Anna Netrebko’s statement on Wednesday may not be enough to restore her image in the West, but her sentence “I expressly condemn the war against Ukraine, and my thoughts are with the victims of this war and their families » is now making waves in Russia where disagreements are appearing on the fate that should be reserved for him.
The pass of arms took place Thursday afternoon by press releases and it was Valéry Gergiev who came to the aid of the soprano he discovered and launched in 1994.
The first salvo came from the Novosibisrk Opera House and was reported by the Tass agency at midday. “Anna Netrebko’s concert at the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater has been canceled (…) due to the singer’s statement condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine. This recital was scheduled for June 2.
The statement issued by the Novosibirsk Theater on March 31 reads: “Yesterday the artist issued a statement condemning the actions of our state. Living in Europe and being able to perform in European venues became more important to her than the fate of her homeland. Now is not the time to compromise your principles in the name of a more comfortable life. The time has come to make a choice. The Theater has decided not to organize the concert. We are certain that the truth is ours. We must not be intimidated by cultural figures who turn their backs on their homeland. Our country is rich in talent and yesterday’s idols will be replaced by others with a clear civic position. »
An immediate response
Four hours later, Tass published another piece of news from the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg which found it urgent to state that “The Mariinsky Theater is planning for Anna Netrebko to perform at the White Nights Festival”, between May and July.
“The Mariinsky’s program is still being worked out, but we can already confirm Anna Netrebko’s performance at the 30th Music Festival “Stars of the White Nights“between May and July 2022“, declared the press service of the Mariinsky” specifies the article of the official Russian agency.
This text by Tass certainly recalls that “On Thursday, the Novosibirsk Academic Opera and Ballet Theater announced the cancellation of the Netrebko concert” and that “The theater’s website indicated that the reason for the cancellation was the declaration of the singer condemning the actions of Russia”, but he is content to indicate that “on March 30, the singer announced that she would resume her performances in Europe at the end of May” not mentioning in nothing his positions.
No press release of this type can be released at the Mariinsky without the approval of Valery Gergiev. The latter, tipped to become the joint conductor of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters has therefore just saved Anna Netrebko in Russia. The big question is whether he did it urgently on his own initiative or, already, with the approval of Vladimir Putin himself. Unless the entire Novosibirsk-St. Petersburg ping-pong was orchestrated.
In any case, certainly, the soprano understood the message. It has just, in the East, exhausted its number of rights to error.