A planned concert by the Russian star soprano Anna Netrebko in front of the New Palace in Stuttgart has been canceled without replacement. The reason for this is the cancellation of the Baden-Württemberg state office for property and construction, the organizers said. The debate about the boycott of Russian artists because of the Russian war against Ukraine may thus pick up speed again.
“We very much regret the decision of the Landesbetrieb Vermögens und Bau Baden-Württemberg and the associated cancellation of the concert,” they wrote. The 50-year-old Netrebko was originally scheduled to perform in Stuttgart on September 3 with her husband, the tenor Yusif Eyvazov (45). The Landesbetrieb Vermögens und Bau belongs to the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance and manages, among other things, the state palaces and gardens.
The organizers expressly stated: “As the organizers, we do not share the assessment of Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz, according to which the implementation of the concert for “the state capital of Stuttgart [.] would pose a threat to public security and order and even lead to criminal offenses and riots”. .”
In March, Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens) accused Netrebko of not clearly distancing himself from Russian President Vladimir Putin. As long as she does not “credibly” distance herself, she will not sing in the courtyard of the New Palace in September, Bayaz told the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” and the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” at the time.
In the meantime, Netrebko had spoken out publicly against the Ukraine war – but not clearly against Putin.
In the meantime, she is appearing frequently again, after a number of her performances had been canceled shortly after the beginning of the war and she had also canceled performances herself. In the debate about the boycott of Russian artists, the focus was primarily on the explicit Putin friend Valery Gergiev and Anna Netrebko.
The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance announced last week that it did not consider it conceivable for the singer to perform while the war in Ukraine was raging. As the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” reports, the organizers are refraining from suing the state. Another venue that is not owned by the state is therefore not sought.
