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Classical Voice chats with San Diego Opera's
Maria, Queen of Scots
By Dawn Southwick |
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Classical Voice: Where have you been performing since we saw you last in San Diego? Angela Gilbert: Well I have had a very interesting time, I sang Konstanze in Reykjavik Iceland, which was probably one of the best times of my life. The country itself was insanely beautiful and exotic, add to which we had a really unusual schedule in that we only sang performances on Fridays and Sundays for a month so we had a lot of free time to discover the country, and the cast was nothing short of dreamy so I made great friends. Before that I was covering for a couple of months at Glyndebourne for Pam Armstrong in Fledermaus. I also did three other productions of Lucia in Kentucky, Connecticut and Dublin along with the Queen of the Night for the "Magic Flute" that William Kentridge directed which finally came back to South Africa for a wildly successful run which I was privileged to be a part of. CV: When you are approaching a new role how do you prepare?. AG: This role has been hugely interesting to prepare for because there is so much literature about it. I read extensively on Mary but my 'bible' has been Antonia Fraser's book, Mary Queen of Scots, as it is page upon page of character development. Luckily there are also a lot of dramatic films etc, which is a very good thing as believe it or not, there are not that many complete recordings of this opera and most certainly not the specific critical edition version we are mounting. Thank heavens for Youtube where I tracked down a few of the arias and a couple of versions of the confrontation scene. I have also listened to as many live versions as I could get my hands on as I wanted to hear how sopranos REALLY negotiated the tessitura before producers covered it with technical wizardry and studio sheen. The other factor was knowing that Ian had managed to hire Andrew Sinclair again, I did not want to be too set in my ways with how I see her, as we had worked so hard and well on Lucia last time, and the Lucia that I ended up performing was a hybrid of both our imaginations, so I knew I could trust that he would have many ideas too and that I could collaborate safely with him as he is always really well researched and I think Andrew really understands my own process extremely well. Suffice to say neither of us believe Mary is a shrinking violet... Vocally, I haunted my teacher's studio as this is a bit of a departure for me, and I wanted to make sure I was was technically as prepared as I have ever been. CV: What do you feel the most important things are, when preparing that role?
AG: For me, a role just has to sit in my voice from the first moment I sing it, if it doesn't, I pretty much know that it never will. When Ian first offered me this role four years ago, I sang through the whole thing, and although I had a lot of technical work to do, it sat in my voice from the beginning. One of my little quirks is that I prefer arias written in flat keys to ones written in sharp ones-I have no idea why, I am sort of embarrassed to share that because I know it probably sounds silly, but for some reason they are easier to sing for me. The second aspect I dwell on is whether I will be able to interpret it well. Some roles simply do not suite me dramatically even though I would like very much to sing them, and the reverse happens often too. CV: In this production, you are working with Director Andrew Sinclair. When you learn a role and have in mind a specific characterization, how do you go about the transition from your viewpoint, to the viewpoints of multiple directors? AG: I base it on my own opinion of that person's gifts...ouch, I know, a very opinionated answer, but ultimately I have to be up there, the buck stops with me- I learned that lesson the hard way, because by nature I am a people pleaser, I had to nip that in the bud quite quickly. If someone is blocking a mad scene that I know will get giggles (you will be surprised how often that happens) I will try what they want in rehearsal a few times and if it doesn't work I take it out. If I have a good relationship with them, I will ask them to help me work out something else. Invariably I get on really well with all my colleagues, but the number of well prepared experienced operatic directors is truly not very high. In Andrew Sinclair I have found someone who inspires me and whom I trust...a heavenly combination. CV: How long, on average does it take to you to memorize a role? AG: I really differ, I studied Traviata and Konstanze in 3 weeks, Lucia in 8 days, I took 6 months to memorize Stuarda, because sometimes things are so logically composed that you can't help but remember every line...sometimes we are not that lucky and memorizing entails far more craft. CV: What was the most valuable thing you were taught as a developing singer? AG: Stage technique...it is astounding how many amazing young singers do not know the difference between up stage and down stage and the small art of giving stage when it is not your line. CV: Does traveling between locations, take a physical toll on you? AG: Not really, only on my heart. I have horrible separation anxiety. CV: How do you take care of your voice to be in top condition to sing such a demanding role? AG: I really believe in vocal rest, on my days off I do not speak at all. I will IM and text message my family and boyfriend... thank heavens for computers- I do not answer my phone and that little sacrifice really helps me to live to fight another day. CV: I know as a singer, I have my preferences (bel canto, bel canto, bel canto, not that I am biased mind you)... Do you have roles you prefer? AG: [laughs out loud] bel canto, bel canto, bel canto! CV: Do you have a favorite aria, from either a musical perspective, or is it just darned fun to sing? AG: E Strano... what a gift!!! Musically perfect and dramatically exceptional! CV: I used to listen to opera CDs often, until I realized it was giving even me (who arguably knows better!), an unrealistic idea of what a singer can actually do in one performance. They scrub and polish and reverb and edit them until they reach an abnormal level of perfection. They now seem to me to lack a certain degree of warmth, you lose something that you do get live. Do you have any preferences for recordings or performances?
CV: Who are the singers that you admire and look up to and why? AG: I refuse to be one of those singers that only likes old or dead singers, know what I mean? I love Renee Fleming, I think Eglise Guiterrez is nothing short of stunning (I heard an almost perfect LIVE performance of hers in Sarasota a few years ago) I love Hvorostovsky for his sensational breathing and legato. I think Joyce di Donata is awesome, I think Pam Armstrong is a great singer too(I covet her high notes) and sorry to break your heart but I think Anna Netrebko has a simply divine voice, and a wonderful stage presence....I really admire the fact that she is bringing Bel Canto back into vogue, I so enjoy the fact that she didn't go down the more obvious road of Puccini and Verdi which I am sure everyone was advising her to do-the road she has taken I am sure will preserve her gorgeous instrument, or at least I as a fan, hope so... Bartoli still takes my breath away. On to the other generation of singers, I adored Leyla Gencer's Lucia and Lady Macbeth. I love Fritz Wunderlich for just being sublime. Pavarotti was an operatic God, Mirella Freni still rocks my world everytime I hear her sing no matter how often (on my studio CDs I might add a little sheepishly). I love Shirley Verret. Joan Sutherland is my heroine, Neil Schicoff transports me. Leontyne Price rocks. Sherill Milnes is the bomb, I looooooved Cheryl Studer. Monsterrat Caballe...'nuff said. CV: Do you feel pressured to take jobs that might be less than appropriate for your voice or are you in a position to be more choosy and make sure you fit the role? AG: To be brutally honest, I want to be a working singer...sometimes that causes me to make less than brilliant decisions..but let's not forget that all those singers of the 'golden ages' took some of the wrong roles too every now and again, however they were not run out of town like what happens to us, usually they were given another chance as there simply were not that many singers around and those singers often had loyal educated followings who supported them through the slips as well, as a result they were allowed to bloom and really reach maturity and thus fulfill their potential without the pressure of being having to be perfect. Nowadays audiences come to specific operas rather than seeing specific singers which of course means that we have very little power to call out career shots if we are not in the upper 1% of singers. The world simply does not operate like it used to, singers were sponsored until their mid 30s often, so they could reject roles and still pay their mortgage or have somewhere to live etc...the same is not true of my generation, we work or we can't pay our bills. CV:What do you feel has contributed to the upswing in popularity of the opera, and how does this affect your career personally? AG: Accessibility is very important. Other than that I think our product has to be excellent ALL the time, because cream always rises and when something is undeniably good people will come, and they will be interested. Not to flog a dead horse but I think that directors contribute hugely to our product and we need inspired ones. American institutions are producing stunning singers and I think we are seeing the benefit of that as well.
CV: Do you feel there is a much greater emphasis placed on singer to look good than in the past? AG: Absolutely. CV:What roles do you look forward to doing in future? AG: To be honest I don't really think that much about it, because I am not always sure which direction my voice will move in and I am such an obsessive person that I only think about what I am doing right now. Having said that, I have my sights set on completing the three queens when I am a little older, and I would love to specialize in Bel Canto. I also fancy tackling some more French rep, which I haven't had much of a chance to do. Oh yes, I would LOVE to do a Sonnambula! CV: When did you know and how did you figure out that this was what you wanted to do? AG: My father bought a record made by by church choir of Christmas carols which I wore out, eventually I knew every part and would sing along with it. Finally after weeks of my 'performances' when I was about 3 my dad said to my mom in front of me 'die pikkie kan sing' which means 'that kid can sing'...I think I knew in that moment, that singing was for me. I tried to talk myself into doing something respectable like law, it just never worked. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SAN DIEGO OPERA – MARIA STUARDA
TICKETS: $28-$192 Available online at
www.sdopera.com
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Dawn Southwick is a Classical Voice correspondent based in Los Angeles.
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© 2008 Classical Voice, All Rights Reserved |
Ms.
Gilbert is the dynamic young South African soprano who dazzled San
Diego audiences with her performance in Lucia di Lammermoor in 2006.
I had the honor of interviewing Ms. Gilbert, as she was preparing
for this demanding role. A rising international star, she made her
professional debut as Sandrina in "La Finta Giardiniera" in
her native Cape Town. 
AG:
Yes, I prefer live or 'bootlegged' (am I allowed to say that
without getting arrested?) recordings of anything I can get my hands
on. Needless to say I totally believe opera is a LIVE art from
though, and encourage everyone to see at least one before making up
their minds whether they like it or not. However, in my process of
studying a role, I want to be as well informed as possible and
beyond the fact that I can't afford to be at every live performance
around the world, I am fascinated by how other sopranos deal with
the demands of certain roles, and that is why I am very interested
in live recordings as I said. Strangely for the most part in my
leisure time, I listen to symphony music and not opera as I 'work'
when I listen to opera. I also adore piano concertos as pianists get
to harmonize with themselves which I so wish I could do as a singer.
In my fantasies I always play the Brahms piano concerto with Carlos
Kleiber. 