A second Putin soprano is banned at the Met

A second Putin soprano is banned at the Met

News

norman lebrecht

April 29, 2022

The Met has let it be known that Hibla Gerzmava, a Putin enthusiast, has been dropped from next season’s Tosca.

Her replacement will be the Ukrainian Liudmyla Monastyrska, who is presently filling in for Anna Netrebko as Turandot.

Comments

  • David Dreebin says:

    Thanks for this latest news, Norman Lebrecht. Would it not be rather taxing for Liudmyla Monastyrska to perform two roles in the same opera, especially if one of the roles is the starring one? Anyway, look forward hearing her.

    I would have thought Hibla Gerzmava would have learnt her lesson from Netrebko, who was too meandering and took too long to condemn the war in Ukraine. No-one is asking her to denounce her actual homeland.

  • Gustavo says:

    He does look like Paavo, doesn’t he.

  • tammy says:

    TOSCA? girl, no. She has nothing above an F#. Total mediocrity.

    • Maria says:

      Well others obviously think she can sing above an F#!

      • ls says:

        For all we know, she withdrew from the contract because the role is fundamentally wrong for her voice. I don’t think anyone outside her manager and the Met’s casting director thinks Tosca makes sense for her at this point. The voice really does fall apart under pressure above an F or a G.

  • ENRIQUE SANCHEZ says:

    Good.

  • Rob says:

    Nikolai Lugansky was due to perform Medtner’s 3rd Piano Concerto at the Barbican next Friday, 6th May. His appearance has been ‘postponed’ and he has been replaced with another Russian, Denis Kozhukhin who will play Prokofiev 2, instead. Perhaps Nikolai was not allowed to leave Russia???? Denis’s latest instagra, post (2nd March) shows a Ukrainian flag and says war has to stop.

    https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/event/bbc-sosaraste-kidane-prokofiev-and-nielsen

  • PS says:

    The US’ goal is to prolong the Ukrainian conflict as much as possible in order to weaken Russia, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a briefing on Friday.

    “While Europe and the international community are calling to end the war, the US continues to fan the flames and is ready to fight to the last Ukrainian,” the diplomat said.

    “The US continues to provide Ukraine with money and weapons. Its true goal is not to attain peace, but for the conflict to continue. As they themselves say, their goal is to weaken Russia,” he added.

    “As for whether the US brings peace or war, security or chaos, I think, the world knows the answer to these questions,” the spokesman concluded.

    t.me/s/asbmil

    • A.R says:

      Well, of course. No one in power actually cares about Ukraine. They just need to get the people to care, to manufacture consent for their proxy war against Russia.

  • Brian says:

    It is just a perverse gesture on the part of the Met management to replace two Russian artists with a Ukrainian artist. And it is perverse that Liudmyla Monastyrska lets herself be used like this.

    • M McGrath says:

      Used? Maybe it’s a matter of pride? Self-esteem? Cash? Why on earth would she NOT accept the offers?

  • Mike Deznutz says:

    Trump Lost Negro

  • Ed Jacobs says:

    You need to know that Kremlin would not allow any Russian artist to go for any international artistic tournée without declaration of support for Russian leader. Putin, in this case. This is a “standard procedure” in Russia since Joseph Stalin. You do not support me you are against me. Russians think this way. When they come here to perform the best way is not to ask them such questions. Art and politics are two different areas of thinking.

  • IP says:

    For the ambitious ladies who crave after her unique look, the addresses of her stylist, hair and makeup artists are available on her Facebook page. Yes, it is possible!

  • Max says:

    Replacement is a better singer anyway

  • david wasersprung says:

    Be ashemed,you think that you are the masters of the world.you are not.artists not must to change their love to their fatherland specially at war days .you think that with your money power you can buy artists….you see that not! What you try to make is tipical economic imperialism!!!!

    • M McGrath says:

      Ach Du Lieber, Mr Wassersprung! But you do make a point: Citizens of Russia, the Ukraine, and other related countries all share a sense of intense national pride. They are ready to sacrifice for the Fatherland. Will they get 77 virgins when they do? Sadly, national pride makes for lots of dead soldiers – yours, ours, theirs. Have all the Fatherland and Mother Russia die-hards learned nothing from history?

  • sandu PESTESI says:

    Artists need encouragement and support for such a challenging personal and professional life style…keep politics out – since NO ONE has the Guts’ to Shut-Up Putin…

  • Gregor says:

    She is a big fan and admirer of Putin. She idolizes him and sings at all Putin’s Kremlin concerts. An ordinary cheap sectarian. in addition to all this, she is a terrible Nazi. she herself from Abkhazia believes that Abkhazia is Russia, that it is complete nonsense and lies. Abkhazia has always been part of Georgia and russia has occupied on year 2008 like part of Ukraina.She hates Georgians.and I’m surprised that such an middle-level singer with little voice sings in Met but She is much more influential in Russia than netrebko. She is friends with Putin’s oligarchs,sings at their private events. and It can be seen that it’s the Russian mafia and Her lovers,Oligarchs dragged her to the metropolitan opera. Because the biggest agencies in the world like Asconaz holt and IMG Artists is bought by Russian oligarchs and they commands there.
    in a word, a cheap activist and a mouthpiece of Putin and his entourage, as a singer, is also “low level with small voice”,with trembling, unstable and bad quality top notes, like an actress also zero! The singing market is full of such ballast.

  • Rudolf A. says:

    L’art pour l’art. I am shocked by the narrow mindedness of people waging their petty wars on the tennis courts, the concert podium. Artists, sportsmen, in order to perform, should be in conformity with the prevailing dogmas. We are close to stalinism, or fascism, if you prefer. Let artists have their own vision and judge them on their intrinsic artistic quality. Let politics where it belongs, in Parliament.

  • Nanorama says:

    But of course meanwhile Putin’s best friend continues to play hockey for the Washington Capitals.

  • Charles and Priscilla Fleischer says:

    Why can’t we keep politics out of music. Maybe we should cut off aid to Israel for its failure to condemn the Russion invasion

  • A.R says:

    Declare your disloyalty or be canceled. How utterly Stalinish.

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