"She was substituted with a photo with Putin." As a singer, Netrebko was banned in the West and in Siberia

The Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theater canceled the concert of singer Anna Netrebko, planned on June 2. As follows from the theater’s statement, the cancellation is related to the public position of Netrebko regarding the so -called “special operation” in Ukraine: the singer condemned Russia's aggression, and also said that she did not receive money from the Russian government. Previously, Netrebko was photographed with the flag of Novorossia and was a confidant of President Putin, but now says that she had seen him only a few times. In the Novosibirsk Theater, renunciation of Putin was considered a betrayal.

"She says what is profitable"

As stated in the release of the Novosibirsk Theater, the singer "made a statement condemning the actions of our state," and "living in Europe and the opportunity to act on European venues for her were more important than the fate of the Motherland": "Today is not the time when you can get to the sake of more comfortable living conditions. Now is the time to make a choice. We should not be scared that there are cultural figures that abandon their homeland. Our country is rich in talents. And yesterday's idols will be replaced by others, with a clear civil position, ”the statement said. The press service did not answer the calls of the journalist Siberia.

Anna Netrebko, in addition to a musical career, is known for being a confidant of President Vladimir Putin, performed at the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, and also took pictures with the flag of Novorossia along with one of the separatist leaders Oleg Tsarev. In 2014, she transferred a certificate for 1 million rubles in support of the Donetsk Opera and Ballet Theater. Now Netrebko states that he is not engaged in politics, but simply tried to "support art and artists during the terrible conflict." And about the flag explained that I did not understand the meaning of the symbol.

However, with the beginning of the so -called "special operation" in Ukraine, Anna Netrebko made conflicting statements. On February 26, she had to cancel a concert in Danish Orchus due to protests of the local public. After that, she wrote that she opposed the war, but at the same time considers it wrong to "force artists or any public figure to publicly express his political views and condemn his homeland." On March 1, the singer stated that she was pausing in his work: "Now is not the time to compose music and perform for me." The next day, she called on the Russian authorities to "stop the war right now." On March 3, the press service of the New York Metropolitan Opera announced the cancellation of Anna Netrebko’s speech in the production of Turandot, since the singer did not refuse to public support Vladimir Putin against the backdrop of events in Ukraine. On March 21, the Centre Stage Artist Management agency refused to do business with non -reck.

On March 28, she wrote on social networks that she would soon return to work and sing in those countries where she did not sing before - Israel and Arab Emirates. On March 30, the singer condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine and stated that she would return to performances in Europe. “In fact, I met with President Putin only a few times in my whole life, and only on the occasion of receiving awards as a sign of recognition of my art or at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Otherwise, I never received any financial support from the Russian government and I live and are a tax resident in Austria,” Netrebko said.

Since 2014, the American public organization ARTS AGGRESSION has been organizing protests against concerts in the United States Russian artists supporting Vladimir Putin and its regime: for example, in 2015 they opposed the concerts of Valery Gergiev and Anna Netrebko at the Metro-Opera.

“ Netrebko has no political views, her politics does not interest her, ” says Dmitry Smelyansky , coordinator of movement. - She is only interested in a beautiful life. She is like the forty that loves only bright, color. She says what is currently beneficial to her and that she provides her with a comfortable life. She does not live in Russia for a long time, but when she saw that on the basis of cheers, patriotism can be earned-to speak at the opening of the Olympic Games, to receive profitable contracts-she began to play all this: she was photographed in the T-shirt on Berlin and so on. And in Europe, she continued to declare that she was an artist and did not intervene in politics.

That is, she always tried to sit on two chairs. It seems to me that she is not a very smart person, therefore, when the war began, she did not really understand what was happening, she decided that she would simply draw quietly and that's it. When they began to put pressure on her, she began to make hysterical statements.

In 2015, ARTS AGAINST AGGRESSON activists learned that Anna Netrebko has two apartments in Manhattan, who, in her own words, were bought on credit. She sold another apartment in 2010, after she expanded her apartment with a view of the Hudson.

“ This is not some kind of“ hacker ”information, she herself told about this in an interview with the first channel, decided to boast of a“ new thing, ” says Dmitry Smelyansky. - The report says that in addition to the old housing purchased on the wave of an American real estate crisis at the beginning of the two thousandth, a hundred meters of living space with a view of Manhattan were recently added. View of $ 20 million. In Russia, it was a time when the money began to be returned to the country, politicians were forbidden to have real estate abroad, and then the Russian singer lives in Austria and sings at the Metropolitan Opera. And she, as if apologizing, said that it was all on credit, now she needed to pay for him. We found this information in the public domain. Apparently, at first she thought that the war would end quickly and she would be, as before, to let it west. And then accounts began to come. Even if you fully own the apartment, you need to pay for its maintenance, and she has real estate in Austria and America. Therefore, she decided to make all these recent statements in order to return herself the opportunity to perform and live in the West.

"I would appreciate the non -registered more without Putin"

The inhabitants of Novosibirsk to the cancellation of the concert of Anna Netrebko reacted differently.

“ After Volodin called her a traitor, the director could not cancel the concert, ” says journalist Sergei Samoilenko . - I value, of course, the talent is non -removal, several performances with her participation that I saw are simply outstanding. But I would appreciate her even more if she had not been a confidant of Putin at one time. I am glad that she suddenly "stained", I hope that now her career in the West will get better. But today I am still more concerned about other, more important things: the closure and blocking of the media, total censorship in all areas, including culture, propaganda of war, the onset of darkness and the coming humanitarian disaster, ”says Samoilenko.

In fact, the speaker of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin mentioned Anna Netrebko in his telegram channel the day after the theater canceled her concert in Novosibirsk. “But there are those who escaped to other countries, to the warm lands - to wait out. And even worse , they broadcast from there with accusatory statements. Someone in pursuit of money, someone with a desire to preserve prestigious concert venues. Like the same Anna Netrebko. Otherwise, you won’t call it a betrayal. There is a voice, but there is no conscience, ” Volodin wrote.

“ It would be strange to expect that Netrebko would be allowed to perform in Russia,” says a resident of Novosibirsk Valery Serov . - We can call us a traitor for less, this happens. It seems to me that the theater’s leadership hastened to fulfill the will of the political leadership, defiantly branding the “ traitor”. But I think that Anna Netrebko is now more important to resume her career abroad, she will somehow survive the cancellation in Novosibirsk. I would give people to choose on the site of the theater whether the work of non -reckoning is worth their attention or not. But the desire to get in the first place, especially in conditions when "the homeland must rally." It is funny that Putin all the time speaks of the "abolition" of Russian culture in the West, and in fact, Russia itself cancel its own culture.

The Novosibirsk Theater should not cancel the concert non-reck, mixing creativity and politics, believes the ex-deputy of the State Duma Vera Ganzya .

- Politics is a changeable and dirty matter. Today, some upstairs and trample everyone, and tomorrow they are already kicking them. How then to artists with a world -famous, and just people, these figures from culture will look into the eyes? They are all taken together, the little finger on the hand of Anna Netrebko alone is not worth it, ”the Ganza wrote in her telegram channel.

"Netrebko will be a scapegoat"

According to Dmitry Smelyansky, after the start of the “special operation” for Western tour organizers, image losses from the invitation of Russian artists became more important than possible financial benefits.

-If the American public at least came to Gergiev and Netrebko, then, for example, people with Brighton Beach mainly go to Bashmet and Spivakov, and then the Russian press tells about the triumphal procession of Russian culture. Therefore, I do not think that even if this kind of artists will make some statements (against "special operation".-Wed) , someone will want to invite them here. The same situation with Matsuev. He and Gergiev had to perform at Carnegie-Hall, and we began to prepare a protest action. And, in fact, Carnegie-Hall was the first hall to replace the Pro-Putin artists, because the organizers were frightened that they would receive the largest protest demonstration in the history of New York.

Well, in addition, on the tour of Russian artists, Russian banks often allocated sponsorship money. And now these banks under sanctions and money will no longer be from them. Netrebko also does not have support among Western colleagues, many of them speak about her in social networks with antipathy. So it is quite possible that Netrebko will now become a "scapegoat." She was still very strongly substituted with this flag, a T-shirt “on Berlin” and photos with Putin, ” says Dmitry Smelyansky.

As for Anna Netrebko herself, her prospects on the western stage are still unclear. The director of the Metro-Opera Peter Gilb emphasized that the last statement of the singer is not enough. "If Anna demonstrates that she really and completely distanced Putin in the long run, I will be ready for conversation," Gilb said .