The statement was enough to attract fury inside Russia. Others note she carefully avoided direct criticism of Putin in the statement, and she later expressed frustration she had been forced to speak out at all. Vladimir Putin awards Anna Netrebko the people’s artist of Russia honour during celebrations marking the 225th anniversary of the Mariinsky theatre in 2008. She said she had only met Putin on a handful of occasions, and added: “I am not a member of any political party nor am I allied with any leader of Russia.” “I expressly condemn the war on Ukraine and my thoughts are with the victims of this war and their families,” Netrebko wrote at the time. The soprano’s supporters have pointed to her condemnation of the war in a statement she issued in March. The debate over Netrebko has been part of a broader discussion in arts, culture and sport over how much individual Russians should bear responsibility for the actions of their government. The Metropolitan Opera in New York pulled Netrebko from a run of Turandot in April, replacing her with a Ukrainian soprano.

Considered by many to be the greatest living soprano, Netrebko has for more than a decade been able to sell out opera houses around the world as soon as her name is announced.īut since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, attention has shifted away from her singing and focused more on her perceived closeness to Vladimir Putin. The mixed reactions are symbolic of her current performing life.

Opera singer