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Scandal over opera star Netrebko
2007-08-07
Russian-born opera star Anna Netrebko is drawing fire at a landmark Austrian music festival for allegedly acting a bit too much like a diva. The dark-eyed, sultry Netrebko, renowed both for her beauty and her magnificent soprano singing, has cancelled an appearance to perform a "stabat mater" by Pergolese this week, saying she has laryngitis. But Helga Rabl-Stadler, the head of the Salzburg music festival, one of the world's top arts events, called Netrebko's cancellation "an affront to the public. I am quite shocked that she is so unreliable." The director of the festival, Juergen Flimm, said: "We are very disappointed with Anna Netrebko, that she lets us down." However, Vienna opera director Ioan Holender defended the soprano, saying it was a scandal to question the good faith of a star who has a record of "punctuality, modesty and professionalism." Netrebko is to be replaced by the German soprano Christine Schaefer. The Salzburg festival has had other cancellations this year, including US tenor Neil Shicoff, who declined to appear in the opera "Benventuo Cellini" after failing to be appointed director of the Vienna opera house earlier this year.
Review: Villazon makes triumphant return (2008-01-06)Kaiser to make Met Opera debut (2007-10-02)Scandal over opera star Netrebko (2007-08-07)Anna Netrebko brings the Vienna Opera public to its feet (2006-12-01)Russian opera star Anna Netrebko receives Austrian citizenship (2006-08-01)
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