(Credit: Opera de Monte-Carlo/Michael Pohn/Wiener Staatsoper/ Brescia e Amisano ©Teatro alla Scala/Foto Ennevi/Arena di Verona)

Anna Netrebko has arguably been one of the most influential operatic figures of the 21st century.

Whether it be her acting or her piano phrases, the soprano has been hailed by critics and has been at the center of many of the opera world’s leading houses. She has opened the Metropolitan Opera on three occasions and is set to open the Teatro alla Scala for the seventh time during the 2024-25 season. Her repertoire is diverse and includes the works of Mozart, Bellini, Puccini, Verdi, Ponchielli, and Donizetti, among many others.

She has been at the center of the HD revolution, which has seen many of her greatest roles documented by many of the leading opera houses in the world including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Berlin State Opera, Arena di Verona, Royal Opera House, Salzburg Festival, and Wiener Staatsoper. And there will likely be more to come as the 2024-25 season arrives as well as with an upcoming “La Gioconda” recording from a recent production at the Teatro San Carlo.

To celebrate the soprano’s birthday, here is a list of some of the recent unforgettable HD recordings that have preserved Netrebko’s interpretations.

Aida – Wiener Staatsoper – 2023

Aida has arguably been Netrebko’s most controversial role for sticking to old blackface practices at the Arena di Verona and at the Mariinsky Theatre. But in January 2023, there were no controversies. Instead, there was an alignment of one of the most star-studded performances in recent history. Tickets sold out in minutes with many fans left searching the internet for whatever scraps they could find. That is because the Wiener Staatsoper united Netrebko with Jonas Kaufmann, Elīna Garanča, Luca Salsi, Alexander Vinogradov, and Nicola Luisotti. There were only four performances adding to the importance of the event.

Luckily, the Wiener Staatsoper joined forces with ORF III to record the historic event and critics raved, “In short, with this extraordinary cast, the 126th performance of this production was more than just worth attending.

Here is the final scene:

Don Carlo – Teatro alla Scala – 2023

Netrebko was supposed to perform the role at the Metropolitan Opera in November of 2023 and prior to that she had only performed “Don Carlo” at the Bolshoi Theatre and Mariinsky Theatre. It is a role that she has called one of the most difficult and which, as a result, Netrebko has announced that she will not be performing it in the future. Nonetheless, when the Teatro alla Scala’s 2023 season opened, there she was as Elisabetta, giving her first Western European performance of the opera.

Once again the diva was joined by a star-studded cast that included frequent collaborators Francesco Meli, Elīna Garanča, and Luca Salsi. Michele Pertusi and Jongmin Park rounded out the cast in a traditional production directed by Lluis Pasquel. Riccardo Chailly conducted the momentous event which OperaWire said was “An Unforgettable Cast led by Francesco Meli, Anna Netrebko & Elīna Garanča.”

Like most of the recent opening nights, the Teatro alla Scala and Rai joined forces to preserve what will likely be Netrebko’s only Elisabetta recording.

Here is a snippet of “Tu che le Vanita.”

Manon Lescaut – Opera de Monte Carlo – 2022

Puccini’s work has long been associated with Netrebko as she performed it to great acclaimed around the world and had left the role in 2016 following performances at the Metropolitan Opera. But when an ill colleague canceled the Monte-Carlo production, Netrebko stepped in making her comeback after controversies due to the War in Ukraine. It was a welcome return for the diva, which also marked her debut at the Monte-Carlo theater.

The cast included Yusif Eyvazov and Claudio Sgura with Pinchas Steinberg conducting the production by Guy Montavon.

Netrebko received rave reviews from critics, especially for her heart-breaking final act and it was fortunate that the company recorded the new production, which marked the first time the soprano’s interpretation was recorded.

Turandot – Arena di Verona – 2022

Netrebko made her role debut as the “ice princess” in 2020 and was scheduled to perform productions of the opera in Berlin and New York. Both productions were eventually recorded but Netrebko exited the productions due to past controversies. However, in the summer, Netrebko returned to the role of Turandot, reviving Franco Zeffirelli’s production a year after she had sung in another production.

Her interpretation was praised by critics worldwide, calling her Turandot “attentive to the lucid and intellectual phrasing typical of the late Puccini.”

Netrebko was joined by Yusif Eyvazov, Maria Teresa Leva, and the legendary bass Ferruccio Furlanetto. Marco Armiliato conducted.

Unitel Classica and the Arena di Verona recorded the evening, documenting the soprano’s fantastic interpretation.