Three faces emerge from the darkness: a long-haired brunette in the middle and next to her, two romantic heroes - one with softer features, the other, a daredevil. What may look like an ad for the latest blockbuster film is actually a poster for Russian-Austrian soprano Anna Netrebko's summer tour, a singer who calls herself the "reigning diva of the 21st century."

The good-looking men at her side are her life partner, Erwin Schrott, a bass-baritone, and tenor Jonas Kaufmann.

Together, the trio are out to fill open-air venues as spectacular as Munich's Königsplatz (King's Square) or Berlin's Waldbühne (Forest Theater) with tens of thousands of listeners starting at the end of July.

The advertising campaign is now in top gear with the tour being touted as a "summit of stars."

Anna sings, Erwin dances

"Two are great, but three are even better," Anna Netrebko quipped during the press conference to launch the tour.

Netrebko, Schrott and Kaufmann have more than just a talent for singing. They've got a clear knack as self-publicists. Still, Uruguay-born Schrott, alongside world-famous Netrebko, must continually prove himself despite his singing ability. He is currently touring to promote his tango album, a homage to his Latin roots.

Netrebko, for her part, has clearly said she will not be dancing on stage with Schrott, the father of her son. So if the bass-baritone wants to do the tango, then he'll have to do it with a professional dancer, she made clear, adding that she would only contribute background singing.

Listeners got a taste of the summer concert series on July 2 in Cologne, where the star couple sang - without Kaufmann - to a sold-out hall in the city's Philharmonic.

Pretty in pink and "Playboy"

The concert-goers who came only because of Netrebko got their (much) money's worth: Anna scintillated with her full, dark, mature voice. She has also lost some weight, and showed off her figure in a shiny red gala dress and a pink evening gown. Schrott sauntered on stage carrying a fresh-off-the-press copy of "Playboy," while singing Leporello's "Registerarie" from Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni."

The long and short of it: the singers' stage presence combined with an amusing program featuring classic arias from the 19th century Italian repertoire made the evening a delight.

The audience was aflutter when Franz Lehar's "Lippen schweigen" ("Love Unspoken") finished off the program, complete with a kiss on stage.

Once Jonas Kaufmann contributes his tenor to the perfect couple (very few scores exist which are suitable for soprano and bass-baritone duets), lovers of open-air concerts may just find themselves in heaven.

One doesn't replace the other

The much-celebrated but equally criticized world tours of the Three Tenors - Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti - during the 1990s and early 2000s sparked talk about whether such lucrative but superficial events of this kind help or hinder classical music. Do they open up doors to new listeners, while previously devoted fans turn away?

Experience of late, at any rate, has shown that neither one nor the other is true. Netrebko fans do not attend concerts of Mahler's works, but entertaining evenings like the recent one in Cologne's Philharmonic also do not taint the wish to hear Anna in her upcoming roles - as "Iolanta" in Salzburg and as "Elsa" in "Lohengrin."

Few people fear that Anna Netrebko - who is refreshingly down-to-earth despite her fame - will wear herself out one day, as did her former dream partner Rolando Villazon, who has been singing Mexican folk songs since his breakdown.

Anna remains Anna, and seems to know just what she wants. That includes her first Wagner role in "Hohengrin," which she expressly requested. And, after all, who could deny her?

Author: Anastassia Boutsko / als
Editor: Greg Wiser