Okay in Frankfurt, not in Wiesbaden?: Concert chaos around opera star Anna Netrebko | Regional
Wiesbaden/Frankfurt – Huge Zoff about opera star Anna Netrebko (51)! The Russian singer is to appear at the International May Festival in Wiesbaden – even though she is said to be close to the Russian Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin and the festival was actually dedicated to political prisoners.
The city of Wiesbaden and the state of Hesse find that this is not compatible. Axel Wintermeyer (63), head of the Hessian State Chancellery: “It cannot be communicated to our secret friends why Anna Netrebko should appear at the May Festival. This behavior is highly insensitive. The state government is therefore drawing consequences. The prime minister will give up his patronage of the May Festival. We will also cancel the pre-reception.”
On Saturday, Netrebko will be on stage at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt. There, the Rhine side talks its way out: “The state of Hesse is in no way involved there. The decision rests solely with the city.”
Frankfurt Mayor Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg (57, Greens) did not want to comment on the concert.
App users can vote here whether Anna Netrebko’s appearances in Hesse should be banned.
Organizer Fred Handwerker from Rhein-Main-Concerts stands behind the artist: “She has never spoken out against Ukraine, nor has she ever approved of the war. On the contrary, she has expressed her deepest sympathy for the victims of the war and called on Russia to end the war immediately. So we look forward to her performance as one of the greatest opera singers of our time.”
As an event venue, the Alte Oper sees itself as uninvolved: “We rented the building to the organizer a long time ago, and as a matter of principle we do not make any statements or evaluations of our tenants’ concerts and events.”
BILD says: Nobody understands that Netrebko’s performance is viewed critically in Wiesbaden but not in the neighboring city.