The capital of Czechia, Prague, has decided to cancel the recital of Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, scheduled for mid-October, due to the invasion of Ukraine by the country of origin of the singer, have organizers announced last Thursday. Anna Netrebko, whose past support of Russian President Vladimir Putin has already been the cause of the cancellation of several concerts around the world, was therefore due to sing at the Municipal House in Prague on October 16, 2023. The Czech Republic, member of the EU and NATO, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022 and has notably provided Kyiv with substantial military and humanitarian aid.
The agency Nachtigall Artists Management said on Facebook that it had agreed with the hall to cancel the sold-out concert, following opposition from the centre-right Prague city council. The agency cited “circumstances which gradually transformed a purely artistic project into (…) a political and social polemic”. Prague city councilor Jiri Pospisil hailed “the good decision that supports our ally who is fighting for its independence”, according to the Czech news agency CTK.
Anna Netrebko retired from the Metropolitan Opera in New York in March 2022 after refusing to withdraw her support for Vladimir Putin following the invasion of Ukraine.
The 51-year-old opera superstar later condemned the war and announced his return to European stages, but never publicly and directly criticized Vladimir Putin. Anna Netrebko’s website further specifies that she must give dozens of performances in the second half of 2023, notably in Berlin, Guangzhou, Paris, Vienna and Milan.
