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Anna - The Great

July 17, 2015

An exceptional artist and entertainer with an incredible voice: Anna Netrebko. How did the Russian-born singer become one of the most famous opera stars in the world?

https://p.dw.com/p/1FjkD
13.07.2015 DW Feature Doku Netrebko 1

Anna Netrebko grew up in the Russian provinces but gravitated to Saint Petersburg early on, entering the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory at the age of 18 to study singing. Just across from the Academy of Music is the famous Mariinsky Theatre where she had always longed to sing. She couldn’t know back then that she would actually launch her career in the international opera scene there just few years later.

Bildergalerie Wiener Opernball Netrebko
Appearances can be deceptive: Although Netrebko likes to be modern and poppy, it does not compromise her art: she still sings exclusively classical music.Image: picture-alliance/dpa/EPA/R. Jaeger

Between Pop Star and Operatic Diva

In spite of initial resistance, Anna Netrebko quickly won over even her sternest critics. Opera had fallen into disrepute and was seen as old-fashioned and elitist: Anna Netrebko gave it a new mass appeal. She was happy to appear in MTV-style music videos and become a pop star in the opera scene. She’s also as comfortable appearing in commercials and gossip columns as she is on the big stage.

Russland Anna Netrebko in Konzert in St. Petersburg
Anna Netrebko celebrated her international breakthrough in 2002 in the role of Donna Anna in “Don Giovanni” at the Salzburg Festival.Image: picture-alliance/dpa/ITAR-TASS/R. Shamukov


Towards a Unique Voice

As Netrebko was shrewdly making all the right moves in her professional career, she was also developing the distinctive “acting voice” we know today: darker, more opulent and rounded, yet with the vocal power of a dramatic soprano, it has allowed her to take on a wide variety of stage roles today.


The documentary charts Anna Netrebko’s international career and her attempt to make opera more attractive and accessible to a wider public. In addition to showing her performing on traditional stages in New York and Vienna, our film also gives us a glimpse into a private life mainly characterized by warmth and intimate friendship.

13.07.2015 DW Feature Doku Netrebko 2
Many Russians were critical when Netrebko took Austrian citizenship in 2006.




Broadcasting Hours:

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SUN 26.07.2015 – 19:15 UTC
MON 27.07.2015 – 01:15 UTC
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MON 27.07.2015 – 09:15 UTC

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