Posted on 07/21/2022 11:22:47 PM PDT by Zhang Fei
African American soprano Angel Blue has said she will not perform in an opera in Italy this month because another production held at the theater earlier this year featured performers in blackface.
The 38-year-old Grammy Award-winner announced she is bowing out of La Traviata at Verona Arena, in Verona, Italy, later this month.
She blasted the theater as 'archaic' for mounting another Giuseppe Verdi opera, Aida, that featured performers in blackface.
They include Anna Netrebko, a white Russian soprano, has been cast in the titular role of Aida in Verdi’s opera - despite the character being an Ethiopian princess.
In promotional material, Netrebko appears with dark makeup over her face and body, and wearing a wig with long black braids.
Angel Blue called the practice 'offensive, humiliating, and outright racist'.
Angel Blue, however, was still listed on Saturday on the arena's website as singing the role of Violetta in La Traviata on July 22 and 30.
The theatre said it was hoping that Blue, who is black, would accept an invitation to meet with Arena officials for 'dialogue' over the issue.
The arena said it had 'no reason nor intent whatsoever to offend and disturb anyone's sensibility'.
For decades, US civil rights organizations have publicly condemned blackface – in which white performers blacken their faces – as dehumanizing black people by introducing and reinforcing racial stereotypes.
This summer, the arena has mounted performances of Aida based on a 2002 staging of the opera classic by Italian director Franco Zeffirelli, who died in 2019. That staging uses blackface.
'Dear Friends, Family, and Opera Lovers,' began the soprano's Instagram post. 'I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that I will not be singing La Traviata at Arena di Verona this summer as planned.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I was hopeful that what happened to Joni would also happen to Neil Young - alas…..
Lol! Neil would probably invent some way to blame Trump if he lost (what remains of) his singing voice.
LiI would nominate Bette Midler for some similar “treatment”.
She become filled with scolding hatred for anything conservative.
I caught a gliompse of her on the Classic Art Showcase channel in a somewhat obscure opera by Rossini called Matilde de Shabran. She sounded and looked incredible. I may order that Blu-ray which also features Juan Diego Flores. She has sung at the Met, but I do not yet know if she is in any of the operas on their streaming service.
Who gives af...
She’s a beauty.
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