The stage was set, the chandeliers dimmed and the viewers hushed. Then the famous person Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, in a ruffled flamingo-pink robe and glowing heels, made her entrance on Monday within the gilded ballroom of the Breakers lodge in Palm Seaside.
Ms. Netrebko was performing in america for the primary time for the reason that invasion of Ukraine, when she turned persona non grata at American cultural establishments due to her previous help of Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin.
It was, maybe, a comedown since her final look, a starry New 12 months’s Eve gala in 2019 on the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the place, as the corporate’s prima donna, she commanded an viewers of about 3,800 that included legions of followers.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been within the U.S.,” Ms. Netrebko stated from the stage. “This metropolis’s similar to a paradise. So lovely. You might be fortunate to dwell right here.”
Within the anything-goes tradition of Palm Seaside, Ms. Netrebko, 53, hoped for a comeback.
However with the way forward for the conflict in Ukraine unsure — President Trump has vowed to finish the battle, however he has made clear his distaste for persevering with to assist Ukraine take again territory seized by Russia — it’s unclear when she could be welcomed once more to a significant stage in america. She declined to be interviewed for this text.
On the recital on Monday, she appeared unfazed. She sang for about an hour, together with alternatives from Puccini’s “La Bohème,” Offenbach’s “Tales of Hoffmann” and Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci.” She twirled and blew kisses, and wandered into the viewers to serenade followers. At one level, singing an aria from Franz Lehar’s “Giuditta,” she kicked off her heels and provided a spirited dance. (“I can’t dance tonight due to this costume,” she had warned earlier than. “However imagine me, I nonetheless can do it.”)
Her followers had been delighted, saying her return to america was lengthy overdue.
“She’s been canceled for no good motive,” stated Ronnie Heyman, a philanthropist and artwork collector who lives in Palm Seaside. “She’s right here tonight as an artist, not a political determine. Tonight is about artwork.”
However exterior the Breakers, the landmark resort the place Ms. Netrebko carried out, there was anger and defiance. Protesters fanned out, telling arriving company that they need to go house as a result of there have been “harmful Russians” inside.
Ilona Chernobai, an Instagram influencer from Ukraine who lives in Florida, dressed up as Ms. Netrebko, standing in entrance of a microphone and an indication that stated “Your stage is within the Kremlin.” Ms. Netrebko’s singing, combined with the sounds of air-raid sirens and bombs, performed within the background.
“Russian individuals and Russian tradition needs to be in Russia — not right here, not on the planet,” Ms. Chernobai stated.
Dmytro Bozhko, president of the Ukrainian Affiliation of Florida, stated he hoped the protest would remind the general public about Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine. He stated that he needed to draw the eye of President Trump, a resident of Palm Seaside, and his administration, and that Ms. Netrebko ought to make clear her place on the conflict.
“She tries to be someplace within the center,” Mr. Bozhko stated. “However you can’t be within the center. It’s a must to be on one facet or the opposite.”
After the invasion, Ms. Netrebko stated in an announcement that she condemned the conflict in Ukraine. However she has shunned explicitly criticizing Mr. Putin and has not spoken in depth about her earlier help for him. Her title appeared on a listing endorsing his election in 2012, and he or she has spoken glowingly of him over time.
Ms. Netrebko has staged a comeback in Europe over the previous two years, returning to many high live performance halls and opera homes, regardless of some protests.
In December, she opened the season at La Scala in Milan, starring in Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino.” There have been some scattered boos through the curtain name, however Dominique Meyer, the chief govt and inventive director of La Scala, defended Ms. Netrebko on the time. “There isn’t a Netrebko in each era,” he stated. “If we’re fortunate sufficient to have her right here within the theater, we have to be heat and applaud her.”
Most American establishments, although, together with the Met, have continued to refuse to have interaction her due to her previous help for Mr. Putin and her unwillingness to criticize him now. Ms. Netrebko has sued the Met, which severed ties with Ms. Netrebko shortly after the invasion, accusing the corporate of breaching contracts. A federal choose narrowed the swimsuit final yr to gender discrimination claims; the case continues to be pending.
Peter Gelb, the Met’s normal supervisor, declined to touch upon Ms. Netrebko’s return to the stage. However final yr, he criticized Palm Seaside Opera’s determination to host her, saying she has led a “disingenuous effort to distance herself from the Russian conflict effort.”
The Met’s stance appears to have precipitated some division amongst its personal supporters. The sponsors of the gala in Palm Seaside included Veronica Atkins, a managing director on the Met’s board, and Frayda Lindemann, a former president of the Met’s board, who established a program for younger artists there.
Agnieszka Balaban, who supported the gala in Palm Seaside and has additionally donated to the Met, stated she hoped Ms. Netrebko would quickly be welcomed again in New York.
“There’s no one like her on the planet,” she stated. “Her artwork is past any politics.”
Ms. Netrebko’s look was a coup for Palm Seaside Opera, based in 1961, which has a historical past of partaking stars like Luciano Pavarotti and Renée Fleming, however not on an unique foundation.
James Barbato, who leads Palm Seaside Opera, stated he was not bothered by Ms. Netrebko’s previous report of help for Mr. Putin.
“We really feel that politics don’t have any place in arts organizations,” he stated, “and that Ms. Netrebko’s advocacy for peace is properly documented and clear.”
Chatting with the viewers earlier than the recital, Mr. Barbato tried to play up the rarity of the live performance.
“That is the second for which opera lovers from throughout america have been ready for 5 lengthy years,” he stated. “The wait is lastly over.”
Ms. Netrebko performed alongside, making a shock entrance from the again of the Mediterranean Ballroom. She was totally in character because the lead in Francesco Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur,” talking traces from the libretto as she made her solution to the stage.
She stopped to introduce each bit in her program, often welcoming company to sing along with her, together with younger artists with Palm Seaside Opera. Earlier than a sequence of songs by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Rimsky-Korsakov, she stated, “Since it is a recital, I made a decision to carry you some lovely Russian music.”
After a protracted standing ovation, Ms. Netrebko provided a signature encore: Puccini’s “O mio babbino caro,” stretching the excessive notes for optimum impact.
There have been shouts of “Brava!” and “Encore!,” and an admirer gave Ms. Netrebko a bouquet of flowers. She smiled and waved, after which disappeared behind a white curtain.