a wider backlash against some Russian artists over their ties to Mr Putin – one that has raised difficult questions about how far art organizations should go in demanding public declarations by artists.
Earlier this week, Russian star maestro Valery Gergiev, who has long been closely associated with Mr Putin, was removed from his post as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic after refusing to condemn the invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Gergiev has publicly supported Mr. Putin, including with concerts at home and abroad. In 2008, he led a concert in South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia, and in 2016 he led another in Palmyra, Syria, after being recaptured by Syrian and Russian forces. His international appearances almost dried up after Russia invaded Ukraine.
As criticism of Ms. Netrebko’s ties to Mr Putin grew, she abruptly canceled her performances at the Teatro la Scala in Milan, the Zurich Opera and the Elbfilharmonic in Hamburg, Germany. Her public statements alternated between condemning the war and saying it was wrong to ask Russian artists to condemn their government.
On Tuesday, Ms. Netrebko posted a photo on Instagram of herself with Mr. Gergiev, smiling after a concert. She then wrote in a separate post: “As I said, I am against this senseless war of aggression and I call on Russia to end this war immediately in order to save us all. We need peace right now. “Both publications were later deleted.
The war between Russia and Ukraine: key things you need to know
Map 1 of 4
A Ukrainian city is falling. Russian troops gained control of Kherson, the first city to be conquered during the war. Overtaking Kherson is important because it allows the Russians to control much of Ukraine’s southern coast and push west toward the city of Odessa.
Met announced on Sunday that it would no longer engage with contractors or other institutions that have expressed support for Mr Putin. In an interview Thursday, Mr Gelb defended Met’s position, saying the company would still welcome many Russian artists and perform Russian music. He noted that Matt was currently rehearsing a production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, starring several Russian artists.
“We don’t do artistic witch hunts,” he said. “We don’t interview or ask artists about their positions.”
The decision means Met is likely to end his collaboration with the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, including on Wagner’s new production of Lohengrin, scheduled for next season. Mr Gelb said on Thursday that the opera had decided to build its own sets and make its own costumes for the production, tasks that Bolshoi was expected to handle.
“I hope that at some point the relationship between Met and Bolshoi can be re-established,” Mr Gelb said. “But I do not see an immediate or immediate solution. Until Putin decides, that will not happen. “
Ms. Netrebko will be replaced in the upcoming performances of Puccini’s Turandot by Ludmila Monastyrska, a Ukrainian soprano. Matt did not immediately announce a replacement for her at the revival of Verdi’s Don Carlo next season.