2023-08-05 03:12:51
After the end of the cooperation in response to the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the opera singer Anna Netrebko (51) sued the New York Metropolitan Opera. According to US media reports, the Russian-Austrian dual citizen filed a lawsuit in New York on Friday (local time) demanding damages of at least 360,000 US dollars (328,887.27 euros).
The opera house denied the allegations that the lawsuit had “no value,” it said in a statement. Netrebko had previously tried, in some cases successfully, to obtain compensation payments from the Metropolitan Opera through the US Union of Opera Performers.
In March 2022, shortly following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the famous opera house in Manhattan announced that it would put its collaboration with Netrebko on hold. The opera house has asked Netrebko to withdraw her public support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian did not do this, the opera had announced. As a result, Netrebko would have withdrawn from planned upcoming appearances. Director Peter Gelb spoke of an “artistic loss”, but said he saw “no other way”.
Netrebko is not only seen as a supporter of Putin, but also of the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine. At the end of 2014, she performed with the separatist leader Oleg Tsarev and had her picture taken with the flag of the so-called “New Russia”. She only distanced herself from the Russian attack on Ukraine with a delay and, according to critics, not out of conviction, but above all out of concern for her further engagements. She continues to be a Kremlin propagandist for Ukraine, which is why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed severe sanctions on her, such as an entry ban and asset freezes. She continues to perform in Austria and is celebrated by art critics for her performances at the Vienna State Opera, for example.
1691207541
#Netrebko #suing #York #Metropolitan #Opera
