Ukraine war: Anna Netrebko considers herself an “apolitical person”

Ukraine war: Anna Netrebko considers herself an “apolitical person”

On Instagram, Anna Netrebko condemned the war in Ukraine. Putin did not mention her and at the same time made it clear that as an artist she did not want to be forced to express herself politically.

Opera singer Anna Netrebko just made it clear on Instagram that she is Russian and loves her home country. “But I have many friends in Ukraine and the pain and suffering breaks my heart. I want this war to stop and people can live in peace. I hope and pray for that,” Netrebko wrote.

Ukraine war: Anna Netrebko wants to be “apolitical”.

At the same time, she was “apolitical” and criticized “forcing artists or any public figure to make their political views public and to insult their fatherland”. Netrebko wrote that for a reason.

Behind it are the headlines about Netrebko’s confidant, the Russian conductor and Putin confidante Valery Gergiev. American, Italian, British, Dutch and Austrian opera houses have already distanced themselves from Gergiev, and now he has also been dismissed as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic. “Valery Gergiev has not spoken out despite my request to clearly and unequivocally distance himself from the brutal war of aggression that Putin is waging against Ukraine and now especially against our twin city of Kyiv,” Mayor Dieter Reiter said. The Bavarian State Opera canceled not only Gergiev’s engagement, but also that of Netrebko. The reason is the “lack of adequate distancing,” according to Serge Dorny, director of the opera.

She supported East Ukrainian separatist leaders

So the Ukraine war also had consequences for Netrebko. Although she says she is not a political person, she has been a supporter of Putin in the past. Not even half a year ago, Netrebko celebrated her 50th birthday with a big gala in the Kremlin. In 2012 she campaigned for Putin’s re-election. In 2014 she had her picture taken with the East Ukrainian separatist leader Oleg Tsarev, waving the “New Russia” flag. That’s what the insurgents called the regions around Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine. So it turns out: Netrebko is not that apolitical after all.

Satirist Jan Böhmermann also commented on her case. Because that could come to a head now. “Six months ago, star soprano Anna Netrebko celebrated her 50th birthday in the Kremlin. Tomorrow evening she will be singing in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg,” wrote Böhmermann, adding: “Nothing is apolitical, never, and certainly not art.”

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Source: Stern

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