So when you lose your child, you have a feeling right there, this great loss in your entire body. The soprano noted that when she ends the performance, she feels exhausted emotionally, but vocally she is ready to continue. Covent Garden is one of the houses where her portrayals of three Puccini heroines-Cio-Cio-San, Tosca and Manon Lescaut-have met with much success, but Opolais\s base is Munich, strategically chosen for its relative proximity to her native Latvia and for the strong relationship she has with the Bayerische Staatsoper. Ive definitely evolved. The Latvian soprano spoke with Latinos Post in anticipation of her Met appearance and not only talked about the difficulty of singing the role, but also the challenge that her artistic vocation is for her emotionally. Then she was woken by a 7.30am call from Peter Gelb at the Met with a desperate request: Anita Hartig was ill; would she consider stepping in? After that step in at The Met, my manager told me to always trust my gut over anyone else because everyone around me would have told me to say no. "Vocal cords start to tire after two hours. Only in the enormous love duet in Act II did the stars come into their own, Opolais. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. So the soprano decided that Adriana would remain in Riga to understand what it is to live in one place. But being so used to being on the move, Opolais struggled with not being able to perform regularly. Biography[ edit] Opolais was born in Rzekne, Latvia, and studied at the Latvian Academy of Music. You have to be a bit more metallic without being too aggressive in the upper notes. Ive never run from danger, Ive always run straight through it, so I picked up the phone to call Peter back and before I could say anything he said I knew youd do it. At the end of Act 2, when everyone on stage is enjoying lavish parades, Opolais' Mimi struggles with her persistent cough, the lone dark spot on stage and a terrific dramatic gesture that reminds the viewer of the impending tragedy. Ive never run from danger, Ive always run straight through it, so I picked up the phone to call Peter back and before I could say anything he said I knew youd do it. Opolais admits that for better or worse, she has always been one to do things her own way. She noted a desire to sing all three soprano roles across Il Trittico, adding that she feels most comfortable with Giorgetta from Il Tabarro.. I had to roll around in water in a very thin nightdress, it was a challenge (laughs). I am not afraid. Of course theres been very difficult moments in my career, but it was because of my past that I didnt fall apart completely. 18:00 Tout le monde a son mot dire. One might imagine that an international star like Opolais would be able to find a plethora of opportunities in Eastern Europe or specifically in Latvia to perform, but the soprano noted that it becomes increasingly difficult for her to dedicate herself to her art in her home country. This was followed in June of 2011 by her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Cio Cio San in Madama . [2] Opolais started her career as a member of the chorus with Latvian National Opera in 2001, and in 2003 became a soloist. She found herself increasingly trapped and other challenges were taking away from her being able to sort out her identity as an artist. Shes talking to the baby., The soprano has often been associated with the music of Puccini. All women who are singers and mothers, I admire them tremendously because it is so challenging, almost impossible to do both at the same time really well.. https://www.operaphila.org/whats-on/in-theaters-2023-2024/. In retrospect too, the time spent taking lessons with Margreet Honig in Holland, eking out the money, had something of the artist in the garret waiting to make good. When she laughed, she'd lean forward and create a triangle from her shoulder to her hand with her left arm, bending her wrist. So with the truncated rehearsal period, Opolais found herself adapting to the stagings, but being unable to delve deeper into the psyche of the protagonist. I tend to bring more pain in my interpretations of Rusalka I relate to her differently because of my life experiences. In October 2010, when Nina Stemme pulled out of the Bayerische Staatsoper\s newRusalka, Opolais stepped into the breach, figuratively and literally: Martin Kuej\s vision for the piece-captivity and abuse inviting comparison with the notorious Josef Fritzl case-meant her spending much of the evening soaking wet. Of course theres been very difficult moments in my career, but it was because of my past that I didnt fall apart completely. So to get that approval from Rene meant the world to me. New month, more archive: Continuing our #50YearsAgo series, heres FREE access to January 1973, with a profile of the tenor Alberto Remedios and Rodney Milness review of David Pountneys breakthrough production of Katya Kabanov at Wexford Opera. In my mind, as strange as it sounds, Im performing to two big eyes looking at me. When it did happen I found that I just got lost in the staging, I was very unhappy and I couldnt make it work. As soon as you are limited and someone tries to put you in a box, it can kill you as an artist.. She needs to see her mother happy also. Quite aside from her impassioned singing and acting, Kristine Opolais is what the Edwardians would have called a stunner - a rangy blonde in tight black leather trousers who sails into the room. But the bigger challenge for the soprano is understanding Angelicas psychology and emotional challenge that comes with interpreting it. Opolais\s revelling in her first immersion in opera took her by surprise, but not so her mother, who, possessed of a fine dramatic voice herself, always recognized her daughter\s potential. Enter your email address below and well keep you up-to-date with the latest Opera news. After. Adriana was happy to see me at home with her, but I was depressed, Opolais noted. She gave a renowned performance in Madama Butterfly, only to step in for a matinee of La bohme the next day . You cannot be relaxed when you go on stage, if youre not afraid then theres something very wrong. Her voice has taken on a deeper, richer sheen and she always plays her romantic scenes to the hilt. Some people say that when youre truly in love with someone youre not jealous, but Im the complete opposite. 2021 Final Note Magazine. I only want to give my best, and I love my profession, but I also need silence. Our personal reactions are very unique to who we are, so my performance and reactions should be different to another singer and vice versa. Tosca is almost defined by her jealousy and she has every right to be. Meanwhile, the soprano, who also started taking better care of her physical health, was rethinking her artistic identity and consulting with the people who she trusted most. Despite his late-hour assumption, with one eye on Kristine and the other on the conductor Alagna still managed to caress the vocal line, lingering on the phrase "O tentatrice" ("Oh, you temptress"), where he admits that Manon has once again bewitched him, as Opolais went into her lounge act. You have to listen to yourself and trust your gut, its all about your intuition. I was very nervous in the past, but today even though Im still nervous, Ive realised that those nerves are so important. At the Academy, frustrated by the apparent need to conform to a type, Opolais already sensed she wasn\t like everyone else. An audition for the company\s new music director brought her debut as Musetta, fast-tracking her into solo roles and swiftly afterwards into leading roles including Li, Cio-Cio-San, Tosca, Tatyana, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Senta. Vairkus gadus bija Latvijas Nacionls operas soliste, vlk Minhenes [2] , Berlnes , Milnas , Vnes un citu pilstu operu soliste. My process doesnt allow me to work that way and I have to accept that. I asked her why she didnt like it and she said, Because youre crying. She sees me suffering and it hurts her. I found out about myself that I am not very ready for big publicity, because I think I already give so much on stage.\ She smiles wryly: It should be enough!\. "It's madness. Select search scope, currently: catalog all catalog, articles, website, & more in one search; catalog books, media & more in the Stanford Libraries' collections; articles+ journal articles & other e-resources To find out more about Kristin Opolais see: kristineopolais.com, For details about Tosca at the Royal Opera House: Shes struggled with figuring out how to balance being a good mother and good artist. Sometimes it has worked against me, but most of the time its my biggest strength. Adriana recovered miraculously and is a bright, lively and healthy child, but such experiences imprint themselves in the maternal memory and since that crisisMadama Butterflyis an opera that has utterly different emotional significance for Opolais-nearly losing her child herself makes Cio-Cio-San\s sacrifice almost unbearable. I have a suitcase of emotions to choose from and an abundance of life skills. June 16, 2017. Singing went well, but not the theory, and Opolais is forthright about that disinclination to apply herself: Even at school I had problems-in mathematics it was a big protest, because I didn\t want to do it; it was not interesting. Most importantly, Ive no interest in making beautiful sounds, my voice doesnt drive me in the slightest and its a small part of my expression. WHERE DOES YOUR HEAD GO WHEN YOU PERFORM? So 12 hours that's a lot!" Alagna told AFP in his dressing room at the New York opera house. You need two voices. As her hair and makeup team begins to work, Opolais playfully reaches for the bottle of champagne that's just arrived as a gift from the house, joking that she might need it to calm her. One time I showed her a video a YouTube of me performing and she started to cry, Opolais revealed. New York will be lucky to have her." NEW YORK OBSERVER Polina Viljun My process is that I imagine that everything is happening to me, Im not Kristine, Im Tosca through my eyes and I feel absolutely everything she has gone through. I need to be dedicated only to my art and at home I cant be because I have to be there for my daughter.. Earlier in my career I was extremely sensitive to the energy of the audience, which is great when its a good audience, but if its a tough crowd it can really affect your performance, so I had to fix that. The soprano chronicled how the challenge of taking on the opera for the first time made rehearsal period challenging. You have to listen to yourself and trust your gut, its all about your intuition. I can relate to every part of her role and I adore her. I can relate to every part of her role and I adore her. MADAMA BUTTERFLY was never my favorite Puccini until the . If I work at home, people tell me to take it easy. Groggy-voiced, Opolais. Famously, in 2014 Opolais made history at the Met, making two role debuts within 18 hours. Writing in opera about her performance inThe Queen of Spadesin Riga\s 2005 Opera Festival, Shirley Apthorp wrote: Kristne Opolais was a Lisa with the lithe beauty of a wild animal, fabulous passion and a melting, burnished, gripping sound.\ Significantly, the conductor, also much praised by Apthorp, was Andris Nelsons, the young music director who\d auditioned her, the man who would become her husband. It\s fairly certain that Opolais will wow New York once again next spring when she and Jonas Kaufmann sing in Richard Eyre\s new production ofManon Lescaut, with Fabio Luisi conducting. I dont think Ive ever been so frightened in my life walking to the theatre that morning, it was horrific. Opolais, pure-toned and powerful, was affected too. If I have to say something nasty with bad energy, then that cannot be beautiful. Its crazy.. The Met's first new production of the Czech favorite since 1993, gives title honors to Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais; seen Saturday, Feb. 25. When Rene said that to me it was an incredible moment because she is the best and most definitive Rusalka. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of Kristne Opolais 2 /5 (3 votes) Very easy Easy Moderate Difficult Very difficult Pronunciation of Kristne Opolais with 2 audio pronunciations 0 rating -1 rating Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. I knew I needed to wait a while to be ready for it, she explained. My singing is part of the complete package. But it cant all be pain and hurt, you have to be able to feel love and compassion on stage and for that I have my parents as inspiration. . I stepped onto the stage, I opened my mouth and thankfully it came out. At 36, she is one of a select group of singers being groomed by the Metropolitan Opera. 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