Anna Netrebko (Russia, born 1971)

Anna Netrebko rose from cleaning lady at the famed Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg to the highest echelons of opera, becoming, her many admirers will say, the leading soprano of her time. Arguably, in the classical realm Netrebko is the most popular singer to have emerged from the turn of the twenty first century era. Her appearances at the Kirov Opera, the Met, Covent Garden, Salzburg Festival, and other major operatic venues, as well as concert locales like Carnegie Hall, are huge events that often provoke a euphoric sort of pandemonium of cries and cheers for her from the audience. Her recordings have had similar success, as well, from her chart-topping solo debut album Opera Arias in 2003 to her 2008 CD Souvenirs to her various opera CDs and videos. Besides possessing a beautiful,... read more