Plan B Forum

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/17/arts ... rebko.html

The Met pulled Netrebko after she refused to denounce Putin for his invasion of Ukraine. Actually, in 2022 immediately after the invasion, she and Valery Gergiev (Russian conductor of the Munich Philharmonic) posted this on Instagram:

I am opposed to this senseless war of aggression and I am calling on Russia to end this war right now, to save all of us. We need peace right now.

I am not sure what more you can ask of a Russian national. She no longer lives in Russia but I suppose she still has family there.

BTW this is worth watching (Offenbach's Barcarolle). I went for Netrebko but I stayed for Garanča. It must be that mezzo voice . . .

This is concerning; so now your employer (OK, she is likely a contractor, but I am not sure) can dictate your political view to you or dismiss you. I have supported the Met for years, but this might be the time I stop. I'll look into it a bit more to see the entire story (I haven't been following it), but I don't see any defense for the behavior of the Met.

The fact that the Met was forced to pay out her contract would suggest that they can't dictate political views to their contractors, and that a morals clause can't be construed to allow them to do so. If they choose to disassociate themselves from those who hold political opinions with which they disagree, they will have to pay for the privilege. Seems like the correct result was reached here.

All kinds of drama at the Met these days and much of it off-stage, apparently:

https://slippedisc.com/2023/03/at-the-m ... hoe-drops/

ex-khobar Andy wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 18, 2023 1:46 pm

BTW this is worth watching (Offenbach's Barcarolle). I went for Netrebko but I stayed for Garanča. It must be that mezzo voice . . .

You liked that? Check out this one:



They've worked together a lot over the years.

ETA:

This is one of my favorite soprano-mezzo duets (from Bellini's Capulets and Montagues) with Garanca as Romeo and Netrebko as Giulietta. (I got to see Netrebko do this role with Opera Philly about 20 or so years ago, with Ruxandra Donose playing Romeo; my son was a super in the production, so they let me go to all the rehearsals and two of the shows, it was the greatest opera experience of my life):



Netrebko's performance of Eccomi in lieta vesta/Oh quante volte in that opera was absolutely breathtaking. Oh look, here it is (but a decade later and in Vienna)!

Thanks Sue, I just saw that. Beautiful.

By the way, what's a "super"?

A supernumerary ("super") is a silent actor. I got to play one when the Met came to Cleveland when I was a teenager. The opera was Carmen. There were some supers playing people stading around outside the factory where Carmen worked. A bunch of us stood around and watched onstage. The backstage action was great too. A memorable experience. The singer who played Carmen made some salty comments backstage.

Methuselah wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 21, 2023 1:39 pm

A supernumerary ("super") is a silent actor. I got to play one when the Met came to Cleveland when I was a teenager. A bunch of us stood around and watched onstage. The backstage action was great too. A memorable experience.

Exactly. For a few seasons my son was a child super with the Philadelphia Opera, starting with a role as the youngest of the Papageno/Papagena children in Magic Flute. (He was adorable, and in my opinion stole the scene.)

Ah, supernumerary. I just didn't make the connection.

thanks.