(© 2023 Olga Rubio Dalmau)

Months after canceling Anna Netrebko’s concert in Lucerne, the KKL and teh Lucerne government have released a new reason for canceling the concert.

Back in May, the concert hall said that “The KKL Lucerne was not available for Anna Netrebko’s concert” due to “public perception of the soloist” and her close ties to Putin. Additionally, the concert hall noted that there was a “Ukraine peace conference” in the weeks that followed.

Now the concert hall and the Lucerne government are changing their tune noting that if Netrebko performed it would cause “damage and reputational risks.” According to “Luzerner Zeitung”, the council states that the city and canton only communicated their positions by letter to the KKL. The culture and congress center then made the decision itself. The Lucerne government noted that Netrebko performed, disruptive maneuvers, demonstrations, rallies, and protests would have been expected. Among other things, from human rights activists or cultural activists. 

Netrebko was supposed to perform on June 1, 2024 and at the time Netrebko’s management said they “regretted the decision” especially since the concert had been scheduled years before and was almost sold out.

Netrebko is currently performing at the Teatro alla Scala in “La Forza del Destino” and is scheduled to return to Zurich in 2025.