Joseph Calleja is coming to the defense of Anna Netrebko as she prepares her return to the Royal Opera House.<\/p>\n
In a recent article by the Observer<\/a> about her return the tenor said, \u201cFirst of all, nobody is a prophet,\u201d the tenor stated \u201cIf my president calls for me to give a performance, am I supposed to have a time machine to see what\u2019s going to happen 20 years down the line? I\u2019m not sure why the Met took that decision. Peter Gelb is a good friend, so I\u2019m sure he has his reasons. But not allowing someone with this level of ability to sing, I think, is a disservice to opera. The Royal Opera House did a very good thing to bring Anna back.\u201d<\/p>\n The tenor, who has performed with Netrebko on multiple occasions, added, \u201cIt\u2019s very tough on people. You can use art to make a point, by all means. But use the medium, use the art. Don\u2019t pick a singer and derail a career. If Anna becomes a lightning rod for negative things, instead of for the overwhelming positive things she\u2019s achieved and her beautiful voice, then it will be a big pity.\u201d<\/p>\n The article also saw Alexander Molochnikov, a celebrated Russian theatre, opera, ballet and film director exiled from St Petersburg, give his opinion and noted, \u201cI supported Ukraine on my Instagram from day one. From the minute I saw the news, I think I posted a Ukrainian flag and was writing things in support.\u201d<\/p>\n He went on to receive threatening messages on Telegram and added, \u201cIt was quite scary. It\u2019s heartbreaking that I wouldn\u2019t be able to visit where I grew up or to be with my grandparents. It\u2019s a horrible feeling. It\u2019s incomparable to Ukrainians who have lost someone. It\u2019s a small thing, but it\u2019s my little tragedy.\u201d He noted that he thinks Netrebko is \u201can amazing opera singer\u201d who should perform wherever she can.<\/p>\n However Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s General Manager, who is currently in the midst of\u00a0 a lawsuit with Netrebko and has multiple cease and desist letters against him, ensured himself a cameo in the conversation, stating, \u201cI am certainly not going to tell the Royal Opera House what to do. But I do feel strongly about the position the Met has taken \u2026 I can look myself in the mirror and feel I\u2019ve done the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n He also noted, \u201cYou can\u2019t have cultural exchange with a country that is trying to kill millions of people. Today, it would be a big mistake to even try to divorce art from politics. Art has to be used as a weapon for good. Certainly, Russia and Putin have used cultural propaganda for years. In today\u2019s world, where Russia is trying to annihilate Ukraine and deny its very cultural existence, it is more important than ever that art be weaponised against these forces. When you think about it, this is much bigger than just the war in Ukraine. It\u2019s really a fight for the free world, for the democratic world, and it has to be won. And cultural leaders and cultural institutions have to be part of that fight, in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite his comments, Gelb has repeated invited Russian artists to perform at the Met, despite the fact that they have consistently performed at such Russian state funded houses as Bolshoi Theatre<\/a>, the Mariinsky Theatre, and Zaryadye Hall<\/a>, All three houses have endorsed Putin\u2019s policies and even fired artists for speaking out. Among those artists appearing at the Met this upcoming season and at Putin\u2019s venues are Elena Stikhina<\/a>, Igor Golavatenko, Maria Barakova<\/a>,\u00a0Kristina<\/a>\u00a0Mkhitaryan<\/a>\u00a0and Liparit Avetisyan.<\/p>\n Read Related Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n