Metro Opera Stars Back Out

At the last minute, two of the Metropolitan Opera’s biggest stars, soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Joseph Calleja, opted out of the company’s June Japan tour over fears of radiation contamination from the Fukushima No. 1 reactor.

Netrebko was not convinced it was safe, despite the Met’s management deciding to go through with the long-planned tour after the U.S. State Dept. issued a statement saying that areas outside of the initial evacuation zone were safe. The Met management even hired a radiation expert to reassure tour members there was no danger.

The singer, born in Russia, made her decision because of “the emotional weight of having also lived through the tragedy of Chernobyl,” according to a Met statement.

She is being replaced by Marina Poplavskaya. Striking a philosophical note, Met general manager Peter Gelb told reporters, “Part of what makes opera such an exciting art form is that it is so unpredictable.”