“Anna Netrebko is the doomed Mimi and tenor Rolando Villazon is her lover Rudolpho, who tries to end their relationship and encourage her to see a wealthier man because he can’t afford to take care of her and he’s afraid she’ll die.”

Read the full La Boheme short but capacious review from William Schoell’s “Great Old Movies”.

Great Performances had a chance to sit-down with opera diva Anna Netrebko, star of Robert Dornhelm’s film-for-television adaption of Puccini’s La Boheme, premiering on PBS on December 23rd at 9pm (check local listings). Senior Publicist Jitin Hingorani chatted with Netrebko about her experience shooting the film, her recent pregnancy, and her ideas on how opera has changed over the years. Netrebko (Mimi) is joined by her on-screen partner Rolando Villazon (Rodolfo) in the film; they are often referred to as “opera’s golden couple.”

Watch the interview: La Boheme: Interview with Anna Netrebko

Anna Netrebko will perform in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, to run at the Metropolitan Opera, December 3, 2009 – January 2, 2010.

The cast has already been announced:

Joseph Calleja (title role),
David Asch (La Harpe),
Ekaterina Gubanova (Giulietta),
Alan Held (Four Villains),
Kathleen Kim (Olympia),
Kate Lindsey (Nicklausse/The Muse),
Anna Netrebko (Antonia),
Alan Oke (Four Servants),
Dean Peterson (Luther/Crespel),
Rodell Rosel (Nathanaël),
Mark Schowalter (Spalanzani/Schlémil),
Michael Todd Simpson (Hermann),
Wendy White (Antonia’s Mother).

The matinee performance on December 19 will be transmitted worldwide as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

More information at www.metopera.org.

The opera review La traviata: Ecstasy greets a rising star by Rupert Christiansen comes from the Telegraph.co.uk, 16 Jan 2008.

Her Violetta was boldly and warmly sung, with a whole-heartedness that distinguishes her from the more costive Angela Gheorghiu (whose voice is more purely beautiful).

The curtain call said it all. Others would emerge looking drained, distrait and lost in the tragedy of the role, but Netrebko bounced out all smiles and waves, looking ready to start all over again.

The full article here.

Listen to the “Parigi o Cara” duet Anna Netrebko and Jonas Kaufmann from Verdi’s La Traviata at The Royal Opera House:

Charles McGrath is the author of A New Kind of Diva, published by The New York Times on December 2, 2007. Anna was 36.

“Her “Traviata” at Salzburg two years ago was such a hot ticket that scalpers were reportedly charging $7,000 a seat, and her records regularly top the charts in Europe. In the summer of 2006 she was part of a concert in Berlin that filled a stadium.”

“In August, when I had lunch with her in Vienna, where she also has an apartment, she turned up wearing purple pumps (which matched her eye shadow), a bright orange duster and the shortest miniskirt I’ve seen anywhere except on Carnaby Street in 1969.”

Read the article here.