Boos and encores: the division over Russian soprano Anna Netrebko
On the opening night of Anna Netrebko’s first run of performances at the Vienna State Opera since the Kremlin launched its war in Ukraine, the Russian soprano was met with boos as she made her entrance on stage. Outside, a group of Ukrainians protested against her presence.
By the second of Netrebko’s three-date run as Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohéme, the full house cheered her first aria so loudly and enthusiastically that if there were any boos, it was impossible to hear them.
The mixed reactions are symbolic of her current performing life. Considered by many to be the greatest living soprano, Netrebko has for more than a decade been able to
