2023-09-15 21:33:45
Accompanied by ongoing protests, the controversial Austrian-Russian singer Anna Netrebko returned to the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden last night. In her first guest appearance since the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the 51-year-old was frenetically celebrated with minute-long ovations in the role of Lady Macbeth in Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Macbeth”.
IMAGO/PEMAX/Peter Meißner
In the sold-out opera house with almost 1,400 seats, after the first arias of the artistically brilliant soprano, there was a showdown between applause and persistent boos. Netrebko countered her critics’ protests twice with demonstratively crossed arms and a winning smile at the edge of the stage.
As the three-hour evening progressed, there was more and more thunderous applause for Netrebko, the other soloists, choir and orchestra under Bertrand de Billy. The setting was Harry Kupfer’s production from 2018, some of which have eerie parallels to war images from Ukraine in some of the stage designs.
The internationally acclaimed soprano came under criticism for her alleged closeness to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the start of the war. Opponents of the performance protested in front of the opera house throughout the evening with loud shouts, posters and Ukrainian flags.
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