Anna Netrebko
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Anna Netrebko, 2005Anna Yur'yevna Netrebko (Russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко) born September 18, 1971 (1971-09-18) (age 37) in Krasnodar, Russia, is a Russian-Austrian operatic soprano who currently resides in Vienna.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
2 Performances
3 Recorded works
4 Discography
5 Recognitions and awards
6 References
7 External links
[edit] Biography
While a student at the Saint Petersburg conservatoire, Netrebko worked as a floor cleaner and did odd jobs at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre (home of the Kirov Opera)[1]. Later, she auditioned for the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev recognized her from her prior work in the theater. He subsequently became her vocal mentor.[2] Under Gergiev's guidance, Netrebko made her operatic stage debut at the Mariinsky as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro. She went on to sing many prominent roles with the Kirov Opera, including Amina in La Sonnambula, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor.
In March 2006, Netrebko applied to become an Austrian citizen, receiving her citizenship in late July.[3] According to an interview in the Austrian weekly news, she will live in Vienna and Salzburg. This has led to some backlash in Russia. Netrebko cites the cumbersome and humiliating process of obtaining visas (as a Russian citizen) for her many performances abroad as the main reason for obtaining Austrian citizenship.[4]
In March 2007, Netrebko announced that she would be an ambassador for SOS Children's Village in Austria, and be a sponsor for the Tomilino village in Russia.[5]
In April 2008, Netrebko announced that she and her fiancé, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott, had married.[6] Their son Tiago Aruã Schrott was born on 5 September 2008 in Vienna.[7]
[edit] Performances
In 1995, the 24-year-old Netrebko made her American debut as Lyudmila in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila at the San Francisco Opera. Following this successful performance, she became a frequent guest singer in San Francisco. She is known as an acclaimed interpreter of other Russian operatic roles, such as Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace, Louisa in Betrothal in a Monastery and Marfa in The Tsar's Bride. Netrebko has also made successful forays into bel canto and romantic roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Musetta in La bohème, Giulietta in I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Elvira in Bellini's I puritani.
In 2002, Netrebko made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Natasha in the Met premiere of War and Peace[8]. In the same year, she sang her first Donna Anna at the Salzburg Festival's production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She also performed at the Russian Children's Welfare Society's major fund raiser, the "Petroushka Ball". She returned to the Ball in 2003 and 2006 and is an honorary director of the charity.
In 2003, Netrebko performed as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata in Munich, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Los Angeles Opera, and Donna Anna at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her second album, Sempre Libera, was released the following year. (During that same year, she made a cameo appearance in the film The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. She performed a portion of Sempre Libera, and was hailed by Queen Clarisse as "opera's newest rising star.") She sang a highly regarded Roméo et Juliette with Rolando Villazón,[9][10] with whom she also performed in L'Elisir d'Amore in 2005. She later appeared as Violetta Valéry in La traviata at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Carlo Rizzi, again with Villazón; and in 2008 she performed the same role at Covent Garden to triumphant acclaim on the opening night, opposite Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in performances conducted by Maurizio Benini. However, she cancelled three subsequent performances due to suffering a bronchial condition. This was the second time she had cancelled her performances at the Royal Opera House, having withdrawn from some performances of Don Giovanni the previous summer due to illness.
