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Anna Netrebko, the superstar Russian soprano, will no longer appear at the Metropolitan Opera this season or next after failing to comply with the company’s demand that she distance herself from President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia as he wages war on Ukraine.
The end of Ms. Netrebko’s engagements, which the Met announced on Thursday, came after the opera company, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said it would no longer hire artists who support Mr. Putin. While Ms. Netrebko has in recent days issued statements critical of the war, she has remained silent on the Russian president, whose re-election she has in the past endorsed.
“It is a great artistic loss for the Met and for opera,” Peter Gelb, the company’s general manager, said in a statement. “Anna is one of the greatest singers in Met history, but with Putin killing innocent victims in Ukraine there was no way forward.”
Ms. Netrebko did not immediately respond to a request for comment through her representatives.
While the announcement on Thursday encompassed only two seasons, Mr. Gelb said in an interview on Thursday that it seemed unlikely Ms. Netrebko would ever come back to sing with the company.
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I thought this was going to be about the baseball team.
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Killer Soprano and Russian (maybe), heh, I've seen her at the Met. I'm uncomfortable with this. Is it the right decision? Is it a new McCarthyism? Is it simply guilt through association? Don't know her history of supporting Putin, and even so, what if she did? Bush,Trump, and others seem to have said supportive things about Putin in the past. I'm all in on Russia paying a price, but I'm gonna have to rethink the role that artists have in all this. I don't like the idea of us becoming thought police; isn't that one of the reasons we despise Putin?
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August West wrote:
Killer Soprano and Russian (maybe), heh, I've seen her at the Met. I'm uncomfortable with this. Is it the right decision? Is it a new McCarthyism? Is it simply guilt through association? Don't know her history of supporting Putin, and even so, what if she did? Bush,Trump, and others seem to have said supportive things about Putin in the past. I'm all in on Russia paying a price, but I'm gonna have to rethink the role that artists have in all this. I don't like the idea of us becoming thought police; isn't that one of the reasons we despise Putin?
I can't say that I'm comfortable either - said that she was released when she refused to condemn Putin. I read a little of her history and I would be troubled by her staying at the Met, but being fired for having the wrong opinion is a little bit farther than I'm comfortable with...
Her case is almost a perfect analogy for all time great NHL player, Alex Ovechkin. His family lives in Moscow - he isn't going to denounce Putin even if he wanted to.
Good article about how NHL players are being affected https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/3340...klash-next including an interview with the agent that reps most of the RU players in the NHL - he's Ukrainian and is asking for people to please stop threatening his players.
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hal wrote:
Her case is almost a perfect analogy for all time great NHL player, Alex Ovechkin. His family lives in Moscow - he isn't going to denounce Putin even if he wanted to.
This.
This right here is the problem with requiring an employee to condemn any world leader to whom their family members may be exposed to.
IMO this is the wrong way to do things but I guess Cancel Culturers gonna Cancel.
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It’s not McCarthyism. I should know, I was once a high school author on the subject.
Joe McCarthy tied artists to communism whether or not it was true. And also, he was a politician and the Met isn’t.
He crossed several 1st Amendment barriers by abusing populist support. The Met can’t do that even if they wanted to.
Is the effect the same, i.e. her career is shot, at least I’m here? Probably. She’s welcome to like Putin all she wants. And employers remain free to hire her. Or not.
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Lew Zealand wrote:
[quote=hal]
Her case is almost a perfect analogy for all time great NHL player, Alex Ovechkin. His family lives in Moscow - he isn't going to denounce Putin even if he wanted to.
This.
This right here is the problem with requiring an employee to condemn any world leader to whom their family members may be exposed to.
IMO this is the wrong way to do things but I guess Cancel Culturers gonna Cancel.
No one has to denounce anyone. Employment brings responsibilities and consequences. My particular job and career path does not involve making a statement about political or world leaders. His just became that. Is it fair? <— Wrong question.
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deckeda wrote:
[quote=Lew Zealand]
[quote=hal]
Her case is almost a perfect analogy for all time great NHL player, Alex Ovechkin. His family lives in Moscow - he isn't going to denounce Putin even if he wanted to.
This.
This right here is the problem with requiring an employee to condemn any world leader to whom their family members may be exposed to.
IMO this is the wrong way to do things but I guess Cancel Culturers gonna Cancel.
No one has to denounce anyone. Employment brings responsibilities and consequences. My particular job and career path does not involve making a statement about political or world leaders. His just became that. Is it fair? <— Wrong question.
I suppose it all comes down to the terms of employment. If the Met can fire at will and they require a statement of condemnation to remain employed, well there may be other places looking for a talented soprano without those requirements. And yes, fairness is a different and complicated question.
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To me, that's way too close to demanding a loyalty oath for employment.
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substitute Hitler for Putin and ask yourself if your are still uncomfortable?
i am sure that many russians are caught in between Putin's evil and a hard place.
i feel for them.
what can they do?
yell in the public square and be carried off.
but for those who have choice, then these moments must be truly hard because this is a binary moment. it's left or right? up or down? staying quiet or doing something?
yet they need to be reminded, Putin created this situation though many upon many will be forced to pay a price.
rob
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