"It is a great honor to be a part of the Bolshoi Theater family"
Opera singer Aida Garifullina has been performing on the world's best stages for many years — from the Bolshoi Theater to La Scala, from Arena di Verona to the Paris Opera. Nevertheless, it was the Bolshoi Theatre that occupied a special place in her life and professional career. In an interview with Izvestia, the opera diva spoke about her last concert with Dmitry Hvorostovsky, why Placido Domingo fell in love with Russian audiences, and about her plans to perform on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater in La Traviata.
"The Bolshoi Theatre is a symbol of our country's culture"
— What does it mean to you to be a part of the Bolshoi Theatre, where Tchaikovsky once held the baton and Chaliapin performed?
— It is a great honor and deep joy for me to be a part of the Bolshoi Theater family, especially on such an important anniversary. And this theater is not just a building, it is a true symbol of art, culture and history of our country, which has become a home for unique talents such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Chaliapin, and other brilliant musicians, and continues to inspire new generations of viewers and artists. It is a great honor for me as a singer, and I am proud to be able to contribute to the amazing history of this theater.
— You performed on the Bolshoi stage for the first time in 2020, already having extensive professional experience. How did you rate the atmosphere then? What were your feelings from your first big performance at the Bolshoi Theatre?
— Performing at the Bolshoi Theatre and on other legendary stages of the world, such as La Scala, the Vienna Opera, and the Paris Opera, has its own peculiarities. On my first appearance at the Bolshoi Theater, I felt incredible awe and responsibility, despite the fact that in my professional biography there were already other famous theaters that welcomed me on their stage with great warmth and great love. Despite this, I was incredibly worried. It was a new step, a big, important step in my life, in my musical career. Unfortunately, many legendary singers were unable to perform on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. And it was very important to me. There were high expectations from the acoustics and from the very atmosphere of the theater. And, fortunately, all these expectations were fulfilled.
— How did you like the acoustics of the Bolshoi?
— The acoustics of the Bolshoi Theatre are very good. Although it's not easy, you need to know it, you need to get used to it. With the right vocal technique, any theater in the world, even with complex acoustics, will be conquered.
"Hvorostovsky was adored until the very last moment"
Opera singer Placido Domingo
— You have worked with the great Placido Domingo. Knowing that you are from Russia, did he talk about his perception of Russian culture and the Bolshoi Theater, on the stage of which he performed more than once?
— The Bolshoi Theatre has always been famous as one of the best opera houses in the world, and there is a reason why the greatest artists come here. Yes, Placido Domingo came to the Bolshoi Theater more than once. Once, we even sang a concert together at the Bolshoi. He was absolutely delighted with the audience, with how the audience received him. After all, for an artist, applause, audience love, and the audience's reaction to a performance are very important. It's a huge gift. Energy exchange with the public is very important.
— And what was Domingo like in private?
— Placido Domingo is not only a colleague for me, but also a friend, mentor, and a man whom I admire and admire to this day. He is an artist of incredible energy, with a huge heart, loving, caring for all the artists who participated in his Operalia competition. And in 2013, I was lucky enough to win this competition. Domingo and I have been united by many concerts, performances, and performances. A few years ago, we sang La Traviata at the Florence Opera, conducted by the legendary Zubin Mehta, who once conducted the first performance of three great tenors. Alas, this was the last opera production in which Domingo participated. But it was great, and I still have a poster of this production with our names on it.
Singers Dmitry Hvorostovsky and Aida Garifullina
— You have worked a lot with Dmitry Hvorostovsky. How do you remember working with him?
— I met Hvorostovsky when I was still a very young singer and was making my first steps in the world of bolshoi opera. Then Dima invited me to sing with him at two concerts in Moscow and in St. Petersburg. We've been close friends ever since. Dima, in principle, was not an open person, he allowed few people to approach him, the more valuable to me was the trusting bond that had formed between us. He had an incredible sense of humor, and, of course, he was a brilliant singer, a brilliant musician. I remember our first rehearsal with Dima and the orchestra, he just performed an aria — I think it was the main aria of "Rigoletto" half a tone lower. It was so incredibly clean that even the orchestra was delighted.
I have only the warmest, most wonderful memories of Dima. Including our last concert. Dima already knew that he would not be able to sing or go on stage anymore, and the concert was filled with some kind of bright sadness. It was held in front of a full house in the Austrian town of Grafeneg, where a very famous opera festival is taking place, and Dima and I performed in a duet concert. It was already hard for Dima, but he chose the most difficult program. It was an insanely hot day, and I asked: Dima, my God, so many complicated arias, why? Usually, singers still try to simplify their task, especially at summer festivals and outdoors. Dima says: What are you doing? I can handle it, you'll see how. And he was great, just great. Everyone was crying, the audience was standing, sobbing, they adored him until the very last moment.
"Opera art will live forever"
— Performing on European stages, do you see an interest in opera culture among Western audiences? Does it persist despite all the changes in the world?
— Personally, I am sure that no matter what, opera art and opera culture will live forever and will be interesting to true connoisseurs all over the world. I just recently sang the premiere of Eugene Onegin. It was my dream to perform the role of Tatiana. And I was preparing for it. I didn't want to take it too early. I understood that as a singer I had to be ready for it both vocally and as an actor. It was important to feel her, to be ready for this very difficult game.
The premiere took place in Italy at the La Scala Theater, and an entirely Italian audience gathered there. And the full Russian cast. Russian Russian conductor, the magnificent Timur Zangiev, Russian cast of soloists. The production was directed by an Italian film director who was once nominated for an Oscar for one of his films. And he felt the story. It was a modern production, but the audience accepted it perfectly. Russian Russian opera was a special event for me, of course, to sing Russian opera on the stage of a European theater, to show how grandiose our Russian art is, beyond time and beyond any situations taking place in the world.
— How do you like the Italian audience?
— Italy has a very difficult audience. Italians consider themselves great experts in opera, as opera art was born in Italy. That's why singing is always a bit exciting for Italians. Russian Russian opera was probably the right thing to do on the stage of this theater in order to show the full breadth of the Russian soul.
— And what are the features of the Russian audience?
Russian Russian viewers are something I adore, not only because I am Russian and was born in this beautiful country. The Russian audience is very emotional, they are not afraid to show their emotions. Although, to be honest, the audience takes it differently on different stages in Russia. At the Bolshoi, the audience was always a little more restrained. And how big an artist you are, and how well you are known in the world, does not affect it in any way. But this does not negate my love for the Bolshoi Theater, and I am happy every time I return here, especially to La Traviata, which is one of my favorites. I hope I will sing in it again soon, because my husband dreams of hearing me in the role of Violetta and in the Bolshoi Theater.
— Which of the performances on the Bolshoi stage were particularly memorable to you?
— Not so long ago, on September 5, I had a long-awaited solo concert at the Bolshoi Theater, which I could not even have dreamed of a few years ago. It was some kind of incredible magic. I am happy that this concert was filmed and it is in the archive. I think in many years I will reconsider and be proud of myself.
Musician Peter Dranga
— What are your plans for the near future? When can I see you at the Bolshoi?
— Now I am preparing for performances at London's Covent Garden, we will sing Rigoletto. And then I'm giving a concert in my favorite Big Concert Hall of the Conservatory with the amazing conductor Peter Dranga. After that, I'm going back to the Paris State Opera to sing La Traviata. And then, hopefully, there will be the Bolshoi Theatre, also with La Traviata, in June. We'll keep our fists up.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
