Pussy Riot refused to perform on the same stage with Anna Netrebko

The punk group Pussy Riot refused to perform at the traditional International May Festival in the German city of Wiesbaden due to the declared participation of the Russian opera singer Anna Netrebko. In this way, the group expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian musicians who announced the cancellation of their performance earlier, also because of their presence at the Netrebko festival.

Initially, the participation of the choir of the National Opera of Ukraine and the Ukrainian National Symphony Orchestra was planned in the event. However, after a Russian opera singer was invited to the festival, the organizers of the forum received official letters from the general director of the National Opera of Ukraine Petro Chupryna and the country’s Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko. They said that the Ukrainian side would not tolerate any cooperation with people representing Russian culture, as well as any events in which it is represented. The same letters were sent to the Minister of Culture of Germany, Claudia Roth.

In response, Roth said that she understands Ukraine’s position, but warns against boycotting Russian culture in general. She advised Ukrainian artists to decide for themselves whether to perform at the festival or not. The management of the Hessen State Theater in Wiesbaden also stated that supporting Ukraine cannot mean the condemnation of all Russian culture and the exclusion of Russian artists based solely on the criterion of their origin, and that this is “unacceptable in a free country.”

Later, the representative of the Hessen State Theater Uwe Eric announced that Pussy Riot would replace the Ukrainians at the festival.

• People’s Artist of Russia, opera singer Anna Netrebko – one of the most sought-after sopranos in the world. She lives in Vienna, where she is the leading soloist of the Vienna Opera. In Russia, in 2012, Netrebko was registered as a proxy of Vladimir Putin in his election campaign. She supported separatist actions in Donbass in 2014.
• After the start of Russia’s full-scale military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, relations with Anna Netrebko broke up with the Metropolitan Opera. The theater’s statement said that they will not be restored until Russia ends the war and compensates Ukraine for the damage caused. Netrebko herself said that she condemns the war, but remains a patriot of Russia and its culture. She emphasized that she “wants to remain a person” and a cultural figure, even if for this she needs to “sit on two chairs.”