The word from Anna Netrebko

The word from Anna Netrebko

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norman lebrecht

September 25, 2019

The diva’s social media have gone silent since the abrupt departure of Placido Domingo from the Met, where he was due to sing opposite her in tonight’s Macbeth.

She will have been informed of the change of cast by Peter Gelb, some short while after this wary-looking red-carpet pic was taken.

It is unlikely she will stay shtum for long.

Comments

  • Caravaggio says:

    Better that she remain shtum because too often what comes out of her is political bigotry and self promotional nonsense.

  • Ms.Melody says:

    Netrebko will do and say what is good for her, and now it is not good or popular, or PC to be thought of as supporting Domingo.
    Minimal knowledge of
    history would suggest
    that she should stay quiet and neutral.

    • double-sharp says:

      That’s what you think in America is it? Where women are supposed to say nothing and have no opinion of their own?

      • Ms.Melody says:

        To show support for someone who has fallen from grace can be detrimental to her career.
        History abounds with examples both from her former homeland(the Soviet Union) and America

        • SMH says:

          Shoot first & ask questions later, right? The AGMA investigation should have been allowed to finish before action was taken. AGMA is interested in protecting their members, not Placido or the board/management of LA Opera, The Met, etc. Let the investigations be completed before judgement!

        • Nick says:

          Nothing can be detrimental for Netrebko’s career!! She can say whatever she thinks. And we can guess pretty well what that is.

          • Ms.Melody says:

            Whatever you guess it will be pure conjecture. Anna Netrebko is no Rostropovich or Vishnevskaya who put their careers and lives on the line because they felt it was the right thing to do to support Sakharov and protect Solzhenitsyn. Anna Netrebko is of a different generation. She will look out for Number One-herself, maybe for Number two-her husband. What will she gain for supporting Placido Domingo?
            A couple of “likes” on Instagram?
            She can loose a lot more.
            And as you plainly saw, today nobody is safe.

    • Operalee says:

      I think an accusation/accusations should be investigated. Overly friendly, inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment, harassment, assault, rape, etc. cannot all be painted in one broad stroke. I changed my ticket. I paid to see Placido.

  • Save The MET says:

    Does Gelb look more like an undertaker, or Uncle Fester in this photograph? He desperately needs to apply some of his ridiculous salary to a stylist.

    • Caravaggio says:

      In a sense he IS an undertaker for an art form on its way to the morgue. What with plunged singing standards and all that jazz.

      • Ms.Melody says:

        The performance of Manon last night was a good illustration. Worthy of an amateur theater of the lowest caliber. And the public still cheered loudly.
        What singing standards?!

      • Alviano says:

        No, opera is not the corpse. The Metropolitan Opera is the corpse. Opera lives in many theaters great and small and is served by hundreds of singers, musicians, and directors.

    • Tiredofitall says:

      Except Uncle Fester was a bit affable. Peter is the complete opposite. His face reflects his personality. Anyone who has worked with him will know exactly what that means.

    • Paul Brownsey says:

      Please post a photo of yourself so that we can all make up childishly insulting things about what you look like,.

  • Daniel says:

    She can leave right along with Domingo. She won’t be missed by the company. At all.

  • Ms.Melody says:

    In all fairness to Gelb, and I am no fan of his for reasons too numerous to mention here, he really had no choice but to cave in to the pressure. The tweets from the senator with the veiled threats and hints of trouble to come were just chilling. He has a company to save, so if he can get away with sacrificing an ageing star, so be it. Unfortunately, this is only a start on the road to perdition

    • SMH says:

      Shoot first & ask questions later, right? The AGMA investigation should have been allowed to finish before action was taken. AGMA is interested in protecting their members, not Placido or the board/management of LA Opera, The Met, etc. Let the investigations be completed before judgement!

  • Karl says:

    Boycott the MET.

    • Ms.Melody says:

      Considering seriously , mostly for poor singing and lousy productions, but also for treating a legendary artist this way. He was certainly no threat to anybody, either physically or professionally. The entire company turning against Domingo ” are these the same people that welcomed him last week as was reported on another thread?
      I used to fly several times a year to New York, and it was unthinkable NOT to go to the Met.
      Now, I will think twice before I cross the street to go there.

  • Netrebko: “Any of this sexual bullsh*t, we don’t have it. I’m sorry, and I think it’s total sh*t. But if you don’t want, nobody will ever force you to do anything, never. If you did it, it means that you allowed that.”

    • Nijinsky says:

      Anna already responded to that quote, more than a year ago.

      https://www.classicfm.com/artists/anna-netrebko/news/we-dont-have-sexual-assault-classical-music/

      “Let me be clear: no victim of sexual assault is ever to blame. While in my career I have never experienced what I’d call harassment, which is what I was referring to in this interview, I know it exists in every industry, including opera.”

      “I did not intend to suggest that any person, woman or otherwise, is responsible for inviting inappropriate behavior.”

      “I reacted strongly to this question because I believe there are legitimate concerns about people losing their reputations and livelihoods from being convicted by public opinion alone.”

      I really think that others running around waving someone else’s flag, to give themselves whatever they get out of it, sometimes (and I STRESS sometimes before that gets misquoted) really don’t know what it’s like to be someone that simply gets targeted because it’s convenient, and as means for others to hide their own behavior. I sincerely doubt that all of those pocketing the money from the media splurge and all of the consequent bling from advertisement sold in their media, or those maintaining an image of being the hero from this whole affair, don’t at all have any skeletons in their closet or other baggage that might be far worse. And again I stress “I doubt that all,” because they would all have to be perfect “saints” which by infinite descent is quite impossible.

      *groan*

  • Gitanna says:

    Dirt doesn’t has border! Ignore the Met!!!!
    First- great Levin, now.Domingo!!!!!!

  • Samo says:

    Total BS… Investigate Latin culture and stop turning humans into robots…Very unfair to fantastic Placido

  • GlazunovFan says:

    Could not wait for the LA Opera investigation…the senator had to crudely make his point to threaten the MET organization if Domingo was not forced out immediately….sad ending for a case still not tried….his MacBeth, despite singing issues…just his presence in the opener would be legendary…now we’ll never know

  • Tamino says:

    Is Peter Gelb attending a funeral?

  • Nick says:

    A great photo of PG!! Depicts precisely the personality of a manager.

  • HC says:

    Anna already defended Domingo on multiple occasions on social media sites, as well in the press; stating, he is a gentlemen and she never experienced any type of actions not proper. Al the slander coming from Jealousy and female singers & artists trying to get his attention for personal gain. Greed has no boundaries. This is a vengeful witch-hunt.

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