Diana Damrau: I wear fake fur

Diana Damrau: I wear fake fur

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norman lebrecht

April 04, 2017

The German diva poses for her next Warner album in haute couture fake fur.

In Jürgen Frank’s photographs for the cover of Grand Opera, Damrau champions New York fashion house Pelush, makers of luxury faux fur. According to Pelush founder, Milan-born designer Anna Tagliabue, these creations are “ecologically sensitive and cruelty-free…a wonderful alternative for the modern woman”.

“Pelush’s stunning faux fur made me feel like Cinderella at the ball,” said Diana Damrau.

Oh – and she’s singing Meyerbeer, the ultimate imitator.

Comments

  • Peter Freeman says:

    With great respect, Norman, of course she is … why wouldn’t anyone who despises cruelty and suffering? I hope she is vegan to match.

    As to your remark about one of the most important, seminal and unjustly neglected composers in the history of opera, it is merely following the pseudo – intellectual fashion of the anti-Semites among us. I expected better from a putative pillar of the Lauderdale Road Synagogue.

    • Sixtus says:

      The dissing of Meyerbeer is indeed puzzling. Pray tell, NL, just what he is supposed to have been imitating? No less a critic than Hector Berlioz thought of him as an innovator. Indeed the subsequent development of opera shows that it was Meyerbeer who was imitated — by the likes of Wagner and Verdi.

      http://www.hberlioz.com/Predecessors/meyerbeer.htm

      As for the faux fur, I trust that its constituent chemicals come from safe and clean coal mines and non-environmentally threatening off-shore oil wells and fracking facilities.

      • Peter Freeman says:

        Hear, hear!

      • Arno says:

        You know that leather and real furs are loaded with chemicals, right ? (formaldehyde – chromium – dyes)

        • All things we wear are loaded with chemicals Arno, didn’t you know that? The chemicals you might find in fur and leather are peanuts compared to the highly noxious, toxic and un-natural chemicals you find in the production and use of faux fur and all other synthetics.

          A BIG difference is that when fur is discarded and biodegrades naturally back into the earth after a few months, those in synthetic fur and fibres will be doing their poisoning for hundreds of years.

          Worse than that the effect (bad enough when you are wearing them|) will get worse and worse as these toxins are released as the fibres gradually break into smaller and smaller fragments.

          • Arno says:

            Considering the fact that 100 millions of real furs were produced last year, (let’s mention the leather ), I doubt this is “peanuts” ! it represents tons of Chemicals used in industrial proportion to process real skins. Next to this the faux fur production is nothing? It’s a niche production. In asia, rivers are being destroyed by real Fur processing factories and are connected to serious environmental damages in local rivers. Faux fur at least do not support intensive farming of animals. And factory farming like all farming operation is connected to pollution.
            Who cares that a real fur coat can biodegrade ? who would throw a fur coat (real or faux ) in nature ? This is absurd.
            And I guess you use zero synthetic product in your daily life ?

    • Arno says:

      From vegan to meat eater, I think there is always a good reason to avoid real fur (animals skinned for a fashion item). It’s always a good step. Scientist who develop alternatives to animal testing in the cosmetic field are surely not vegan but still reduce the quantity of animals killed by human. I’am amazed by how judgmental people are when someone tries to take a god action !

      • Because it’s not a god action Arno. It’s people trying to impose their erroneous views on others.

        • Arno says:

          When someone tries to avoid the use of animals and not to impose animals a life in a tiny cage, this is a good action. Aside from people from the fur industry who are clearly out of touch, everyone agrees.

  • OperaPulse says:

    Speaking of vegans who sang Meyerbeer; Lisette Oropesa sang a beautiful Robert le diable as an encore in her recital in DC earlier this year. Hope to hear more!

  • Pianofortissimo says:

    Fur is fur. It’s the idea that matters.

  • Lawrence Kershaw says:

    Ms Netrebko, please take note!

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