Anna Netrebko on the Time 100 List

Opera diva, Anna Netrebko , the Russian soprano who cleaned floors in her student days and has since become one of the world’s most glamorous opera stars, has made it to the Time 100 2007 list. The Time 100 list is featured in the May 14, 2007 issue of the magazine, on sale this week.

It was as a leading soprano of the Kirov Opera, guided by Valery Gergiev, that she was first introduced to the great opera theaters and concert halls throughout the world, and many audiences saw her for the first time in her signature role of Natasha Rostova in Prokofiev’s War and Peace. Though popular among opera fans in the USA, Netrebko enjoys popular star status in Europe.

“Knockout good looks, bewitching charm and a mesmerizing hold on the media, which tirelessly chronicle her penchant for partying and haute couture,” says Time’s citation. Her voice has been compared to leading sopranos of the century, notably Maria Callas. In 2006, Netrebko appeared at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and, in April 2007, sang with her frequent partner Ramon Villazon at a special benefit performance for the Met.

Netrebko’s newest recording, a Duet Album with tenor Rolando Villazon, has stormed the European pop charts in the best debut ever for a classical album. The recording, which includes duets from Italian, French and Russian operas as well as a selection of duets from famous zarzuelas, entered the German pop charts at No 3 and the Austrian pop charts at No 4. It secured No 13 in the European Top 100 Longplay Charts. The album is due to be released around September 2007 in the USA. The duo is expected to appear together in the Metropolitan Opera production of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette at the Met’s 2007 – 2008 season.

Anna Netrebko will give her highly anticipated debut at New York’s Carnegie Hall on May 30, 2007. She will appear in concert with her friend and colleague baritone Dimitri Hvorostovsky.

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