Anna Netrebko’s Manager Responds to Peter Gelb’s Recent Comments in Diapason

Anna Netrebko’s manager, Miguel Esteban, responded to Peter Gelb's comments in a May 2024 interview with Diapason. Esteban clarified that Netrebko publicly opposed the war in Ukraine and distanced herself from Putin and the Russian government through statements made in February and March 2022. He disputed Gelb’s claim that Netrebko expressed support for her country in a private phone call, pointing out that Netrebko had a different account of the conversation in interviews with Le Monde and Die Zeit.

Netrebko filed a lawsuit in August 2023 against the Met and Gelb, alleging defamation and breach of contract after she was fired following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Met dismissed the lawsuit as meritless and has doubled its legal team to six lawyers, while Netrebko is represented by one. Despite increased audience numbers, the Met has withdrawn $40 million from its endowment for emergency funds due to underperformance of its contemporary operas. Meanwhile, Netrebko is performing a sold-out run of "Turandot" at Teatro alla Scala.