Hungarian State Opera Rejects Ambassador of Ukraine's Demands to Cancel Anna Netrebko’s Concert

The sold-out concert will go ahead after the opera's director declined a missive to cancel the concert for political reasons

The Ukrainian Ambassador to Hungary Fegyir Sándor recently asked Szilveszter Ókovács, the General Director of the Hungarian State Opera, to cancel a scheduled long sold-out performance on March 23, 2025, by the Russian-Austrian soprano Anna Netrebko. 

According to the Hungarian Conservative, Sándor claimed that Netrebko is “known for her connections with Russian President Putin, whom she openly supports,” he wrote in his letter to Ókovács. “Despite the fact that she later tried to distance himself from the Kremlin's policy, her position remained unchanged.”

Netrebko has previously had her performances canceled due to her support for Putin, even as she publicly posted her condemnation of the conflict in Ukraine.

“By allowing Anna Netrebko to perform, the Hungarian State Opera risks becoming a platform for the popularization of narratives that are contrary to European values ​​and human rights principles,” Sándor continued. “We ask you to be principled and to cancel the concert, as other leading opera houses of the world have already done, to thank the Russian Federation for its support. We are confident that the Hungarian State Opera will demonstrate its solidarity with the people and the international community.”

In response, Ókovács released a statement of his own — posted alongside an image of the Ambassador’s letter. 

“Thank you for your letter … However, I must, alas, take issue with its content,” Ókovács began. “Opera is not a political product nor a military product. The artists are neither politicians nor soldiers. 

“I am convinced that art has the power for good, and for that reason alone, muses should not be silent in times of war. Especially as Hungary is not a belligerent party and does not wish to play the role of a reluctant judge in an intractable fraternal conflict. 

“As for Anna Netrebko, she is the world’s greatest soprano today, who has been touring the world for the past three years,” he continued. “She has been celebrated on the stages of Milan, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, and Vienna, and also performed and toured in the United States … I would ask the Ambassador not to put the crosshairs on the Hungarian State Opera House and on the performance for which the highest ticket sales have been recorded in the 141-year history of the institution, which shows how much our compatriots also value Anna Netrebko’s art.”

The Hungarian State Opera’s upcoming March 23 concert will go ahead with Netrebko performing selections from Puccini’s operas Turandot, Manon Lescaut,   La bohème, Le villi, Edgar, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. She will also be singing alongside Pumeza Matshikiza, Yusif Eyvazov, and Jérôme Boutillier.