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MOSCOW, September 18. Singer Philip Kirkorov posted a post on his Instagram page* in which he emotionally congratulated opera diva Anna Netrebko on her birthday. 
The artist attached a video to the text, which included general shots of him and Netrebko taken over the years of friendship. “From the first acquaintance and all my life, she is Annushka for me and at the same time always Anna Yuryevna,” Kirkorov wrote.
Speaking of Netrebko, People's Artist of Russia, he described her as the “gold standard” and “a hooligan who breaks standards.”
“”Well, who else can so elegantly and playfully destroy their own bouquets from the stage, giving roses to men in elegant suits, turning them, even for a second, into children. Stroking the head of the first violin right during a performance or stopping the orchestra in walk around the conductor,” recalled Philip Kirkorov.
The king of the Russian pop scene also mentioned the current situation and the subsequent “cancel culture” into which Netrebko was drawn. According to the artist, Anna Netrebko challenged the opera community.
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“There can be no dirt in her path,” Kirkorov said. “Bypassing the madness that gripped the art world several years ago, she did not succumb to the conjuncture, she challenged, I’m not afraid of this word, an institutional challenge to the opera establishment. She did not succumb to provocations to involve herself in political games, always remaining true to art, true to her roots,” the pop artist concluded.
The birthday girl responded to Kirkorov’s congratulations in the comments.
“”Thank you very much “You are a true friend. I love you always,” Anna Netrebko wrote.
Many fans and famous friends also joined in the congratulations. The opera artist even posted one of them on her page. She uploaded a large video recorded by her stage colleagues from all over Russia. 
“”After viewing such congratulations, my vitality and energy were replenished by 100. Thank you very much. I love you all,” Anna Netrebko thanked.
At the end of August, the opera singer reported health problems caused by frequent flights. However, the artist quickly recovered and in early September began touring in Italy and Austria.
One of the first performances with Netrebko’s participation was “La Traviata” at the Arena di Verona, the last of which ended with a full house and shouts of “Bravo”.
The singer continued to receive applause after the performance, when she returned with friends from dinner. Local residents literally ran after the star and shouted to her in Russian: “Thank you, Anna Yuryevna!” Netrebko shared the footage on her social network page.
In the near future, Anna Netrebko plans to give several concerts in Berlin, Vienna, Milan and Paris, as well as perform in China on the opera stages of Guangzhou and Shanghai.
*The activities of Meta (social networks Facebook and Instagram) are prohibited in Russia as extremist
