Anna Netrebko is heckled in Cologne

Anna Netrebko is heckled in Cologne

News

norman lebrecht

August 31, 2022

The Russian soprano faced noisy demonstrations around her touring recital in the German city on Monday night.

Some protesters shouted ‘there is blood on your hands!’

The Ukrainian consul-general called her presence a ‘bad sign for thousands of Ukrainians who have fled to Cologne’.

Comments

  • Gustavo says:

    Her management is doing a great job in keeping the show going under these circumstances.

    Congratulations!

    Once your reputation is ruined, you no longer have a guilty conscience.

    Things can be so easy.

    https://berin-iglesias.art/

  • I beg your pardon says:

    Idiots. Clearly they have nothing better to do with their lives.

    • Novagerio says:

      I beg MY pardon,
      jews in New York City did the same, when Furtwängler was guest-conducting the Philharmonic in the 50s. Were they also idots who had nothing better to do with their lives?
      When was protesting against a genocide an idiocy?

      On a personal note, I wouldn’t go that far saying that Netrebko “has blood on her hands” (and neither did Furtwängler),
      but she should perhaps show more intelligence on social media.

      • Alfredo says:

        and how many protested against American artists while USA was bombing and destroying Iraq or Syria?

        • I beg your pardon says:

          Exactly. Thank you Alfredo!

        • elena says:

          Syria was heavily bombed by Russia. Aleppo was literally flattened. I am listening interview of Russian POWs in Ukraine and many of the pilots said they were personally doing it. I did not know much about it but I do now.

          • Diarmuid Ó Sé says:

            Eastern Aleppo was bombed heavily by the Russians; the western part of the city, where the minorities (Alawites, Christians etc.) live, was not bombed from the air by anybody. Raqqa was flattened by the Americans and their allies, as was the western part of Mosul when it was recaptured from ISIS. Britain bombed many parts of Iraq in the 1920s, within the limits of what was possible at the time. It is not just the Russians who prefer air strikes to sending in ground troops. I am not justifying any of this – just noting that that is what all serious military powers do.

        • Helga says:

          You 100% right!!

      • Ludwig's Van says:

        And thanks to those idiots punishing Furtwangler, América was denied his superior, incomparable music-making.

      • Elena says:

        You are making a sensible argument in your reply. It is very educational for many. Hope the ignorant person who appears to be clueless will try to understand the significance of the protest. If there is no protest in this case, it would mean that everyone is in agreement with Netrebro’s actions. By the way, she did say at some point that people of arts should not be a part of politic, and many Russian artists and Russian public have the same stand. It is a complete ignorance of “why”. It is never be the case with anybody who does have conscience.

      • Sheila McLaren says:

        Did anyone protest against Ukraine’s genocide of the Jewish people? Try reading *The Holocaust by Bullets* by Father Patrick Desbois, and then decide exactly who has blood on their hands. Since WWII Ukraine in its entirety is one giant Jewish graveyard.

        • MuddyBoots says:

          Sheila, I suggest you reread the book you are citing as it documents something quite different that what you are alleging. Desbois’ book documents the genocide committed by the invading Nazis, not by Ukrainians. It is true that the Nazi’s forcibly requisitioned Ukrainians to assist in these murders, but that was also at gunpoint. Good grief, did you actually read this book? As for present day Ukraine, they elected a Jewish president, by overwhelming popular vote. Hardly the sign of rampant anti-semitism.

    • Tiredofitall says:

      Are you referring to Anna?

    • elena says:

      I beg your pardon, but you are either an idiot yourself without conscience, or just an ignorant person who is unwilling to educate yourself on the subject. She is a representative of evil who did not want to make her life “uncomfortable” when the time was calling to take sides. At first she sited with genocide. Then realized it was not comfortable either. Then she decided to switch sides. She has a huge name. People like her are the representatives and this war is not just somewhere far away, as you may want to think. You want to have a comfortable life but you can’t. It is your war too! It will soon be in your back yard if you want to ignore it and you want others to ignore it. Those times are gone. Wake up. I am surprised people did not toss ripened tomatoes at her. But of course, if it s peaceful protest.

      • I beg your pardon says:

        Gosh what a rant, Elena. Scaremongering at its finest. You’re incorrect – she never once openly sided with Putin from the outset. So why don’t you go on educating yourself first.

        Furthermore, every country has partaken in some evil in the past and present. Why are you targeting specifically her and Russia? Some kind of professional jealousy perhaps?

        The war on Ukraine isn’t the only war that’s happening or ever happened y’know. For someone as uneducated as you, this must come as a shock.

  • Maria says:

    Says more about the audience or the general public at large than her, all sitting in mindless judgement on an artist, and been fed by websites, herd mentality and media to bring her down and assasinate her character when not ever having met her let alone know her in any capacity other than newspaper talk – which is worse than the usual assasination of her singing by armchair experts.

    • Hugo Preuß says:

      Indeed, I have not met her. But Putin has met her. Many times. And she has been singing his praise, both literally and figuratively.

      BTW, have you ever heard of the right to peacefully assemble to make your political views heard? It is called a “demonstration”. First Amendment of the US Constitution, Art. 8 of the German Basic Law.

      • EA says:

        You would be surprised but Putin has been meeting Frau Merkel much more often than this super popular opera star artist. And many others who are currently at the political top had meetings with him too. There are the demonstrations against those people based on their meetings? And they really had possibility to affect the way history goes, but no, it’s better to blame a singer that a wrong person happened to come to her open to public concerts

      • Alfredo says:

        Show me those pictures were she sings for Putin?

      • I beg your pardon says:

        For the 100th time, she’s already denounced the war and doesn’t support it. What more, for the love of god, do you want?

        • Novagerio says:

          “For the 100th time, she’s already denounced the war and doesn’t support it”

          – Are you by chance her agent? Or perhaps her potential 3rd husband?
          ‘Just curious…

        • elena says:

          Sounds like you are getting paid by RF to write those comments… For the love of god, do you really think people are stupid and don’t understand her “sincerity”? Look up her 7-8 years ago, info is out there.
          Now she waited so long because she believed the Kiev would be soon submitted to Russia. That is why she was waiting. Also, she did not know that because of suctions, Russians will not buy overpriced tickets to her performances in Russia. Did you know that an ordinary Russian could never afford that ever? Just FYI. Now she decided it will not happen, so it is better to switch sides. She lost her respect from the public.

          • guest says:

            @elena
            ‘Sounds like you are getting paid by RF to write those comments’

            I don’t think they are paid by RF. There was not so long a go a ring of AN trolls on SD, commenting quite aggressively on all AN posts. They went by the names of ‘netrebko fan’, ‘lucia’, ‘perspective’, ‘pianist’, and yet another one whose name I forgot (Assuming they were different persons.) By the look of ‘I beg your pardon’ and ‘Alfredo’ ‘s posts they might be the same guys using different names. They are best ignored.

      • Tiredofitall says:

        It is also called “conscience”.
        As Mama Rose sang “Ya’ either got it or ya’ ain’t.” (Maybe in German “Ya entweder bekam, oder ya nicht.”??)

    • elena says:

      People with big names and big public lives are not private persons any more. With that come responsibilities. Just like royalty are not allowed to state their political opinion. Only do charity work. She is not royalty, but she is a public person. People expect her to do the right thing.
      Her fault is her association with the evil in person! and then, she switch sides because it became too uncomfortable over there. So now she thinks the clock can be turned back… it’s kind of late, no?
      The world is judging her because she traded her conscience for comfort and ignorance.

      • Iveta says:

        I couldn’t say it better Elena. Bravo to you and ALL the people who have conscience.

        As for Anna, well, she is finally getting what she deserves.

        I heard she was also rather fond of conducting affairs with married men. Ever since she was a very young woman – a trainee singer. Liked to test her female powers so to speak. Some of these men couldn’t resist to promote her so that she is always by their side. (Like conductor Valery Gergiev for example).

        So you are right, she always liked a comfortable life. And her conscience had nothing to do with that. Because she has none.

  • Alfredo says:

    Happy to see the greatest singer of today back on stage! Viva Anna!

  • Madeleine Richardson says:

    Well La Monnaie is showing Pikovaya Dama from September 11 and there are a number of Russian singers. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens and how many Russians will be in the audience.

  • MMcGrath says:

    How cool is this! Go Cologne!! Next stop for these brave protestors: Mr Domingo‘s concert in Baden Baden?

  • Tom Phillips says:

    Wonderful! If only she faced similar protest elsewhere.

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