Biography
Having taken vocal lessons from Franco Corelli, Placido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, tenor Yusif Eyvazov, thanks to the versatility of his talent, managed to quickly gain the status of a world-class opera singer. Now the owner of the Gianandrea Gavazzeni Medal of Honor continues to expand his army of fans, actively touring opera houses in Europe, the USA, Korea and Japan.
Childhood and youth
Yusif Eyvazov was born on May 2, 1977 in Algeria. After the birth of his son, the father, who worked in an African country as an exchange student, moved with his family to Baku. From a young age, the head of the family encouraged the hobbies of his beloved child and believed that the offspring should decide for himself what he wanted to do in the future.
Singer Yusif Eyvazov
It is worth noting that in his childhood the opera singer showed no interest in music. In an interview, the artist admitted that after graduating from school, for a couple of months he could not decide on the university where he wanted to continue his studies. As a result, Eyvazov, pointing his finger at the sky, entered the metallurgical faculty of the Azerbaijan Technical University.
True, the young man studied there for less than a year and, having discovered good vocal abilities, transferred to the Baku Academy of Music, which he was unable to graduate due to his move to Milan in 1998.
Yusif Eyvazov
In an interview, the tenor repeatedly said that Montserrat Caballe, whose concert he attended thanks to fortunate circumstances, helped him finally decide on his future profession. Seeing an energetic, charismatic Spanish woman on stage, basking in the love of the audience present at the performance, the active young man realized what he wanted to devote his life to.
Yusif came to Italy when he was barely 20 years old. Without friends and acquaintances, the guy had a hard time. His parents helped as much as they could, but the future opera singer tried not to rely too much on their help. To pay for his studies at the conservatory, Eyvazov, in his free time from classes, worked as a loader, a translator, or a waiter.
Biography and personal life of Anna Netrebko
Krasnodar is the hometown of the heroine of today’s article. Here she was born and raised. On September 18, 2020, the artist turned 47 years old.
If we talk about the opera singer’s parents, it is known that they were not professionally connected with art. They were engineers by education. His father worked in the field of geology (studying the bowels of the earth), and his mother worked as a signalman. There was also one daughter growing up in their family, Natalya. The girls were very friendly since childhood. And now, although they live in different countries, they often call each other and visit each other whenever possible.
Anna's singing abilities were evident from early childhood. At first, the girl organized home concerts, and later performed in school amateur performances. Even later she became a soloist of the Kuban Pioneer. But at that time Anya did not even dream of a professional career as a singer. It should be noted that she grew up as a versatile person. She went in for sports and was a beauty. Thus, it is known that in the late eighties she took second place in the Miss Kuban beauty contest.
After training, she entered the music school in Leningrad. Later she continued her studies at the Conservatory. Rimsky-Korsakov. She became a laureate of the award. Glinka, after which her life changed dramatically. She was invited to perform at the Mariinsky Theater. The debut took place in “The Marriage of Figaro”
For many fans of the heroine, the topic of the singer’s personal life is quite interesting. Thanks to her excellent appearance, Anna was never deprived of male attention.
However, in her youth, Netrebko did not pay any attention to boys. Her first serious love, as the singer herself states, came at the age of twenty-two. Then she fell unconsciously in love with a young man with whom she studied at the conservatory. She still hides his name. But it is known that the guy was married, which is why Anya decided to devote herself completely to work in order to get distracted and forget him.
While on an internship in San Francisco, Anna Netrebko began a romantic relationship with a certain baritone named Ted. Their romance did not last long, since Anya was more successful creatively, and the young man could not put up with this.
Upon arrival in his homeland, Netrebko began a relationship with the grandson of the famous ballerina I. Zubkovskaya, Nikolai. The young man was four years younger than her. Their romance lasted only a couple of years and later they decided to break up. The main reason is that they didn’t get along in character. But, as it later became known, Nikolai Zubkovsky often raised his hand against the opera singer.
Anna's next choice was the bass from Italy Simone Alberghini. It is worth noting that the young man had quite serious intentions about the opera diva. But Anna herself decided not to rush things, and their meetings were very rare.
She later met the father of her unborn child, Erivne Schrott. But she found true female happiness later, when she became the wife of Yusif Eyvazov.
Thus, the biography and personal life of Anna Netrebko is full of bright events. The opera diva is not just talented. Thanks to her determination and hard work, she was able to achieve success in her professional activities. Her fans are looking forward to new works.
Music
Since 2005, Eyvazov began participating in opera performances of small theaters, in which the hardworking vocalist honed his skills. The starting point in Yusif’s career was a tour in Moscow in 2010. Then, on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, the singer performed the role of Cavaradossi in Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca”.
Yusif Eyvazov on stage
After his resounding success, the tenor performed only on the most prestigious stages of the world (Grand Opera in Paris, Vienna Opera in Austria, La Scala in Milan) and even sang before Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican.
In 2013, as part of the International Festival of Opera in Ravenna, Eyvazov performed the Moor Othello’s aria on the stage of the theater named after Dante Alighieri. A year later, Yusif, together with his future wife Anna Netrebko, performed in the leading roles at the premiere of Giacomo Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut.
2015 was marked by an aria in the opera Pagliacci by composer Ruggero Leoncavallo and a part in the play Turandot. In January 2017, Yusif expanded his repertoire with a role in Umberto Giordano's opera Andrea Chenier. With this work, the singer, paired with Anna Netrebko, opened the season at La Scala.
Personal life
The personal life of the famous tenor was shrouded in an aura of mystery for a couple of years. Despite the fact that the singer never talked much about his ex-wife, nosy journalists managed to find out that at the age of 30, Eyvazov tied the knot with singer Adele Ferrari, who was 70 years old at the time of the marriage.
Yusif Eyvazov and Adele Ferrari
The couple divorced when Yusif fell in love with the opera diva Anna Netrebko. They met in 2014. At that time, both were involved in the production of Giacomo Puccini's opera Manon Lescaut. According to Anna’s recollections, three weeks after the start of rehearsals, she realized that Yusif was the man of her life. The tenor, in conversations with media representatives, more than once said that he fell in love with the charming vocalist at the first meeting.
Yusif Eyvazov and Anna Netrebko
After the resoundingly successful premiere of the play, the artists stayed in Rome for a couple more days, during which they walked around the city, each telling each other about themselves. Common interests, similar life priorities and an incredibly strong sense of spiritual kinship led to the emergence of love in their hearts. A couple of weeks after they met, the Baku romantic suggested that his beloved never be separated again. The straightforward Cossack woman, without hesitation, agreed.
Wedding of Yusif Eyvazov and Anna Netrebko
In August 2014, Anna Netrebko, Yusif Eyvazov and the singer’s son from a previous marriage, Thiago, arrived in a white carriage at the St. Peter Stiftskeller”, located in St. Peter's Abbey in Salzburg, to celebrate the engagement with family and friends. At the event, the tenor, in the presence of relatives, officially asked the chosen one for her hand in marriage from her parents and, having received a positive response, presented the bride with an engagement ring.
The wedding of the opera stars took place on December 29, 2020. The celebration took place in one of the most romantic European capitals - Vienna. In the first half of the day, the bride and groom, accompanied by their closest people, went to Coburg Palace, which is located in the very heart of the city. Despite the pompous atmosphere, only relatives of the artists were present at the official part of the celebration.
After Yusif and Anna became husband and wife, they traditionally tasted a loaf of bread, which was served to them on a beautiful towel by Netrebko’s father, Yuri, and her son Thiago, dressed in Cossack costumes.
Then the newlyweds, together with the guests invited to the event, moved to a more spacious hall, where a table set in the Russian style was already waiting for them. In addition to delicacies, the menu included Olivier salad and pilaf, which the sophisticated public liked. Yusif and Anna performed their wedding dance to the song of Alla Borisovna Pugacheva, which was sung by Philip Kirkorov, who was present at the event.
Yusif Eyvazov with his family
It is worth noting that in addition to world-famous stars and politicians, Netrebko’s first vocal teacher was also invited to the wedding. At the celebration, the woman was surrounded with attention and care, seated at the same table with family members. Despite the fact that the artists are now immersed in work, the lovers are seriously thinking about having children together in the near future.
Latest news about Anna Netrebko
On the Internet you can find out the latest news about Anna Netrebko. But it is worth noting that not all of them are true. Some of them are gossip. Thus, the information that appeared about the opera diva’s income was, according to Anna herself, too exaggerated. You could say dozens of times.
For example, rumors appeared in the press that Anna Netrebko gave birth to a second child. Having learned about this, the singer disputed this information. The artist also tried to find out from the “woeful journalists” when she gave birth and what the gender of the child was.
In fact, Anna Netrebko Yusif Efvazov still does not rule out having a child together. But for now, the famous beautiful duo are happy together and lovingly raising their son Thiago.
It is known that the singer advised media representatives to find out information from, so to speak, “first-hand” or reliable sources. This way, the news about the life and work of the famous opera singer will be the most truthful.
Yusif Eyvazov now
In July 2017, as part of the Stars of the White Nights festival in St. Petersburg, a family premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theater. Spouses Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov took the stage in the production of “Adriana Lecouvreur”, which tells the audience the tragic love story of actress Adriana Lecouvreur and Count Maurice of Saxony.
In September of the same year, the singer and his wife delighted lovers of opera music by releasing the album “Romanza”. The disc, in addition to interpretations of the vocal works of Giuseppe Verdi, Edvard Grieg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Sergei Rachmaninov, features songs written by Igor Krutoy in Russian, Italian, French and English. The tracks include both duet and solo compositions.
Tenor Yusif Eyvazov
At the moment, posters for the star couple's performances are scheduled a couple of years in advance. It is known that in February 2018, the artists will perform on the stage of the Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Concert Hall to the accompaniment of the National Philharmonic Orchestra. The program, which is divided into two parts, will include arias by Giacomo Puccini, Ruggero Leoncavallo and Umberto Giordano.
Yusif Eyvazov in 2017
Despite his busy work schedule, Eyvazov does not forget about his fans. On Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, the eminent tenor regularly posts videos of working moments (recording new compositions, backstage footage from rehearsals) and photos from vacations. It is also worth noting that anyone can find materials related to the singer’s creative biography on Yusif’s official website. The resource also publishes a schedule of concerts planned for the near future.
Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov: “We feel sorry for spending money on private jets”
An event that the music public has been waiting for so long: Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov are giving concerts in Russia. In an interview with Business FM they talked about ticket prices and their attitude to money
Anna Netrebko. Photo: TASS
"First on first." The family musical tandem of Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov performs at Barvikha Luxury Village on October 1. On the eve of this event, Business FM editor-in-chief Ilya Kopelevich talked with the masters of classical music.
Hello Anna, hello Yusif. You have finally reached Moscow. On October 1, there will be a joint concert of yours at Barvikha Luxury Village ; it has already taken place in some countries. Probably, this concert can be called not just a vocal concert with an orchestra, it is some kind of family program. This is true?
Yusif Eyvazov : Family, firstly, because we have a wonderful family, this is our most important asset in life, this is the most basic value. This is a home, this is a fortress, this is everything eternal and persistent, everything that helps you survive a lot in life. If a person has a family, he has a back.
What's it like on stage?
Yusif Eyvazov : The stage is different.
Anna Netrebko : The scene has absolutely nothing to do with family. A scene is a scene.
So Yusif could sing with another vocalist and it would be the same?
Anna Netrebko : He sings, naturally. He has his partners, I have mine. The fact that we sing together is great, and we are very lucky, because our voices combine very well, and theaters willingly invite us. But we can sing without each other.
Are you looking forward to performing together?
Anna Netrebko : Of course, you can’t force anyone to take on a contract if the theater doesn’t want it. But for now everyone is very happy to take us together.
In Moscow, especially in Barvikha, it seems to me that they will be even more happy to see you together, not only to listen to music, but just to look at you. I have one more question about Barvikha specifically. You once said that you would generally like tickets for your concerts to be cheap, so that people who simply love music could come there. But Barvikha is exactly the opposite case.
Anna Netrebko : We wanted and want.
Yusif Eyvazov : We wanted and want, and we think very much about this topic, we are working on it. As for Barvikha, this is a special case, because this is a special hall, a very specific audience gathers there, and we understand this very well.
A community that is not even entirely musical.
Yusif Eyvazov : You see, this is not the Tchaikovsky Hall, and this is not the Great Hall of the Conservatory. This is a completely different place. As for tickets, we are constantly faced with the fact that, unfortunately, not only, by the way, in Russia, in all other theaters in the world, everywhere, almost constantly, there is some kind of speculation on the part of people, resellers, who immediately buy up some huge number tickets.
Even in London, New York and Vienna?
Yusif Eyvazov : The same thing.
Anna Netrebko : Absolutely the same.
Yusif Eyvazov : When they told me, I didn’t believe it, and when I saw that people were standing at the Salzburg Festival and at the Bavarian Opera before the premiere and were ready to buy a ticket for 5 thousand euros, it was a shock. And these are people who love music so much.
Or very rich. Anna, I saw you at the festival in Verbier, this is a very expensive place.
Anna Netrebko : For whom? Inexpensive for us. Yusif Eyvazov : They pay a little there, by the way.
Anna Netrebko : We sang almost for free there.
Let's just say that Swiss unemployed people live there, whose cheapest house costs several million and so on. In general, I wanted to ask you about two types of public, it seems to me. There is a type of audience at the Moscow Conservatory, in the Tchaikovsky Hall, and the Philharmonic.
Yusif Eyvazov : I’m sorry, I’ll finish my sentence: and we specifically, when the sale of tickets to the Bolshoi Theater for “Manon Lescaut” opened, and naturally, when it was clear that there were no tickets left for our dates literally in just half a day or what something like this, people started writing to us on Instagram and Facebook from different parts of Russia, who, unfortunately, bought tickets and booked their plane in advance, wanted to fly, and there are no more tickets for these dates, and resellers have them at crazy prices money. And we asked the Bolshoi Theater, by the way, to take this opportunity, we are announcing this, that the third performance will be shown on the screen and will be broadcast live both on the “Culture” channel, also in front of the Bolshoi Theater. This is just for people who just know that they couldn’t buy tickets to simply come. This is how we fight it.
Let me remind you that the premiere is on October 16, and you sing for four evenings.
Yusif Eyvazov : We sing 16, 19 and 22 - three. The performance will be broadcast on the 22nd.
Now I’ll return to the two types of public. There is a conservatory and the Tchaikovsky Hall, where the musical public is often not rich, but trained, and there are festivals in expensive Swiss villages or in the expensive Russian village of Barvikha, where people are simply rich, who, well, it is known, consider it their duty to join in, to look at the stars of your level, pay any money for it. Is there any difference for you in these two halls?
Anna Netrebko : No. I go on stage, I perform everywhere with absolutely the same dedication.
What about the repertoire?
Anna Netrebko : The repertoire varies depending on the mood, depending on the fact that if I have already been to this hall, I try to bring something different next time. Sometimes there are more festival-style concerts, not just entertainment ones, but with more popular music, which, by the way, we will do for Barvikha. There will be not just a lighter program, but a more popular one, more accessible to viewers.
Yusif Eyvazov : Most likely, it depends on the city in which we perform. Naturally, as Anya rightly said, we make absolutely no difference: whether we sing for people who paid a lot of money for tickets, or for people who simply received season tickets and came. You know, we have been living in the West for a very long time, and for us there is no such division. That is, a person can come to the Salzburg Festival and the Berlin, Bavarian Opera, La Scala as a doctor, doctor, politician, or just a person who works at the simplest job. That is, there is no division. There is an audience in the hall, we work for the public, that’s all.
Now, allow me, I’ll talk to you a little about money and Russian rules.
Yusif Eyvazov : Oh, God!
No, just today, you know, the Deputy Minister of Finance promised that they are going to correct something in this currency regulation. It seems to me that this directly concerns you all. Anna, do you even know which country you are a tax resident of?
Anna Netrebko : Of course, Austria.
Yusif Eyvazov : We are both from Austria.
And you are probably still a currency resident of the Russian Federation, but you haven’t heard about it yet.
Anna Netrebko : What does this mean?
This is probably difficult, but I’ll explain it very popularly. As a tax resident of Austria, you do not have to report in Russia, but if you sold or bought an apartment abroad, and this happened to you, then if you appeared in the Russian Federation for even one day, you must submit all reports on the accounts, according to movement of funds.
Anna Netrebko : I want to disappoint you. I haven’t bought a single apartment, they are all taken as collateral, and I will be paying them off for another 30 years. I pay tax on my performances.
Yusif Eyvazov : Look what's happening. We have a whole team of lawyers and accountants who do this, we don't even have to know about it.
But they didn’t convey to you information about the difficulty of this year?
Yusif Eyvazov : Can you imagine that with such a volume of work, studying a new repertoire of concert activities, that we would also be doing this too? We don't even need to know about it. But I'm sure everything is fine with us.
Then a little more, if I may, about money. You have large incomes and, I’m sure, large expenses, because...
Yusif Eyvazov : We have the usual incomes of opera singers, I don’t know what to call them big, there is top-fee. Do you know what top-fee is?
This is the highest fee.
Yusif Eyvazov : This is the highest fee. Here is the highest fee in European theaters, it reaches 17 thousand “dirty” euros for a performance, of which 50% immediately disappears. So calculate whether you can call this a large fee.
I wanted to ask about something else. I think that the costs are also inevitably high.
Yusif Eyvazov : Naturally.
Because you have a crazy lifestyle with constant flights.
Yusif Eyvazov : We have a child, he has a school.
I would like to ask, what do you feel sorry for spending money on? This is what is necessary, but it’s a pity?
Anna Netrebko : We don’t spend it on what we feel sorry for.
So, do you spend all your money only with pleasure?
Yusif Eyvazov : It’s a pity for private jets.
Is it possible to do without them when loading?
Anna Netrebko : We use private jets extremely rarely. In exceptional cases, when there is simply no other way to get there in time.
Yusif Eyvazov : And when we fly on vacation, we buy economy class tickets. From Vienna to Barcelona for 200 euros, and we fly with the whole family.
I also wanted to ask. I have a cough now, I also sometimes like to sing, but when I cough, I don’t sing. I wanted to ask what happens to you when tickets are sold if you don't feel well? How to deal with this?
Yusif Eyvazov : You know, there are, unfortunately, very rare cases when you have to refuse performances because you can’t go on stage sick. Yes, in such a repertoire. But, fortunately, this happens extremely rarely. In general, we are not the people who often refuse performances.
Anna Netrebko : If I refuse a performance or concert, it means that I am half dead or half alive. In any other cases, even including fever, runny nose, sore throat, I sing.
Is there some kind of professional secret on how to deal with this or cope, or is it just a matter of volitional qualities, there is no special technique?
Anna Netrebko : Of course, on strong-willed qualities, and, of course, this is then given to you, naturally.
Yusif Eyvazov : You don’t need to pollute your brains from vocal childhood, that you don’t need to drink, don’t smoke, you need to live a normal, ordinary life, and then nothing will happen. Naturally, if you catch a cold, you catch a cold. And when this happens, the theater, the same Berlin, Milan and so on, they simply replace us with someone, there is always an insurer, there is always a cover, people who were already in this party, sang and so on. They simply go on stage instead of you, this is announced. The viewer has the right to return the ticket, this is important to know. If the viewer came specifically to see you, you don’t sing, he goes to the box office and gets up from his seat there and says: “I don’t want to.” If it happens a week in advance, it is announced in advance on the Internet and people know. As it happened to me in St. Petersburg, when I refused “Turandot” with maestro Gergiev, unfortunately, after Palace Square, this also happens, unfortunately.
Now I wanted to ask about Moscow. If you managed to inspect it after you arrived.
Anna Netrebko : No, we didn’t have time.
When was the last time?
Yusif Eyvazov : About six months or a year, not so long ago, by the way.
I know that you really love and appreciate good, tasty food, you cook yourself and visit restaurants too. What is good about Moscow, in your opinion?
Anna Netrebko : There are so many good and interesting things in Moscow, in general, I am very glad, and Yusif too, that we came here and will spend almost a whole month here. There are so many interesting things to see, walk and eat.
And maybe one last question. You already have a short history of joint family concerts. Were there any oddities that always happen in an artist’s life, but perhaps in a family tandem they happen in a special way?
Anna Netrebko : Do we have any curiosities? No…
Yusif Eyvazov : It seems like there are none yet.
Has anyone forgotten the words?
Yusif Eyvazov : This is generally a standard situation - I confused one word with another.
Anna Netrebko : Are you forgetting? Me not.
Yusif Eyvazov : Well, it happens sometimes, yes.
Anna Netrebko : Not yet. No, you know, we have a very good tandem, we are a family, of course, but, in addition to family, we are also partners, and everything is very clearly organized with us. We start the morning by planning everything. My wonderful husband is a very, very good organizer in everything, he keeps everything in his hands, and I, of course, help him. And that's very cool. We manage a lot, we do a lot, our life goes like this. But we need to plan it, we need to work on it.
Yusif Eyvazov : It’s actually very difficult, having a child, to organize all this.
Everything is already according to plan, all the funny things are in the past. And two more words about the Bolshoi Theater. This, oddly enough, will be your debut at the Bolshoi Theater. Previously, you said that your lines did not coincide, he was a little old-fashioned in terms of organization, repertoire - it was simply not foreseen to come and integrate. What has changed at the Bolshoi Theater that allowed you to please Moscow with a performance on the opera stage?
Anna Netrebko : You know, of course, the dream of any singer is to sing at the Bolshoi Theater someday, the Bolshoi Theater is the Bolshoi Theater. And there was no intrigue, it just somehow never worked out. Maybe simply because I personally worked at the Mariinsky Theater, and it took up all my time. And now, since I travel a little more here and there, and, of course, I want to say the most important thing is that the Bolshoi Theater has such a wonderful director.
Yusif Eyvazov : Yes, Vladimir Georgievich Urin.
Stunning, magnificent. Anna Netrebko : A very advanced person in all respects, and he knows how to do things, and he loves music, loves artists, somehow we quickly agreed on everything with him.
Yusif Eyvazov : Yes, he is amazing. Firstly, the energy of such a person is very lively, and we agreed very quickly. I have already performed at the Bolshoi Theater, this will not be my first work, I sang “Tosca” there, but that was seven years ago, quite a long time. And literally today we were at the fitting, talked with the conductor, talked with the director, I would like to note how wonderful everything is organized, what amazing people work there, smiling, responsive, kind, ready to help, to do everything. And I encountered the same thing when I came there to sing for the first time seven years ago.
But you probably noticed the renovation of the Bolshoi Theater; there was also a lot of controversy about this. Here you are with the eyes of people who have seen all the theaters in the world, what would you say?
Anna Netrebko : Beauty, in my opinion, everything is wonderful.
Yusif Eyvazov : I think they all did great. We were at the anniversary of Elena Vasilievna Obraztsova, we sang there, everything was amazingly organized: the dressing rooms were clean, there were pianos everywhere. All this is wonderful. You know, there are theaters in the world where there isn’t even a piano in the dressing rooms. At the Bolshoi Theater everything is great with this.
Thanks a lot.
Yusif Eyvazov : Thank you.
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Parties
- Aria of Prince Soo-Chong from the opera “Land of Smiles”
- Herman's aria from the opera "The Queen of Spades"
- Manrico's aria from the opera "Il Trovatore"
- Aria of the Cavaliere des Grieux from the opera "Manon Lescaut"
- Maurizio's aria from the opera "Adriana Lecouvreur"
- Calaf's aria from the opera "Turandot"
- Cavaradossi's aria from the opera "Tosca"
- Federico's aria from the opera "La Arlesienne"
- Aria Turiddu from the opera "Rural Honor"
- Faust's Aria from the opera "Mephistopheles"
- Radames's aria from the opera "Aida"
- Macduff's Aria from the opera "Macbeth"
