Superstar certain to dazzle in sole outing

Anna Netrebko says feeling the magic that comes from pairing her voice with that of her husband Yusif Eyvazov is a joy.

At the height of her fame, in the 1950s and 60s, Maria Callas was a remote if revered legend for New Zealand opera fans, known only on LP records or from breathless reports from friends who saw the diva live at Covent Garden, the Met or La Scala.

We're luckier in 2017 to have the Callas of our day, Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, flying in to sing just one concert on Saturday with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, supported by her husband, tenor Yusif Eyvazov, and baritone Elchin Azizov.

Netrebko is a diva with a sense of humour. Her coquettish operetta turn on the BBC Last Night of the Proms saw her skip through the orchestra and throw roses at gentlemen in the audience, all the time singing divinely.

Now she's in Melbourne, with only three concerts remaining on a tour that has stretched from China, Korea and Japan to Australasia. The self-confessed shopaholic has practiced restraint on this trip, picking up just a few souvenirs.

"I brought my clothes already," she says. "There's a lot of luggage and we need it with nine concerts and lots of events in all these countries with different weather." As for NZ, she's looking forward to experiencing our celebrated nature, even if she won't be able to walk into a forest.

"You have amazing butter and Manuka honey," she says. "And I drink your wine in Europe, from time to time." On Saturday, the musical menu consists of familiar highlights, mostly Italian, from Aida's stirring aria Ritorna vincitor to the couple's closing duet from Giordano's Andrea Chenier.

Yet Netrebko is also known for searching out the unfamiliar such as Verdi's early opera Giovanna d'Arco, which she sang on stage and CD in 2015.

"At least nobody could compare me with Callas," she says.

It's an opera with problems, she admits. It may be beautifully written and a joy to sing but the libretto plays fast and loose with history.

"You cannot say Giovanna d'Arcowas in love with the King," she says. "That's really wrong." When Giovanna was staged at La Scala, rock diva Patti Smith was in the audience and the conductor was Riccardo Chailly, a favourite batonmeister. Good conductors are rare, Netrebko says.

"I like a conductor who helps the singer and has a vision of the whole work. There are not that many of those left after Chailly, Riccardo Muti and Antonio Pappano." At this point, husband Eyvazov can't resist taking the phone to offer a personal testimonial about Chailly, who will conduct him at La Scala later this year and is already working with the tenor.

"He gives me the freedom to do some things that I want," he says.

Ecstatic reception around the world, with Netrebko signing for 300 fans after one Chinese concert and a reviewer raising her status from star to supernova, suggests this Saturday concert will dispense the expected magic.

It's magic the soprano herself sees as coming from the special chemistry between her and Eyvazov, first heard on their 2016 recording of Puccini's Manon Lescaut.

"Our voices match together really well, which is one of the good things about sopranos and tenors," she says. "And when you feel this blending, then making the music is a real joy."

Classical music
What: Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Where & when: Aotea Centre; Saturday at 7.30pm