Hundreds of people demonstrated on Friday night outside the Hessian State Theater in Wiesbaden against a performance by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko. “Inviting you to the festival, which should be dedicated to the world’s political prisoners, is more than highly insensitive and an affront to the state, the city and everyone who stands in solidarity with Ukraine,” said the president of Europe -Trade Union Initiative in Hesse, Peter Niederelz, at the demonstration.
protest
The citizens’ initiative called for the solidarity rally after state theater director Uwe Eric Laufenberg invited Netrebko to the festival. “We are here stunned by this invitation of this Russian singer by this artistic director and we raise our voices against it.” According to police, a total of 450 protesters were at the scene.
After the start of the war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Russian-Austrian citizen Netrebko was criticized for her alleged proximity to Russian President Vladimir Putin. At the current May Festival in Wiesbaden, which is dedicated to political prisoners around the world, the soprano star is due to perform again on May 7 as Abigaille in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Nabucco”.
Hesse and Wiesbaden against performance
The state of Hesse and the state capital, Wiesbaden, have spoken out against his performance, but the state theater is joining in.
There could be many reasons why, despite resistance from politics, city administration and civil society, the decision was made to “invite the most toxic contemporary Russian female singers like Ms. Netrebko to the May Festival”, said the Consul General Ukrainian Vadym Kostiuk on site. . “They are all inhumane.” The State Theater did not comment on the German Press Agency’s request until evening.
“Murder Singer” and “#nonetrebko”
Many of the demonstrators waved the Ukrainian flag, wore flowers in their hair and held up signs with inscriptions such as “murderous singer”, “#nonetrebko” or “no applause for Putin Netrebko propaganda”. Musicians from the Hessian State Orchestra played the Ukrainian national anthem and the European anthem in front of the building, and many sang along.
Netrebko only appeared in Vienna at the “Austria for Life” benefit concert at the end of April. At the open-air concert in front of Schönbrunn Palace, she sang an aria from the opera Tannhäuser, and there were no reports of protests. When she returned to the Vienna State Opera last September, there was a front-of-house demonstration, but thunderous applause from the audience and benevolent criticism from opera connoisseurs.