The organizers canceled the concert of the Russian opera singer Anna Nětrebková, which was supposed to take place on October 16 in Prague’s Municipal House. This was announced on Thursday afternoon by his boss Vlastimil Ježek and Alena Kunertová from the Nachtigall Artists agency, which organized the event. The singer called the political pressure to cancel the performance late at night an attempt at censorship.
Anna Nětrebková supported Russian President Vladimir Putin for years. But she was also one of the biggest stars of the New York Metropolitan Opera. | Video: Associated Press
According to Kunertová, this is a mutual agreement and the artist said that she will not demand compensation from the Municipal House. Netrebková respects the agency’s decision, but for the Russian service of the BBC, she said that the decision was made under political pressure and complained about censorship.
“We agreed that we would give in to political pressure and that Anna would not demand compensation from either Nachtigall Artists Management or the Municipal House,” said Kunertová. According to her, the singer is sorry for the situation, but she understands that it got out of control and that political pressures arose. The artist’s management had already been contacted by Czech groups known for organizing demonstrations, which everyone wanted to avoid, Kunertová added.
“Unfortunately, they had no other choice,” the singer said to the Nachtigall Artists agency, thanking it for its support. “Anna Nětrebková is disappointed that the disapproving minority deprived 1,300 ticket holders of the opportunity to exercise their democratic choice,” reads the statement of the singer, who invited her fans to come to hear her performance in Vienna, where, according to her, “this kind of censorship does not exist “.
Nětrebková was supposed to perform in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House, which is owned by the city through its joint-stock company of the same name. “None of the participants agree with the cancellation of the concert,” said the head of the company, Vlastimil Ježek, on Thursday. However, according to him, the concert became a political and social issue and both parties agreed that it would be better to cancel it. Tickets for a sold-out evening will be refunded in full.
The Municipal House will also compensate the organizing agency for the costs incurred so far for organizing the concert by providing them with discounts on the sublease of Smetana Hall for the next year and the year after. The discount should cover six concerts and the costs should be up to one million crowns.
The world-famous soprano Nětrebková lives in Austria, but she supported Russian President Vladimir Putin for years. She uttered for example, supporting him in the 2012 election campaign, later speaking admiringly of him she spoke in an interview with Newsweek magazine.
In the winter of 2014 she visited The Russians annexed the Ukrainian Crimea and financially supported the pro-Russian separatists there.
After the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine last year, she hesitated for a month before condemning the conflict. However, she refused to distance herself from Vladimir Putin. Due to his attitudes, he is currently not allowed to perform, for example, at the New York Metropolitan Opera. Nětrebková sued her at the beginning of the month and is demanding compensation of at least 360,000 dollars, equivalent to almost eight million crowns, the AP agency wrote.
“Although we had a properly concluded contract, we thought it immoral to pay Anna Netrebková anything in view of her close relationship with Vladimir Putin,” explained Peter Gelb, director of the Met. He admitted that the interruption of cooperation is a loss from an artistic point of view, but according to him, neither the staff of the institution nor the majority of subscribers would tolerate the presence of Nětrebková on stage.
Nětrebková previously performed many times in Prague. At the beginning of the month, Prague politicians, led by deputy mayor Jiří Pospíšil from TOP 09, expressed their disapproval of her return and recommended that the management of the Municipal House start negotiating the conditions for canceling the performance.
“All coalition parties unequivocally do not agree to this concert taking place in Prague. All parties perceive that at a time when the war is still going on and every day we read in the media about the victims of Russian attacks, it is insensitive for such a performer to perform here in Prague, Pospíšil reasoned at the time.
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