Opera singer Anna Netrebko is not only the owner of a unique voice, but also a spectacular woman who has broken millions of hearts. They were connected by classical music, stage and art. Netrebko's husband is opera tenor Yusif Eyvazov, one of the best in the whole world. The singer was a student of Luciano Pavarotti, and even performed in front of the Pope himself.
Yousif was born on May 2, 1977, Algerian by nationality. Despite the strict upbringing, the parents gave their son the right to decide what he plans to become in the future. Eyvazov grew up as an ordinary child; for a long time he could not finally decide on a profession and did not think about the future. Having nothing better to do, I chose the metallurgical faculty and entered the Azerbaijan Polytechnic University.
Already in his first year, the guy abandoned his studies and his dream of becoming a “metallurgist”, entered the Baku Music Academy, but never completed it. Having moved to Italy, he entered the conservatory. Studying was not cheap, so I had to earn extra money. My parents helped as much as they could, my friends never left me in difficult times. The singer himself was always inspired by Montserrat Caballe, whose concert he was lucky enough to attend. I successfully completed my studies.
Concerts in Moscow in 2010 became Yusif Eyvazov’s debut. Afterwards - tours to Paris, Austria, Milan, Rome. The aria of the Moor Othello turned out to be especially successful at the international opera festival in Ravenna. The track record includes bright roles of an opera singer - the performances “Turandot”, “Andrea Chenier”.
At the end of December 2020, Yusif married opera singer Netrebko, but before that he divorced his 70-year-old wife. Now he is happily married, raising his wife’s son as his own, traveling a lot and sharing his talent with inspired listeners and fans. Yusif performs in Russia and abroad, participates in television shows.
Anna Netrebko: biography of the singer, personal life
The singer is from Krasnodar, born on September 18, 1971. Parents by nationality are Russian, Don Cossacks. Mom is an engineer, dad is a geologist, there are no creative personalities in the family. And yet, Anya brought songs into a completely unmusical family. Since childhood, she was a soloist in the Kuban Pioneer, and after school she moved to St. Petersburg and entered the music school on the course of T. B. Lebed the first time. After 2 years, she left her studies and was enrolled in the list of students of the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov.
The musical debut on stage took place in 1994. Among his significant works are the operas “Boris Godunov”, “Ruslan and Lyudmila”, “The Tsar’s Bride”, “The Barber of Seville”, “La Bohème”. The singer conquered the Russian stage after her first performance, and then went on tour abroad. She performed in concerts in Germany, Israel, Latvia, Finland, and gained worldwide fame and recognition.
Opera became the meaning of life for Anna Netrebko; she especially loved joint performances with the Mariinsky Theater, productions of “War and Peace” and “Don Juan”. Among her achievements: the singer recorded several studio albums, received Austrian citizenship, but did not give up Russian citizenship either.
In the summer of 2010, together with Kirkorov, she performed the composition “Voice” on the “New Wave”, sang the anthem at the opening of the Olympics in Sochi, and became a confidant of Vladimir Putin.
Oksana Fedorova - did not allow herself to be used
Oksana Fedorova.
Photo: Instagram In 2007, Oksana Fedorova met the handsome German model Philip Toft . The holiday romance ended in a hasty marriage - Oksana needed to quickly forget about her relationship with her married lover. She hoped that her husband would take her to Germany, and there a new life would begin for her.
However, Toft had completely different plans. On the contrary, he himself was going to move to Russia, where his wife was a famous person, and develop his business, using Oksana’s fame and connections. When this became clear, Oksana filed for divorce. She still doesn’t like to remember this episode from her life.
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Oksana Fedorova took Piggy and Filya to the Comedy ClubFormer Miss Universe and host of the program “Good night, kids!” and my colleagues became the heroes of the next episode of a humorous show.
Does Anna Netrebko have children?
The opera singer has a son from her first marriage. The boy's name is Thiago (affectionately Tisha) and he has autism. Anna publicly announced this back in 2013, when she took part in Malakhov’s scandalous program “Let Them Talk.” For everyone and herself it was a real shock, since the woman had no doubt that her child was developing normally.
The singer gave birth to a son at the age of 37. I began to realize that the boy had autism when he was 3 years old. He closed in on himself and did not make contact with his peers, secluded himself. Thiago was thoroughly examined abroad and underwent several rehabilitation courses, which bore fruit.
Today the boy speaks English (Russian is worse), sings well, plays the guitar, participates in photo shoots with his celebrity parents, and travels a lot. The caring mother does not stop rehabilitation and sees obvious successes. She often posts videos on social networks and brags about her own son's achievements.
Anna on stage
No one has done as much for our opera art as Anna Netrebko. Not because she is the greatest singer of our time - there are others, and no worse. But because she is the most beautiful singer of our time, the most cheerful and lively. And ours.
The great opera singer - Maria Callas before 1953 or the current Montserrat Caballe - is a huge mobile audio speaker. She steps onto the stage, opens her mouth and sings an aria. Then it moves to another corner and sounds from there.
Anna Netrebko is not thin, but there is nothing monumental about her. She knows how to improvise, trusts her charm and body, and therefore can kick off her shoes if they are too tight, or lose a Chopard earring on the stage of the Moscow Conservatory - who's counting? At least do a somersault - like in Don Pascual at the Metropolitan Opera. That’s why I did acrobatics at the Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren of the Krasnodar Territory. And at the same time she sang in the Kuban Pioneer choir. And I learned horse riding. And there was “Miss Kuban”. Drama club, photo club... but I also want to sing - a real fighting Soviet girl.
Leather and polyester trench coat, Jean Paul Gaultier; gloves, Georges Morand.
We set up a meeting at the old Bristol Hotel, next door to the Vienna Opera, where Anne plays Anne Boleyn in Donizetti's opera, the wife of Henry VIII, executed to free up the royal box for Jane Seymour. Tickets sold out. Anyone who didn't make it to the premiere goes to watch "Anne Boleyn" on a huge screen hung nearby.
Netrebko is one of her own for the Viennese: since 2006 she has had an Austrian passport. And since last year - also a Viennese apartment, which seriously connected her with the wonderful opera, coffee and chocolate city. The windows overlooking the Franciscanner have become one of the city's landmarks, and, according to the singer, flocks of Japanese tourists regularly whisk her away with their cameras.
She lives here with her husband, opera singer Erwin Schrott. Despite his German surname, he is a real sultry Latino. Schrott was born in Uruguay, but he has his share of Viennese melange in his blood. Anna did not forget to tell me that it was Eric who decided everything in the family, and she was busy in the kitchen. Nevertheless, from a professional point of view, she is the engine in their tandem. Although Erwin is by no means ballast. A wonderful baritone, an excellent actor, a temperamental and witty person. It suits Anna very well.
They have a little son. Anna gave birth to him three years ago and five months after his birth she was already singing “Lucia di Lammermoor” at the Mariinsky. She recovered remarkably quickly. And although her voice no longer sounds as ringing as a girl’s soprano as before, she is approaching the weighty roles of seasoned women. Dreams of “Il Trovatores” and “Force of Destiny” by Verdi and “Manon Lescaut” by Puccini. Go find the best Manon of our time.
Anna looks incredibly beautiful in heels, in a green dress with luxurious Shopar earrings. The hair is black, the eyes are shining, the breasts are breathing.
“There is a big lie in this production,” I tell her.
- Which? - Netrebko asks anxiously.
- This is your goat, Henry the Eighth! How could he stop loving such a woman? I don't understand!
“Well, not really,” Anna laughed. - The other woman is also beautiful.
The part of Seymour is sung by Elina Garanča - she is truly a beauty, but the Lithuanian loses in temperament to the Kubanka, the blonde - to the brunette.
- But why cut off the head? Some kind of wildness. “The story is alive and clear,” says Netrebko. “There was such love there that it turned into hatred.” And he still suspected her all the time! In bel canto opera you show very little because there is not much action. Maybe you can raise an eyebrow, but no more. How do you explain both your relationship with your brother and your relationship with your page? And of course, Lord Percy.
Cashmere coat, leather boots, gloves and belt, all Hermès; glasses, Prada; tights, Calzedonia;
gold watch with diamonds, amethysts and enamel, Chopard.
In Boleyn, Netrebko actually has a completely different rival - not the maid of honor Seymour or the singer Garanca. Taking on Anna, she argues with Maria Callas, who memorably performed the role in Visconti's 1957 production at La Scala. Of course, director Genovese is not Visconti at all, and Netrebko is not quite Callas, if only because she is alive and, God willing, even happy. Have we really forgotten how to simply enjoy the fact that a beautiful woman with a wonderful voice comes on stage for us, and not a prima donna the size of a whale?
“Well, we’re all big,” Anna sighs. — You have to get your voice from somewhere... Opera singers have a very voluminous chest. We are like athletes. I can run and sing. I can jump and sing. I can stand on my head and sing. But this game is one of the most difficult for me. She is very dramatic, has a huge range - I think I lose two kilograms during each performance.
I'm surprised - where does this torment come from? It seems to me that she has it easy and that she knows how to turn opera into a relaxed and fun art.
- I have a very serious profession. And anyone who thinks that I just go to concerts in beautiful dresses and kick off my shoes thinks that it’s very simple. Big mistake. It's not about how I look, it's about how I sound. Our whole difficulty lies in the fact that we cannot hear ourselves. Ballet dancers, they can at least look in the mirror what they are doing. We don't have that.
- But your voice is returning?
— It depends on the acoustics in the hall. Sometimes the voice does not return at all. And you have to learn to sing without knowing what you are doing, without hearing yourself. We must not be afraid.
Netrebko is afraid of little and, it seems, has absolutely no intention of exploiting the same vocal image. I remember betting on whether she could handle Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, especially after she suddenly canceled her appearance, to the dismay of the Salzburg Festival intendant. Everyone decided - I was scared. But soon she very worthily kept her promise in Moscow, in the Great Hall of the Conservatory. It turns out that the baroque repertoire is also possible for her. Or she performed a solo program of Russian romances, proving to the public that she is also a wonderful chamber singer.
And it’s a completely separate story - the performance of the song “Voice” with Philip Kirkorov. What's up here? But she didn't back down. Yes, the song was not the first of my youth. “I always sing what everyone has been singing for a long time,” Netrebko retorts calmly. Yes, the most relaxed singer on the opera stage looked timid on the Jurmala stage, like a pioneer at a striptease. Yes, the words left much to be desired: “Fly, love, I hear your voice... Fly, and my life flies with you.” On the other hand, in most classical opera arias there is also little poetry.
“We sang and received the Golden Gramophone and Song of the Year.” Everyone criticized me terribly: why, why? And I just wanted it. I was interested - I encountered this world, looked around. She showed herself. I looked at them.
- And How?
- Yes-ah... Not only do they sing a song that has a range of five notes. They sing along to a soundtrack. The mouth is opened. At all these concerts, on all television programs. Wow! This is life!
She is not going to repeat this experience, but I remember that at that moment when everyone was going to lynch Kirkorov for a fight with director Yablokova, Anna was one of the few who tried to protect him.
Gabardine trench coat, Jean Paul Gaultier; hat, Dior Homme.
I ask Anna about her contract with Chopard jewelers. I'm surprised she wears real jewelry on stage. They ring, they must be taken care of...
- Sometimes they ring. And sometimes they even fall. The earring flew away in Moscow, remember? But I love wearing them to concerts. So I sang in Germany, I was wearing a necklace worth three million or something? Beautiful things that only queens wear. Why not? People should see them. I have to look good - the public expects it. I won’t wear them for a walk with my son.
- What is your boy's name?
- Thiago. This is a Portuguese name. And the second name - Arua - is Indian... I wanted something so unusual, why not? Moreover, I will give him my husband’s last name. For now he has my last name. Thiago Arua Netrebko. Sounds absolutely creepy. But still, I will have him Schrott.
- I feel a little sorry for your husband. Because when you live with your wife in different places, it promises joyful meetings. And when you live away from your child, it’s absolutely unbearable.
- But we live together! We just go separate ways sometimes because he has his own job. And then he gets very bored. Erwin is a very family man and adores Tisha.
- Are you quiet?
- That's what I call Thiago.
Anna says that with the birth of her son, she began to travel much less, began to hate long-distance flights, and because of this, for example, she had never visited her husband’s homeland, Uruguay. “We had free time in the winter, and we seemed to be planning to go, but I begged - I imagined this flight... this jetlag again... And I said: “I can’t!” Have mercy!
She calmly says that she is lazy and dreams of living at least a little without classes and rehearsals. Sit with friends, see your father, take your child to the Prater on the carousel. In fact, she flaunts the fact that she works quickly. I studied “Anne Boleyn” for a month. Usually learns faster. I made “Iolanta” in a week.
- But rehearsals are seven hours a day. Again, again and again. And you find mistakes, and...
- You can’t eat, you can’t drink...
- This is different for everyone. There are people who are completely crazy. They don’t wash their hair and don’t talk for a week. This is all nonsense, of course. For example, I don’t go to the sun, if I need to sing, I don’t go to the sauna. I drink alcohol, but not before a performance, at least a day before - it doesn’t bother me at all. I eat everything except onions and garlic, because I have to be in close contact with my partners. I eat very healthy, but sometimes I settle for a hamburger - it’s delicious. Sometimes I cook myself.
- What are you cooking? Cabbage pies?
- Thank God, I don’t know how to bake pies. Because if I start eating pies, I won't stop. I'm from Krasnodar. I made cutlets yesterday, salad, chicken soup with vegetables.
Leather and polyester trench coat, Jean Paul Gaultier; cotton skirt, Wolford; leather shoes, Christian Louboutin;
gloves, Georges Morand; tights, Calzedonia; white gold earrings with pearls and diamonds, Chopard.
In the mornings, she cooks porridge for her son, although she honestly admits that in the evenings after rehearsals she has no strength to study with him. “Can I still play with toys? But he always sleeps with me, next to me - there is contact.” Netrebko says that young Thiago Arua loves construction sets - “everything that moves interests him very much. Maybe he will become an engineer or physicist. True, he likes my shoes too. Sometimes before going to bed, he takes out my multi-colored shoes—red, purple—and looks at them.”
I immediately find myself looking at her shoes too, the bright Christian Louboutin, the shimmering green dress - there is so much challenge in this, but also a lot of fun.
“I hate dressing boringly,” says Anna. — I'm from Krasnodar! I love color and good clothes. I didn't have morning sickness during pregnancy. The only time I felt sick was when I went into my dressing room and saw only gray and black things. I felt bad. I bought colorful clothes and wore as many colors as I could throughout my pregnancy. Since then, I have had a negative attitude towards faded clothes and shoes. I won't even pick them up!
We can chat further, but they are waiting for her to film. I turn off the tape recorder with regret. A Cossack woman plus a gypsy by blood, she eagerly gets everything she didn’t have in her Krasnodar childhood. Roles, engagements, travel, novels, apartments in Vienna and New York, shooting for magazines. Anna is the perfect glamor character precisely because she looks absolutely natural. Like a sensitive instrument, she answers questions exactly the way you would like, she doesn’t mince words—she doesn’t mind, there’s enough for everyone. She has the happy demeanor of a beloved woman, around whom everyone else feels good.
Photo: Peter Rigaud. Style: Alex Aikiu. Hair: Georgios Tsiogkas/Loox Agency. Makeup: Thomas Lorenz/Perfect Props. Photography assistants: Stephanie Del Monte, Katharina Zwettler, Florian Heske. Stylist assistant: Nina Kepplinger.
The editors thank the Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom hotel for their assistance in organizing the shooting.
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Anna Netrebko and Philip Kirkorov
They delighted fans with their collaboration. The magical composition “The Voice” gained thousands of likes in a matter of days and became one of the leaders of the charts.
The song with the words “Love, I hear your voice” was heard on all Russian radio waves and was awarded the Golden Gramophone award. The duo's reputation was damaged by Kirkorov's aggression towards the reporter. Taking this disadvantage into account, Anna Netrebko refused to sing a duet with the king of the national stage in the future.
