Today at the Chaliapin Festival the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto will be performed by Boris Statsenko, soloist of the German Opera on the Rhine and guest soloist Bolshoi Theater Russia. He played the hunchbacked court jester Rigoletto in different theaters around the world more than two hundred times, and was seen in this role several times in Kazan. Statsenko is considered one of the best performers of this role: performances with his participation are always sold out.
On the eve of today’s performance, the singer gave an interview to “Evening Kazan”.
- Boris, do you agree that every year in the life of an elderly person fewer and fewer events happen for the first time?
It depends on the person. This season, for example, I performed Jokanaan in Salome by Richard Strauss for the first time, and learned Massenet’s Herodias. There are already 88 parts in my repertoire, but I’m going to learn twenty more, and maybe more, in this life... This year I’ll go to Taiwan for the first time: I’ve been invited to a production of Verdi’s Othello. And recently I was in the Norwegian city of Kristiansan for the first time - Rigoletto sang, three performances were sold out in a hall with two thousand seats.
- In Kazan you sing in “Rigoletto” in the classical production of Mikhail Panjavidze. Surely you had to participate in non-classical ones?
Only in non-classical ones did it happen. At a performance at the Bonn Theater, for example, the director “made” Rigoletto a drug dealer. Another director, in Dusseldorf, came up with the idea that Rigoletto does not have a hump... I don’t want to name these directors. You know, one thing saves me in such cases: Verdi’s music. If there good conductor, then it’s not so important what the director came up with.
- Last year, when you came to sing Rigoletto, you had a different hairstyle - a bob. Now you cut your hair so short because of some new role?
Yes, at the Deutsche Oper in Dusseldorf I will sing Tsar Dodon in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Golden Cockerel. The play is staged by director Dmitry Bertman. He made me cut my hair because he wants to make my character a copy of Vladimir Putin. Dodon will be Putin, can you imagine that?
- Not good. And you?
Do you think this is the first time I have found myself in such a situation? “Nabucco” was recently staged in Amsterdam, so my Nabucco - he also looked like Putin. You see, Putin is such a popular figure in the West that every director wants to use his image in his productions. I won’t be surprised that one day they will play Rigoletto “like Putin.” Because this is an intrigue: if a review writes that a character in an opera looks like Putin, the audience will go to the performance, at least out of curiosity.
- When directors say that your hero should look like Putin, do you do something for this, or are make-up artists responsible for the similarity?
You will also say that I should sing with Putin’s voice. This will not happen. I will never become like Putin. In music, the character of the hero is written in such detail by the composer that it does not matter what the director conjures up. But you know, the main thing is not to argue. What's the point of arguing with the director?! Although in “The Golden Cockerel” I took a risk and suggested to the director that Dodon should look not like Putin, but like Obama. And don’t stop there: make Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande out of other characters in this opera... So that not Putin’s team, but an international one, gathers on stage. But Bertman does not agree to this.
- Every year on June 9th, you post a photo of yourself doing fitness on your Facebook. What is this special day?
It’s just that on this day five years ago I began to seriously engage in physical education. And then I became convinced: daily training helps me sing.
- You probably have a personal fitness trainer?
Just a minute. I speak four foreign languages x, but I learned them on my own - I didn’t take a single lesson! Same with fitness. I independently studied the information available on the Internet and in about six months developed a training system for myself.
- Do you continue training while on tour?
Necessarily. I always carry an expander with me. And I do exercises that don’t require exercise equipment: I do push-ups, squats and stand in the plank for three minutes. It's not difficult at all! I also use a pedometer: I have to walk 15 thousand steps a day.
- Boris, is it true that before becoming an opera singer, you worked on the stage?
I was in eighth grade when I was invited to sing in the vocal and instrumental ensemble “White Lady”. It was in the village of Bagaryak, Chelyabinsk region. In February, I remember, I was invited, in the summer I worked during the sowing season and earned myself a guitar, and by the fall I learned to play it.
- Did you assume then that a brilliant singing career awaited you?
If I had not expected this, I would not have studied it. But that happened later. I decided to enter the music school in Chelyabinsk when I was already working in the district Komsomol committee. He gave up his political career and said to himself: “I will sing at the Bolshoi Theater of the USSR!” Graduated from college and conservatory. And ended up at the Bolshoi Theater! You know, I am convinced: everyone has what they want.
- Can we say that later you wanted to live and work in Germany?
I dreamed about own apartment in Moscow. And when in 1993, representatives of the Chemnitz theater heard me at the Dresden Festival (I sang Robert in Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta) and immediately offered me a contract, I agreed. For me, this was a real opportunity to earn money for a Moscow apartment. Earned it. And not only to Moscow.
- Do you spend more time not in Moscow, but in your Düsseldorf apartment?
You know, I would probably return to live in Russia now. But my wife is categorically against it. I remember very well how difficult it was for her and me to live here in the early 90s: one day we had to sell my concert shoes to buy food... When she first entered a grocery store in Germany, she was literally petrified by the abundance. And then the beluga roared in the hotel for the whole day! She does not want to return to Russia - she is afraid that there will always be crises, instability and hunger...
Photo by Alexander GERASIMOV
Born in Korkino, Chelyabinsk region. In 1981-84. studied at the Chelyabinsk Music College (teacher G. Gavrilov). He continued his vocal education at the Moscow State Conservatory named after P.I. Tchaikovsky in the class of Hugo Tietz. He graduated from the conservatory in 1989, being a student of Pyotr Skusnichenko, with whom he also completed graduate school in 1991.
In the opera studio of the conservatory, he sang the roles of Germont, Eugene Onegin, Belcore (“Elisir of Love” by G. Donizetti), Count Almaviva in “The Marriage of Figaro” by V.A. Mozart, Lanciotto (“Francesca da Rimini” by S. Rachmaninoff).
In 1987-1990 was the soloist of the Chamber musical theater under the direction of Boris Pokrovsky, where, in particular, he performed the title role in the opera “Don Juan” by V.A. Mozart.
In 1990 he was an intern at the opera troupe, in 1991-95. - soloist of the Bolshoi Theater.
Sang, including the following parts:
Silvio (Pagliacci by R. Leoncavallo)
Yeletsky (" Queen of Spades"P. Tchaikovsky)
Germont (La Traviata by G. Verdi)
Figaro (The Barber of Seville by G. Rossini)
Valentin (Faust by Charles Gounod)
Robert (Iolanta by P. Tchaikovsky)
Currently he is a guest soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre. In this capacity, he performed the role of Carlos in the opera “Force of Destiny” by G. Verdi (the performance was rented from the Neapolitan San Carlo Theater in 2002).
In 2006, at the premiere of the opera War and Peace by S. Prokofiev (second edition), he performed the role of Napoleon. He also performed the roles of Ruprecht (The Fiery Angel by S. Prokofiev), Tomsky (The Queen of Spades by P. Tchaikovsky), Nabucco (Nabucco by G. Verdi), Macbeth (Macbeth by G. Verdi).
Conducts a variety of concert activities. In 1993, he gave concerts in Japan, recorded a program on Japanese radio, and was repeatedly a participant in the Chaliapin Festival in Kazan, where he performed in concert (awarded the press prize for “Best Performer of the Festival,” 1993) and opera repertoire (the title role in “ Nabucco" and the part of Amonasro in "Aida" by G. Verdi, 2006).
Since 1994 he has performed mainly abroad. He has permanent engagements in opera houses in Germany: he sang Ford (Falstaff by G. Verdi) in Dresden and Hamburg, Germont in Frankfurt, Figaro and the title role in the opera Rigoletto by G. Verdi in Stuttgart, etc.
In 1993-99 was a guest soloist at the Chemnitz Theater (Germany), where he performed the roles of Robert in Iolanta (conductor Mikhail Yurovsky, director Peter Ustinov), Escamillo in Carmen by J. Bizet and others.
Since 1999, he has been constantly working in the troupe of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein (Dusseldorf-Duisburg), where his repertoire includes: Rigoletto, Scarpia (Tosca by G. Puccini), Horeb (The Fall of Troy by G. Berlioz), Lindorff, Coppelius, Miracle, Dapertutto (“The Tales of Hoffmann” by J. Offenbach), Macbeth (“Macbeth” by G. Verdi), Escamillo (“Carmen” by J. Bizet), Amonasro (“Aida” by G. Verdi), Tonio (“Pagliacci” by R. Leoncavallo), Amfortas (Parsifal by R. Wagner), Gelner (Valli by A. Catalani), Iago (Otello by G. Verdi), Renato (Un ballo in maschera by G. Verdi), Georges Germont (La Traviata "G. Verdi), Michele ("The Cloak" by G. Puccini), Nabucco ("Nabucco" by G. Verdi), Gerard ("Andre Chenier" by U. Giordano).
Since the late 1990s. repeatedly performed at the Ludwigsburg Festival (Germany) with Verdi's repertoire: Count Stankar (Stiffelio), Nabucco, Count di Luna (Il Trovatore), Ernani (Ernani), Renato (Un ballo in maschera).
Participated in the production " Barber of Seville"in many theaters in France.
He performed in theaters in Berlin, Essen, Cologne, Frankfurt am Main, Helsinki, Oslo, Amsterdam, Brussels, Liege (Belgium), Paris, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Marseille, Montpellier, Toulon, Copenhagen, Palermo, Trieste, Turin, Venice, Padua, Lucca, Rimini, Tokyo and other cities. On the stage of the Paris Opera Bastille he performed the role of Rigoletto.
In 2003 he sang Nabucco in Athens, Ford in Dresden, Iago in Graz, Count di Luna in Copenhagen, Georges Germont in Oslo, Scarpia and Figaro in Trieste.
In 2004-06 - Scarpia in Bordeaux, Germont in Oslo and Marseille (“La Bohème” by G. Puccini) in Luxembourg and Tel Aviv, Rigoletto and Gerard (“André Chénier”) in Graz.
In 2007 he performed the role of Tomsky in Toulouse.
In 2008 he sang Rigoletto in Mexico City and Scarpia in Budapest.
In 2009 he performed the roles of Nabucco in Graz, Scarpia in Wiesbaden, Tomsky in Tokyo, Rigoletto in New Jersey and Bonn, Ford and Onegin in Prague.
In 2010, Scarpia sang in Limoges.
The famous baritone Boris Statsenko celebrated his anniversary as a “twice excellent student” on the stage of the capital’s “New Opera” with a grandiose gala concert. A graduate of the Moscow Conservatory, who began his career at the Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Musical Theater and the Bolshoi Theater of Russia, he later moved to Germany and worked extensively and successfully in the West. Today Statsenko is a recognized interpreter of classical baritone roles, whose career is still developing successfully in Europe, and again and again sings more and more often in Russia - in Moscow, Kazan, and other cities of our country.
– Boris, tell us about the idea and program of the anniversary concert at the Novaya Opera.
– I celebrated my fiftieth birthday with a big concert in Düsseldorf, on the stage of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, a theater with which I have been associated for many years, so something similar has already happened. For my 55th anniversary, I wanted to organize a similar celebration in Moscow, especially since my desire coincided with the aspirations of the leadership of the New Opera in the person of Dmitry Aleksandrovich Sibirtsev. He enthusiastically responded to this proposal, and a date was chosen at the beginning of the season, as close as possible in time to my birthday itself, which is in August. It so happened that on the chosen day (September 12) there was a real pandemonium of interesting musical events in Moscow - at the Philharmonic, Conservatory, House of Music, that is, our project had a lot of competition.
– All that remains is to be happy for Muscovites, who have a wide choice!
- Yes, definitely. As I recently read in an article by S. A. Kapkov, in Moscow there are 370 theaters for 14 million residents! This is something amazing; there is nothing like it anywhere in the world. This article was immediately followed by a comment from the Verona theatrical agent Franco Silvestri that in Rome, for example, the ratio with Moscow of one to seven is not in favor of the Italian capital. As for the program of my concert, the first part consisted of arias from parts that were significant for my career (Escamillo, Wolfram, Renato and others - a kind of retrospective of creativity), and the second was the entire act from Tosca. The concert also featured a world premiere - the first performance of Vlad's Serenade from Andrei Tikhomirov's new opera Dracula, which the New Opera will be preparing this season (a concert performance of it with my participation is planned for June 2015).
– I wonder how the Novaya Opera musicians perceived this work and what is your attitude towards it?
– The orchestra and conductor Vasily Valitov perform it with great enthusiasm, they like this music. I’m simply in love with my part and with the whole opera, which I became familiar with in detail. In my opinion, this is precisely a modern opera, where the laws and requirements of the genre are observed, it has a modern musical language, different compositional techniques are used, but at the same time there is something to sing here, and for a full set of voices, as is customary in full-fledged classical operas. I am sure that the concert performance in the summer will be a success and this opera should gain further stage fate. I hope it will arouse interest among professionals, and I have no doubt that the public will like it.
– A retrospective approach for an anniversary concert is very appropriate. Probably, among these and your other heroes there are especially dear ones?
“Unfortunately, my career developed in such a way that I sang little Russian opera: four baritone roles in Tchaikovsky’s operas, two roles in Prokofiev’s (Napoleon and Ruprecht) and Gryaznoy in The Tsar’s Bride.” If it had happened differently, I would gladly sing more in my native language and Russian music as such, but in the West, where I mainly worked and continue to work, Russian opera is still in little demand. My main specialization is the dramatic Italian repertoire, primarily Verdi and Puccini, as well as other verists (Giordano, Leoncavallo and others): I am perceived this way due to the characteristics of my voice and are most often invited to such repertoire. But, perhaps, the main place is still occupied by Verdi’s parts - they are also the most beloved.
– What about the German repertoire? You sang and sing a lot in Germany.
– I have only two German roles – Wolfram in Tannhäuser and Amfortas in Parsifal, both in the operas of the great Wagner. But I had to sing a lot of Italian and French opera in German, because in the early 1990s, when I moved to Germany, there was still no craze for performing operas in the original language, and many performances were staged in German. So I sang in German in “Force of Destiny”, “Carmen”, “Don Giovanni” and others.
– Do new parts often appear in your repertoire?
– I have more than eighty parts in my repertoire. There was a time when I learned a lot of new things for myself and my repertoire expanded rapidly. But now is a different stage in my career: my main repertoire has stabilized, now there are about ten roles in it. Something has fallen out and, apparently, is irrevocable, because for such operas as “The Marriage of Figaro” or “L’elisir d’amore” there are young people who can sing it well, but they are hardly yet able to perform the parts in which I I specialize in Nabucco, Rigoletto, Scarpia...
– Your first big stage– this is the Bolshoi Theater where you started. Then there was a break when you did not appear in Russia, and in 2005 there was a meeting with the Bolshoi again. Has much changed? How did you find the theater?
– Of course, a lot has changed, which is not surprising – Russia itself has changed radically, and the Bolshoi Theater has changed along with it. But I can’t say that I found the Bolshoi in bad condition. The Bolshoi is the Bolshoi, it has been and will always be a temple of art. Development is moving along a sine wave, and my feeling is that Bolshoi is now on the rise. And then, you know, an interesting thing: it has become commonplace to complain about current times and say that it was better before, but now everything is going towards decline. However, this has been said in all eras. If we follow this logic, degradation should have long ago destroyed everything around us, but in fact this is not at all the case, and development is ascending, which, of course, does not exclude temporary deterioration, problems, even crises and downfalls. But then the stage of revival inevitably comes, and the Bolshoi Theater is now at exactly this stage. I really love to read historical works and in general I really regret that in Russia history is not the main science: there is something to be gleaned and learned there. So, over the past millennia, in my opinion, humanity has not changed at all, it is still the same - with the same pros and cons. The same applies to the psychological atmosphere in today’s Bolshoi, human relations. There are simply different people, different interests, they collide, and the outcome of this collision will depend on their level of culture.
Now, as in the late 80s, when I started at the Bolshoi, there is competition, a struggle for roles, a desire to make a career, but these are normal theatrical phenomena. At the turn of the 80s and 90s, a very powerful young generation of singers came to the Bolshoi with me, about seven baritones alone, and, naturally, this caused discontent and fear among the elders. Decades have passed, and now we are the older generation who have established careers, and young people are breathing down our necks, who are no better or worse, they are the same, with their own ambitions, aspirations and aspirations. This is fine. IN Soviet years It was big highest point in the career of any domestic singer, now the situation is different, the Bolshoi has to compete with other world theaters, and, in my opinion, he succeeds. The fact that the Bolshoi now has two stages and its main historical venue has been renovated and is functioning at full capacity is a big deal. The acoustics, in my opinion, are no worse than they were before, you just need to get used to them, like everything new.
– Our theatrical practice and European theatrical practice: is there a big difference between us?
– I believe that there are no fundamental differences. It all depends on specific people, who do not change with a change of job: if a person was a slob here, then he will work there too carelessly. If a persistent team has gathered for a production, it means it will be a success. If not, then the result will not inspire anyone. It seems to me that all the talk about mental and psychological differences between Russians and Europeans and Americans is very far-fetched: the differences do not go beyond some nuances, nothing more. Then the West is very different: Italians are more impulsive and often unnecessary, Germans are more neat and organized. It seems to me that there is a connection with the language that certain peoples speak and, accordingly, think. In German there must be an iron order of words, therefore there is order in their actions. And in Russian you can put words arbitrarily as you want - this is how we live, to a certain extent, more freely and, probably, with less responsibility.
– Germany is famous for the active role of direction in opera. What is your attitude to this phenomenon?
– Whether someone likes it or not, I think this is an objective process. There was once an era of the dominance of vocals and opera singers, then they were replaced by conductors, then the time came for record labels, which dictated the conditions, compositions and the very names of the works, and now the time has come for directors. There is nothing you can do about it - this is a stage that will also pass over time. My feeling is that the director is often too dominant where the musical direction is not convincing enough, when the conductor can't really say his word, when he is not a charismatic leader - then the director takes control. But the directors are also very different. A director with his own vision and concept is a blessing for opera, because such a master can make interesting performance, and the opera itself - more understandable and relevant to the public. But a lot, of course, and random people who do not understand the essence of musical theater, do not understand the subject and are simply untalented, for whom there is only one way to make a name for themselves in this territory that is essentially alien to them - to shock. Lack of talent and illiteracy - unfortunately, this has become a lot now: directors stage an opera, but are completely unaware of the work, do not know or understand the music. Hence the productions, which cannot even be called modern or scandalous; they are simply bad and unprofessional. The explanation that is often resorted to to justify all kinds of updating of opera plots, that traditional productions are not interesting to young people, I consider untenable: classical performances are in demand among young people, because they are not yet familiar with the standards and they are interested in seeing it. And in Germany, for example, generations of people have already grown up who do not even know what traditional performances are, so how can one say that they do not like them? Encouraging directors to engage in all sorts of eccentricities is carried out by music critics, who are tired of opera as such; they just want something new all the time, something that tickles their nerves, something that they have not yet encountered.
– How did you negotiate with directors whose ideas were unacceptable to you?
– Of course, there’s no point in arguing and swearing – the director is no stupider than you, he has his own vision. But trying to offer something of your own, even within the framework of what he offers, is quite acceptable, and often this is the path that leads to cooperation between the singer and the director and to a good result. The singer is imbued with the director’s idea; in a number of cases, the director sees the inconsistency of one or another of his demands. This is creative process,search process. The main thing is not to slide into confrontation, to work in the name of creation, for results.
– You were one of the first who, in the early 1990s, left – as it seemed to many in Russia then, forever – to work in the West. How quickly did you adapt there?
– Quite quickly, and the main thing here was my ability to work and the desire to sing a lot and everywhere. This also helped me cope with the language problem. I came to Germany with two in German words. And I learned the language there on my own - from tutorials, textbooks, television and radio, and communication with colleagues. Three months after arriving in Germany, I was already speaking German. By the way, I didn’t know any other foreign languages either, including Italian, which is mandatory for a vocalist; it wasn’t necessary in the Soviet Union. Life made me make up for it all.
– After the anniversary concert at the Novaya Opera, how often will we have the pleasure of listening to you in Moscow?
– I am now in a period of close cooperation with the New Opera, which I am very happy about: I feel comfortable here, they understand me here, they meet my ideas and proposals halfway. In September I sing “Rigoletto” and “The Tsar’s Bride” here, in October - “Nabucco”. In December there will be a concert performance of Pagliacci with the wonderful Serbian tenor Zoran Todorovic as Canio, I will sing Tonio. In January there will be a concert performance of “Mazepa”, and in June the already mentioned “Dracula”. The New Opera has good opportunities for me, they have a rich repertoire, many roles for my type of voice.
– What are your plans for the new season outside of Moscow?
– I am awaiting 21 performances of “Aida” in Germany, “Rigoletto” in Norway, “Carmen” and “La Traviata” in Prague, “Fiery Angel” in Germany - the season is very busy, there is a lot of work.
– With such intense stage activity, do you still have time to work with young people?
– I taught at the conservatory in Düsseldorf for five years, but stopped this activity because there was less and less time left for my own career. But I work with young people privately and without false modesty I will say that those who come to me stay with me. One of my last students, Slovakian Richard Šveda, recently performed a wonderful Don Giovanni in Prague, and soon he has a concert in Bratislava with Edita Gruberova. This is a very promising young vocalist.
- Almost yes. Well, perhaps, I would refrain from working only with coloratura sopranos and very light lyric tenors of the Rossini type; after all, there is a lot of specificity there.
– Does it make young people happy or does it sometimes make them sad?
– Students are different – I can’t say what’s worse or better than before. And in my generation, yes, there were probably always those who sought to take from the teacher everything that he could give, and there were those who passively accepted the process, were lazy, and whose dependent moods prevailed. There are many talented guys good votes and goal-oriented individuals. I would like to wish them all great success and that they understand well that no one will do anything for them - you need to achieve everything yourself, with your determination, hard work, desire to comprehend, active life position, and then everything will definitely work out!
Olga Yusova, 04/07/2016
At the entrance exam to the Chelyabinsk Music School, he honestly said that his favorite singer was Boyarsky. Music reading I was not taught what opera was then - I found out literally on the eve of the exam, accidentally finding myself in The Barber of Seville. Actually, the shock of what he heard in the theater was the reason why he decided to study singing. However, almost everyone, deep down in their souls, knows about their own calling, especially when the calling is based on colossal talent. And talent will lead to right time to the right place. Then the career took off on jet fuel: the Moscow Conservatory, the Boris Pokrovsky Chamber Theater, the Bolshoi Theater, European stages, world stages.
Today he lives in Düsseldorf, performs at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and also as a guest soloist in many theaters in Europe and the world. A welcome guest in Russia - at festivals, at the Moscow New Opera, at the Bolshoi Theater. Now - desired, but it was different when they told him: just leave here... He left.
The artist talks about his path in art and everything from which it is paved in an interview with the Belcanto.ru portal.
— Boris Alexandrovich, let's start with the play “The Golden Cockerel”, which is staged by Dmitry Bertman at the German Opera on the Rhine and in which you are involved in the role of Tsar Dodon. It’s very interesting to hear from you everything you have to say about the upcoming production.
— I am bound by the obligation not to reveal the concept or talk about other features of the performance before the premiere. This is a strict requirement of the theater, and I am forced to comply with it.
- It's clear. Rimsky-Korsakov's opera, like Pushkin's fairy tale, is full of satire in relation to the authorities in general and the Russian government in particular, and it is not difficult to guess that it is unlikely to be able to avoid irony towards any authorities in the play. In addition, Dmitry Bertman had already staged “Cockerel” at “Helikon”, and, of course, a critical look at existing reality was present in the direction of that production in its entirety and diversity.
- So this always and everywhere happens in the case of the Golden Cockerel. Was there anything different in Kirill Serebrennikov’s production at the Bolshoi Theatre? The opera itself is satirical in nature, but each director strives to put this satire in an original form. True, I believe that when the director reduces the satirical content of a fairy tale to criticism of a specific government, then the value and breadth of generalizations that the opera is capable of disappears.
— (Laughs.) Imagine that Dodon is Obama, Amelfa is Merkel, and the prince brothers are Erdogan and Hollande, someone might even have such parallels. Take an arbitrary piece of text, and you will see that satire will be easily applicable to any government. Well, for example: “If the governors themselves or anyone under them wants to take something extra, don’t contradict them - that’s their business...” And what country doesn't have this? For any system - from feudal to the most highly developed - this quote is true.
- But, you must agree, famous phrase: “Ki-ri-ku-ku, reign while lying on your side!” - is the least associated with the leaders of European states. I think that the author of the fairy tale, and after him the composer, did not think so broadly and aimed their arrow at a rather narrow target.
— Europeans associate this phrase with the leadership of their own states in the same way as Russians do. Just in Europe they don’t think that Russian leadership Reigns lying on his side. The play will talk about some kind of abstract state, and the state is a means of violence against a person, let’s not forget this. And then, if I sing in Russian, this does not automatically mean that we are talking about Russia, right?
— Just the other day in “ Rossiyskaya newspaper» an interview with Dmitry Bertman was published. There is one noticeable passage in it, I will quote it for readers: “Phrasing can be meaningless when an accompanist works with a singer without knowing either the general concept of the role or the general concept of the performance. He can suggest to the artist: “Let’s sing this whole phrase in one breath.” The record for holding the sound or filling the belly with air will be broken, but this will have nothing to do with art...” In other words, the director says that, in his opinion, the musical part of the work should be completely subordinated to dramatic tasks. By the way, Boris Pokrovsky, with whom you had the opportunity to work, once spoke about this. Do you encounter situations when a well-known, “sung” part has to be performed, at the director’s will, in a completely different way, based on the original concept of this performance?
— The answer to this question, on the one hand, is complex, but on the other, quite simple. In the same interview, Bertman also spoke about intonation, meaning, as I understand it, the colors of the voice. That is, not the intonation of solfege. Let's take Germont's aria. Look, in Italian two verses are sung to the same melody, that is, actually two different texts. But no one cares about this! This means that if the same melody is perceived in the same way, although two different texts are performed, then why, in this case, not sing the same thing in other languages - will you be able to catch the differences in the semantic intonation of the text?
“I’m trying to imagine what situations there might be in which the director interferes with the musical part of the work. Perhaps he really says that the character’s state is conveyed incorrectly, because the phrasing is wrong or the accents are placed in the wrong way? After all, if he has a certain concept of the performance and, accordingly, the behavior of the characters in the opera, then he will probably actively interfere with the singing?
- I agree with you. The director, as a rule, actively intervenes in the design of the role. But usually not in phrasing or placement of accents. I haven't encountered this. You see, the melodic line of the role was written by the composer. And in the placement of accents in it, much depends on the performer. One singer himself understands the director’s intention and adapts his performance to this, while the other has to be somehow directed and even forced.
— I wonder if conductors often argue with directors? Can a conductor speak, say, in defense of singers? Otherwise, apparently, the singers have been completely deprived of the right to vote and are being used as material. Does the conductor have any rights in the performance?
— In Italy it often happens when the conductor argues with the director. But this cannot happen in Germany; the system is different here. First, we have a rehearsal where we get to know the conductor, but then his assistant works with the troupe. And when the conductor comes to the last rehearsals, he no longer has any choice: he must accept what the director has already staged during the rehearsals.
I am sure that every director always has the best intentions - who wants a bad performance? But anyone can make a mistake, do something wrong. How can you actively deny something until it is clear what the outcome will be? After all, with the most beautiful initial idea, the result can be disgusting, and with the most contradictory idea, wonderful. No one can predict this in advance. When directors or accompanists offer me new ideas during my work, I never say “no.” I always say: let's try. And so I try and try, and you see, something interesting starts to happen. After all, if I have already played 264 times in La Traviata and about 200 times in Rigoletto, then over such a number of performances something fundamentally new has appeared more than once with each director. But to say: here, they say, I have before my eyes an example of how, say, Pavel Gerasimovich Lisitsian sings, and I haven’t heard anything better, and therefore I will sing only this way and no other way - this is stupid.
— In his interview, Dmitry Bertman complained that conductors study in a different place than theater directors. Around our two portals, supporters of the opinion usually gather that it would be a good idea for directors to study where conductors are educated, and not just have a rough idea of the music of the opera they are staging, but it is advisable to have an impeccable knowledge of the entire score and thoroughly understand all musical nuances work.
- I know that such an opinion exists. But tell me honestly, from the heart: do you really think that a musical education will help a director stage musical performance? Does it automatically entail a talent for musical direction? After all, there is a similar opinion that in order to sing well, you need to graduate from a higher educational institution. Well, who told you that? In order to sing well, you need to teach yourself to sing! In addition, with the same teacher, some students sing and others do not. So this is in to a greater extent depends on the talent of the student and, to a lesser extent, on the teacher. In the West, by the way, there are a lot of singers who did not graduate from any conservatories at all and yet sing beautifully. They study privately, and go to the conservatory only to get a diploma.
— Apparently, you can be called a person of broad views, since you share such a controversial opinion of Dmitry Bertman.
— This is my first time working with Bertman, but I have already learned that he has a wonderful quality: with his will, he organizes the singers so that they themselves begin to direct their roles. He gives the artist the freedom to make his role almost independently, but at the same time, of course, the general concept and unity of all elements of the performance are preserved.
I have to work with a huge number of directors in all countries. In Italy I performed the role of Count di Luna in Il Trovatore directed by Pierre Luigi Pizzi and, I remember, I sang one phrase while walking across the stage. The conductor stopped the orchestra and asked the director: “Is it necessary for him to walk at the moment of singing?” The director answers: no, not necessarily. And the conductor says: then stand here and don’t move - and there will be no conflicts or disputes. Here is the answer. A million different cases. One of the directors will definitely insist that his idea be expressed at all costs. But more often than not, if something interferes with the singing, you can come to an agreement with the director. And he will always give in if you do your part of the job with talent. And if you don’t sing talentedly, then the director will always find a way to hide your untalented work behind some tricks.
“Nevertheless, we often see people singing while lying down, upside down, climbing some ladders, and swinging on swings. In a word, as soon as they don’t sing. After all, this cannot but affect the quality of performance?
— Of course, everything affects the quality of performance. Once my teacher in Chelyabinsk told me that if I eat tomatoes, my voice will sound bad. I know singers who stop washing their hair a week before a performance because it makes their voice ache. You see, I have a fitness studio in my house: barbell, bicycle, exercise equipment? For me, jumping twice while singing is not difficult. And the other singer will jump and will not be able to sing any further. So usually talented directors approach artists individually: if the singer cannot do something, then they don’t ask him to do something. This has always been the case with Pokrovsky. He had a great eye for what could be taken from a singer and used both the strengths and weaknesses of each artist.
— It’s good that you started talking about Pokrovsky. Do you agree that the principle of “breaking through the flags” that he declared is being vulgarized and distorted in opera directing today? That “properly organized experiment” to which he called on directors is today almost en masse turning into a “criminally organized experiment.”
— (Laughs.) Despite the fact that I can be called a person of broad views, I remain a traditionalist. And then, in my work I have not encountered those who vulgarize Pokrovsky’s principles. After all, Stanislavsky was indignant at the fact that his principles were distorted! Everyone understood his system to the best of their ability. Both Stanislavsky and later Pokrovsky created their systems for those who would be of the same level of talent as them. But if you only take the principle of “going beyond the flags” from the entire system, then nothing will come of it. In any profession - be it singing, directing, or playing an instrument - if the “flags” are set by someone, then you need to try to go beyond them. But the result will depend on the talent of the person coming out. Experimentation in the theater cannot help but happen; at all times, people have been looking for and trying to do something new in the theater. After all, if you don’t do this, then directors of Pokrovsky’s level will not appear.
— He said that the director is the “decipherer” of the composer’s ideas in modern production language and that “composing” a performance is to understand its main civic tendency. But, you see, it is here, to these words of his, that one can build a bridge from that mass passion to update any ancient plot that has gripped all the directors of the world in our time. It is no coincidence that not only the so-called conservatives, but also the most notorious innovators of opera directing consider themselves followers and students of Pokrovsky.
- But Pokrovsky was not the only one doing this. Wasn't Walter Felsenstein a reformer and innovator of his time? Innovation has always been and will be in any art. Each genius followed his own path and created something of his own. Take composers - Shostakovich, Prokofiev. Yes, every composer was an innovator of his time. And everyone had to hear that he writes “confusion instead of music,” or something like that. So any updating of the plot can be interesting or not, depending on the talent of the director.
“But you can hardly deny the fact that, under the guise of innovation, absolute crime is periodically imposed on the public. Even you, a person of broad views, will be horrified by some of the productions.
— Once I was truly horrified by the “innovation” of directing - it was in 1994 in Germany, where I first encountered “modernity” in the production of “Eugene Onegin.” I just came to watch this performance. There the nanny walked around and constantly sipped vodka from the shalik, and Onegin, before the scene of explanation with Tatiana, when the choir sings “Beautiful Maidens,” went on stage among a crowd of prostitutes, hugging them. Their stockings are torn, and he himself is drunk. Tatyana looked at him in horror, and he took a letter out of his pocket and said: “Did you write to me? Ha ha ha! Don’t deny it...” And he gave the letter to prostitutes so that they could read it. That's when I was really shocked. True, I don’t remember anything else like this. I mean, I wasn't in shock anymore. After this production, I adapted to the “bold” ideas of the directors. Justifying the concept of his production, the director can explain any nonsense in words. And then, in most cases, directors want what’s best, right?
— In my opinion, sometimes a person’s internal motivation may not be entirely healthy, even when he wants to do the best.
“We all know that some directors stage provocative performances to cause a scandal. This brings them fame. This is not news for your portal, of course. But you don’t want to say that the director wants to ruin himself?
- Often he wants to express anger, irritation, some of his internal problems or problems modern society and the person as he understands them. We are all not entirely healthy right now. By the way, on your Facebook page I read an excellent review of The Fiery Angel, staged last year in Dusseldorf. Have you noticed that this plot is usually updated in such a way that the emphasis is on painful features inner world modern man subject to strong passions, love obsession, explained from the perspective of Freudianism and modern psychology? As I understand from the analytics, this is exactly how the plot is interpreted in the Düsseldorf production.
— The Düsseldorf production of The Fire Angel is truly wonderful. It made an amazing reading of both Prokofiev's score and the text, and as a result created a gorgeous psychological thriller, which, among other things, was also masterfully made. And I now advise everyone who has the opportunity to come and listen to him; he is now still in the repertoire of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. In general, “Fire Angel” is staged in Lately a lot: in 2015 alone - in Berlin, Munich, Buenos Aires, the Czech Republic, other countries and cities.
— I have no doubt that all of these are updated productions.
“I believe that transferring the action of this opera to our era should not raise objections, because it shows the relationship between a man and a woman as such, which remains the same at all times. Only the word “knight” links the play to the actual time of the libretto. This is the easiest way to resolve this issue. Well, imagine that my last name is not Statsenko, but Knight. And she says: here you are, Knight... (as if addressing me by last name). And thus the problem of binding is solved by itself.
— Is your hero a man who became ill as a result of communicating with a woman obsessed with love?
— In the Düsseldorf production, Ruprecht is a psychiatrist who comes with an inspection to a certain psychiatric clinic, where unacceptable methods of treatment are used: the mentally ill are given electric shocks and shocks. The director's idea was to draw public attention to cruelty in the treatment of mental illness. But the viewer learns that this whole story happened in the head of Ruprecht himself, and learns at the very end of the performance, at the last beat of the music, when Renata, in the form of a nun, hugs him, who is in a fit. That is, he himself is sick, lying in this very hospital, being treated for his love, which he may have dreamed or imagined.
- Well, was Renata a saint, in your opinion, or was she a witch obsessed with passions? Remember, Bryusov has a dedication: “to you, a bright, crazy, unhappy woman, who loved a lot and died from love”? How do you feel about this heroine?
“In our production, she was one of the attending doctors in this clinic and tried to cure Ruprecht’s inflamed brain. If we talk about my attitude towards her, then, of course, she is an extraordinary woman, although abnormal. I have met in my life such people who do not know how to keep their attention on one thought, on one thing, who think one thing, say another, and do something else - and women are especially susceptible to this. And in the libretto, Renata is exactly like that. You will remember how she repeats to Ruprecht: “I love you, because, because I love you...” The phrase constantly does not end, it is repeated in rolls. You can see how she is choking on words, unable to express her thoughts. Her psychophysics are so abnormal. But the type is quite recognizable.
- Who is the Fire Angel?
— In our production, it’s Ruprecht’s own inflamed cerebellum, which puts pressure on his seventh tooth and gives him visions and dreams. However, some believe that dreams are reality.
— Was this your first time working with the director of this production, Immo Karaman?
— Frankly speaking, I would gladly work with the creator of this performance in some other production, because he is an intelligent director, who knows well what he wants to do and offers it to the actors without violence, a wonderful director. When you tune in to his wave, the result is brilliant. And I also want to mention Sveta Sozdateleva, the singer of Helikon Opera, who amazingly played and sang the part of Renata.
- In a word, this director could not resist writing his chapter in the history of mental illness of our contemporary. The current audience, by the way, is well versed in matters of psychology, and this is probably why your production is so popular among the Düsseldorf audience.
“It’s popular because it’s made with talent.” I’m not sure whether the viewer is better versed in issues of psychology than before. It’s just that in our age, information on psychology has become more accessible, and everyone can glance at some popular article and then say: I read that. Now everyone knows everything. This is very clearly visible on Facebook: people have read the headlines, haven’t grasped the essence, and immediately begin to decisively judge everything.
— What do you think, against the backdrop of this massive interest in popular psychology, might the opera “Dracula” by composer Andrei Tikhomirov, an aria from which you performed at your memorable concert at the Novaya Opera, become especially popular? After all, if you now pronounce the word “vampire,” not a single person will think that we are talking about a real bloodsucker, but will immediately associate it with the concept of “psychic vampirism,” which is very common among the masses today.
- Oh, I always talk about this opera with pleasure. You see how it turned out: they wanted to stage it, but everything unexpectedly fell through. Inertia is very difficult to overcome.
— On the same Facebook, where individual numbers from “Dracula” are already widely circulated, because of the lightness and beauty of the melodies, Andrei Tikhomirov’s work is called either a musical or an operetta. As a potential performer main party tell us why this is still an opera.
- The first and most main feature the fact that this is an opera and not a musical is that only people can sing it opera singers, and not musical comedy singers, and certainly not singing dramatic artists.
— So the games are difficult? And, as far as I know, the composer complicated your part even more.
- Andrey did this at my request, and it’s actually not that difficult for me. He just didn't expect me to sing like that. Although I imagine that this will not be easy for some. Second. The opera has full vocals and a full classical set of voices: soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass. In addition, there are recitatives, as well as solo, duet, and ensemble scenes. And a deep psychological portrayal of the characters, that is, something that does not happen in musicals. Why do some people say it's a musical? Because this opera has very beautiful melodies. But we are accustomed to consider modern opera exclusively works like those written by Alban Berg or Dmitry Shostakovich, or even Helmut Lachenmann. A substitution has occurred in our consciousness: if there is a melody, then it is an easy genre. And if boo-boo-boo, and even the text is abstruse, then this is a modern opera, serious and innovative. I don't agree with this. So Dracula is a classic opera, with wonderful music, a great plot and excellent thoughtful text. And the plot there is not “pop” at all. There is a beautiful one in the opera love story, there is a transformation of a person as a result of love - when a man who has become “ evil spirits", due to certain circumstances, was reborn and returned to the human race - because he had alive soul. There is irony, there is fantasy, but everything in moderation. I understand that it’s easier, of course, to stage La Traviata, because you’re not risking anything.
— Modern “traviatas” should also appear, shouldn’t they?
- For me, this is clear. Do you know, here in Düsseldorf, every year they stage some kind of modern opera? German composer. Now they’re putting “ Snow Queen", before that there was the opera "Ronya - the Robber's Daughter" and also "The Ball of Snakes".
— Why shouldn’t our theaters follow the example of the Germans, right?
- Apparently, they are chasing attendance. Having staged “Rigoletto” or “Tosca”, theaters will surely attract a full house. And in the case of a new modern opera, they are afraid that they will be hit on the head from above: what, they say, you staged here, what if the audience doesn’t come? And then, if we stage a play, it must run for twenty years. But in Germany they staged it, it ran for two years, people stopped going - they removed it from the repertoire, and that’s it.
— How did you work with the composer on your part?
— He came to see me here in Dusseldorf. We went through the whole game with him, thought through everything, made some changes. He was with his wife, Olga, the author of the opera's libretto, and they even took into account some of my suggestions and changed the text in some places. That is, we worked out absolutely everything. In my opinion, it could work out well. It's a pity. I have great hope that it will be installed.
- Let's now talk a little about the most important thing - about your voice. The role of Dodon in the opera The Golden Cockerel, which you are currently working on, was written for bass. In concerts you often perform arias written for bass-baritone, but how does it feel for you to go through an entire performance without your tessitura?
— There are no particularly low notes in it. I will say that the tessitura of, say, Mazepa’s part, which is written for a baritone, is much lower than the tessitura of Dodon’s part, which is written for a bass. You just have to change the nature of the execution a little. When the bass is forced to take the high notes in this part, they sound somehow strained, with a whiny intonation. And a baritone will sound the same notes confidently. For example, the phrase from the beginning of the opera: “How hard it is for the mighty Dodon to wear the crown” - the bass will sound pitiful, almost like a cry. (Sings.) But with a baritone it will sound confident, firm, regal. (Sings.)
When I was preparing for the performance, I listened to one recording of this opera on YouTube performed by a baritone colleague and realized that there would be no problems for my voice there. You know, in Russia it is customary that, for example, Bartolo in The Barber of Seville always sings bass. But in Europe I have never heard this. Usually here Bartolo sings either a characteristic bass-baritone or baritones who began their careers with Figaro, and then, with age, smoothly moved on to the part of Bartolo.
— By the way, there, on YouTube, I found a video from 1991 in which you perform Figaro’s Cavatina at a festival in Kazan, still in Russian. Your voice there is so bright, light, ringing. You still have him, of course, full of energy and youth, but still we see that you are already singing the bass line. Do you, as a singer, feel with all acuteness the changes that inexorable time brings with it?
— Of course, with age, changes occur, the voice becomes heavier. And this happens to many singers. But for changes to happen slowly, you only need one thing - to constantly practice. When I came as an intern to the Bolshoi Theater, I ran to listen to all the soloists. True, I was mainly interested in Yuri Mazurok, because he was my current age, and he sang with such a fresh, young voice that I was constantly trying to unravel his secret. And I remember he told me good words: “It’s not the one who sings a lot, but the one who sings for a long time that will get a lot of money.” I don’t need to be told twice, I immediately realized then that I had to make sure I could sing for a long time.
“So everyone wants to sing for a long time, but not everyone succeeds.”
— Those who sing a lot don’t succeed.
- Don’t you sing enough?
- Of course, I was lucky in this regard. When I went to Germany, I was perceived as a Verdi baritone, and I mainly sang in Verdi's operas. Only occasionally I performed as Scarpia in Tosca or Gerard in André Chénier, but Verdi was still the main one. And this, of course, helped me maintain my voice, because I didn’t have to jump from style to style, from tessitura to tessitura. From the German repertoire I only sang Wolfram in Tannhäuser and Amfortas in Parsifal, and that’s all. I understood that this was a repertoire for a strong baritone. And now I already sing the whole spectrum - from lyric to bass-baritone. However, they don’t offer me the lyric baritone part, because I am in demand as a dramatic baritone. Now I will go to Jerusalem to sing Rigoletto, then to Taiwan to sing Iago in Othello. And in 2017, there, in Taiwan, I have Gianni Schicchi.
— You once said with regret in an interview that you would like to sing more in Russian operas. But you can often hear that precisely in order to preserve their voices, singers avoid participating in Russian operas.
— It all depends on the type of voice. I know singers who have been singing Wagner all their lives, and everything is fine with them. If the voice matches the part, and the psychophysics of the performer matches the role, then there will be no problems. The problem arises when you need to break yourself. When the voice does not correspond to the role, then you have to use other muscles, change your attitude towards music, and then the wrong thing happens.
— Although you call yourself a Verdi singer, you give the impression of an omnivorous person.
- Yes, now I can sing everything. There are baritones who sing Onegin, Figaro or Count Almaviva all their lives, but they cannot sing Rigoletto or Scarpia. Here in the Düsseldorf theater this is clearly divided. There are nine baritones here, and some of them sing Mozart, some Rossini, and I sing my repertoire. And this is very correct, because it helps singers sing for a long time, saves them.
- Wait, I caught a contradiction here. On the one hand, you say that you want to sing for a long time. To do this, you need to sing only certain parts. But we immediately found out that you are exactly the singer who can perform the most diverse repertoire.
- Right! After all, it was with age and experience that I learned to sing a varied repertoire.
- So what is the matter: the skill or the physical capabilities of the singer and the suitability of his voice for a certain role?
— Remember Gaft’s epigram: “There are much fewer Armenians on earth than there are films in which Dzhigarkhanyan played”? Dzhigarkhanyan's psychophysics allowed him to play everything. This is a rare exception.
- And you are one of these exceptions, as I understand it?
- In a sense, yes. My psychophysics - acting, voice and technological-vocal - allows me to sing from lyrical to bass-baritone parts. It’s just that depending on the specific party, the role drawing has to be changed. I would love to continue singing Figaro now, but there are young people who also do it very well.
- On the famous anniversary concert at the New Opera in 2014, you sang arias of the entire spectrum, which clearly demonstrated the capabilities of your voice.
— Yes, I specially prepared for this concert and thought through the program in such a way as to show everything I could and without loss approach the second part, where we played the second act of Tosca. It was not easy, much more difficult than singing an entire part in any opera, but, of course, I am not the only one capable of this, there are singers besides me who can do it.
— Of course, you feel a passionate desire to sing and play.
- Yes, I love to sing. It must be strange to hear from a singer that he loves to sing. It’s just that if I don’t sing, then I don’t know what to do. I often say that singing is not a job, it is a disease. The worst period for me is vacation. I don't know what to do, I'm getting bored. Vacation is like a knife in my heart, and I always strive to end it as quickly as possible. During the holidays, I try to accept some offers to participate in festivals or some other summer events. For 15 years I traveled to Tuscany, where not far from the city of Lucca the festival Il Serchio delle Muse is held, which was organized by my friend Luigi Roni, a famous and wonderful bass player. And so I spent my vacation there: once every three days I went on stage in some concert, and the rest of the time I rested. At the same time, I learned Italian well there. Otherwise, why vacation? Lie down and sunbathe, or what?
— As a student of Pokrovsky, in addition to vocals, you also use your purely acting skills to create an image. How did you study acting- Have you watched great theater and film actors? From books?
— Of course, I read a huge number of books on acting. But I did not perceive film actors as my “teachers,” because I immediately began to understand that cinema exists according to completely different laws that are not applicable in the theater. When I studied in Moscow, I used my student card to go to drama theaters at least twice a week and, it seems, watched everything I could. I loved Mayakovka. I was wondering: how do people on stage speak so convincingly and portray their feelings so sincerely? I was a provincial person and at that time I didn’t understand much about art, but I just felt in my gut which of the actors could be trusted and which could not, almost like Stanislavsky. In any case, I always understood that this actor lives and does not play, but this one is the opposite.
- And what is more correct, in your opinion, on stage - to live or to play?
- It’s better to live.
“But then it will be life, not the art of acting.”
— For your game to be convincing, you need to believe in what you are doing. Then the public will believe it too. It’s like singing in a foreign language: if I understand what I’m singing about, then the audience will understand. And if I don’t understand, then the public won’t understand anything.
— You said that you participated in La Traviata 264 times and about 200 times in Rigoletto. How do you have the inspiration, interest, and feelings to perform these performances so many times? Is there still some internal reserve left to sing them without losing their freshness? What inspires you?
— I already said: you need to believe in what you are doing.
- But it gets boring!
- There are some things that never get boring.
- What a wonderful answer! One day a musician told me: ask me how to go out and play the same concert for the three hundredth time, as if you were playing it for the first time. And how, I ask. And he answered: no way, you go out and play on autopilot.
— I always say that everyone has what they want. This is my motto in life. If a musician wants to play on autopilot, then he will play like that. But I don’t want that! If I can’t sing, then I’d rather take a sick leave, but I won’t play on autopilot. Because I have to believe in what I do - in my every smile and every gesture. Yes, this happens to many people, but this will not happen to me.
— In the parts of the “fathers” - Rigoletto, Germont, Miller, Stankar - do you remember your own paternal experience? Does it help you imagine your characters' feelings and fears?
— No, my own experience is not applicable in this case, because I first sang La Traviata at the age of 24. What was my experience then...
— Well, has your attitude and understanding of this role changed with age?
- Of course, it has changed. Over time, I developed my own ideas for this game. My Germont has become more sophisticated and cunning. Sometimes I suddenly made some discoveries in the music of this part itself, although it seemed that I had performed it so many times before. Suddenly I was able to hear that at the end of the duet with Violetta, when he says the words: “Your sacrifice will be rewarded,” he speaks as if with sympathy, with pity, but his music sounds like a cancan! And it turns out that he pronounces only words, but the music shows that he is rejoicing inside, dancing! You see, this opens up another line of playing this role.
It happens that you understand something about your role solely at the level of intuition. And although I already told you about my father’s experience that it was not useful to me, there are still some acting discoveries with life experience were, of course, connected. As I already said, with the same Renata I knew exactly how to behave on stage, because I had encountered such female type in life. But the main acting baggage accumulated thanks to books - I have always read and am reading a lot, it’s interesting to me.
Lately I have noticed an amazing metamorphosis in my attitude towards cinema: if I watch some films, then, as a rule, I am almost not interested in the plot. All my attention is focused on how a person tries to express an idea as accurately as possible, using his personal acting techniques. And, of course, films of the Soviet period are much more instructive in this regard than modern ones. In modern cinema there is very little acting as such, the viewer’s attention is held with the help of an exciting plot, and then in modern films the frames are short and do not linger for a long time on any scene, whereas in old cinema you can see scenes lasting five minutes or more. And then you can learn something from film actors.
But the best acting school is life itself. For free! Please! Try to play with anyone. Set yourself some task and play. He believed you - that means you can do it, bravo! If you don’t believe me, keep studying.
— You said that the image of Renata is familiar to you from life. And Scarpia? After all, everyone unconditionally recognizes this role as your great achievement and notes your “negative charm,” which pushes the usual boundaries of this image. Do you also have someone in front of your eyes who looks like your Scarpia or maybe this is for you collective image a person with authority?
- Indeed, this is my favorite role. For me, this is not so much a collective image of a person in power as a collective image of a selfish person. This man loves himself. And if you pronounce the text of the libretto with love for yourself, you don’t need to do anything further. Everything will already be done.
- But he is still a cruel, insidious deceiver.
- Wait, what guy hasn’t deceived someone at some point? He wanted to possess a woman and did as he needed. So what? As if we didn't read this in the novels of that time! Why condemn a man who wanted to get a woman in this way? And as a servant of the state, he had to imprison and shoot the rebels, and he was simply doing his job. Well, as sometimes happens, doing his job coincided with his desire to get a beautiful woman. For me this image is absolutely clear. There is zero conflict for me here.
— In the same interview, Dmitry Bertman states: “Our life has become very theatrical, people take theatrical experience and transfer it to life, so theatrical passions are in full swing in life.” This idea, of course, is not new, we know that “all the world is a stage...”, as Shakespeare said, and that pretense is real reality, as Julia Lambert believed. What do you think about this? Don't you get bored in everyday life after the passions you play out on stage?
“I think that a person who is not satisfied with his everyday life deserves it.” Who is obliged to arrange his own life? Is he waiting for someone to come and entertain him?
- But operatic passions are inflated due to unhappy love, intrigue, and villainy. This is not so much in the ordinary life of an ordinary person.
- Ah ah ah! Tell me, how many people go to opera houses? Yes, in my village, where I was born, they learned about the existence of opera only thanks to me, and before that they had never heard anything about opera. However, the passions there are the same as in the opera. People who work in the theater have no other choice but to transfer into their lives the strong feelings that they experience on stage. And those people who don’t go to the theater, out of boredom, invent all their passions for themselves.
- But, you see, we draw parallels with the theater (or even the circus) quite often when we observe... well, I don’t know... meetings of our government bodies or simply other people’s lives, relationships.
- Yes, but I think it has always been like this, and not just now. And in ancient Greece, and in ancient Rome Democratic forums also, perhaps, resembled a performance, a circus. You will often hear: oh, it was better, but it got worse. And every generation says so. If you follow this logic, then it was best under the primitive communal system, when people ran around with stones and sticks. In my opinion, people always feel bad because they are forced to work, but they would like to do nothing and get a lot. What comes first - theater or life? After all, theater arose from life, and not vice versa.
- I think Bertman was talking mainly about colossal influence art for life.
— I agree, although at all times, treachery and intrigue accompanied all sorts of dark deeds, and passions ran high under any king or king. There was such an abundance of all this in the life of any generation that any theater would envy. It’s just that Bertman, as a theatrical person, notices the same passions in life as on stage.
- You are also a theater person and should also notice them.
- I notice. But only in life I try to avoid them.
— Do you have enough of the adrenaline that you get on stage?
— Most often, yes, but sometimes it’s not enough on stage. After all, a lot depends on the partners and some other factors. Sometimes, you know, the slightest noise during a performance in the hall - and all the magic disappears. While singing, you need to be able to conjure the audience, the atmosphere. Don’t just mumble something there, but cast a spell! By yourself, by intonation. Of course, you can do this in life, but you will be considered a fool.
- Indeed, why waste a divine gift on all sorts of nonsense.
- You see, spending still happens, because in normal life I train. In the subway or some other places...
- So you are a shaman, let’s write it down that way.
- I'm an artist.
— What, you can’t equate shamanism with acting? Every actor tries to hypnotize his audience. But I see that you are approaching this issue not intuitively, but quite consciously.
— At first I approached it intuitively. When I started with Pokrovsky, I still didn’t know anything, but I tried to do something by feel, by instinct. And suddenly he said: this is right! And then everything quickly came together in my head... I once looked interesting film about Smoktunovsky. When he first appeared on set, nothing worked for him; the director shouted at him. And suddenly the last shot was a success, and he then realized that you don’t have to act in front of the camera, but you need to live and believe in what you are doing. And it's the same in opera. After all, it happens that an artist believes that he is handsome and sings well, and the public also begins to believe it.
- But your goal is broader than to conquer the audience with the beauty of your voice or appearance.
- Undoubtedly. During rehearsals, I can change the color and phrasing many times to try it out. different variants execution. In Belkant's operas you don't experiment much. There you just need to conjure your voice, timbre, that’s why bel canto is there. But in “Boris Godunov” you can’t do anything without a word and without a conscious attitude towards the content.
Some roles are easier for me, others are more difficult. For example, I sang Don Carlos in Hernani, and this role was not given to me because the character was not written out in it. Prince Yeletsky was also always difficult for me, but Tomsky was easier. When in Europe they say “characteristic party,” they do not mean a characteristic voice. They mean the variety of manifestations of the same character, the versatility of his personality. These are the ones that interest me. But I don’t have many roles in which I just need to sing beautifully, and they are quickly disappearing from my repertoire. Lately I have been performing no more than twenty parts, although I have more than eighty of them. That is, I sing those that are in to the greatest extent fit my psychophysics.
— How quickly, if necessary, can you restore a part from your repertoire?
- When necessary, then I will restore it.
— I remember the famous episode from your biography, when you learned your part in Stiffelio in a week to replace a sick colleague. Perhaps such cases are turning points in a singer’s career?
- Yes, that’s exactly how it was. After all, then there was a broadcast throughout Europe, they also released a CD, and everyone recognized me. People say: he's lucky. But for me to be so “lucky”, I had to go through a lot! I created this case for myself and used it.
— How did a shaman put a spell on an actor in order to perform in his place?
- (Laughs.) I created the case not by the damage that I sent to the actor, but by the fact that since college I regularly trained my memory to quickly learn musical and vocabulary texts. I developed this quality in myself on purpose. And I trained to such an extent that now I can learn any game in a week. When I arrived in Chelyabinsk, my teacher at the school, German Konstantinovich Gavrilov, as I remember now, gave me Abt’s vocalise No. 17 to learn. There was only one page, 24 bars. I learned the music, but I couldn’t remember the names of the notes and kept getting confused about them. And I realized that my memory was completely untrained. Especially for memorizing the phonetic nonsense that texts in foreign languages \u200b\u200bwere then presented with. After all, we sang them back then, not understanding what we were singing about. And I decided that in order not to be ashamed in front of the teacher, I need to train my memory. I began to learn something by heart every day, so that the texts would bounce off my teeth, even if you woke me up at night.
When I arrived at the Moscow Conservatory, Hugo Jonathan Tietz gave me two romances by Tchaikovsky. And the next day I sang them to him by heart. He says: “You sang this before” - and gives me an aria. The next day I sang it by heart too. He says again: “You sang it.” And he already gives me an aria in Georgian. After I sang this aria by heart the next day, he believed that I was learning quickly, and immediately sent me to the opera studio, where they didn’t have the Count in “The Marriage of Figaro.” I learned the entire game in a month and for a long time was the only count there. I just always felt ashamed - in front of the teachers, in front of the pianists, who had to point a melody at me with one finger so that I could learn it. I was ashamed and uncomfortable. Therefore, I poked one finger myself, and came to them with the text I had already memorized in order to work further. Even Igor Kotlyarevsky, a wonderful pianist, with whom I prepared the part of the count at the conservatory and with whom I am still friends, said: “This is the first time I have seen such a vocalist who teaches the part at home himself.” I was always ashamed to show my inadequacy, I have always been like this. When at school I got a C grade for almost the only time, I came home, crawled under the table and didn’t come out for several hours, because I was ashamed in front of my parents. And after that I never had C grades again. No one ever forced me to study, no one forced me to read, I took books and read.
— Now tell us about Hugo Jonathan. What are the characteristics of his school, which regularly produced great artists? Maybe you remember some of his advice, some individual lessons?
“He was a highly intelligent teacher who knew a lot and had enormous experience. I immediately remember one of his main features - extraordinary tact. I never heard any unpleasant words from him, either in my classes or in other people’s classes, which I also attended. He told everyone about the same thing, but, of course, not everyone learned his lessons in the same way; some succeeded quickly, while others did not. Much depends on the talent of the student, and not on the teacher. If you don’t have the abilities, then the teacher is unlikely to make anything out of you.
Hugo Jonathan was wonderful person, I remember all his lessons. In the first year we studied very actively, but I was passionate about the opera studio and spent a lot of time there. What is the first year program? There, in six months you need to sing two vocalises and two romances, but for me it was a matter of one evening. Although many did only this for six months. I came to Hugo Jonathan for advice about what I was doing in the opera studio. I had five Suzannes there, and I sang and sang at the top of my voice with all five all day long. And I asked him: can I sing every day? He answered: if you don’t get tired, then it’s possible.
- That is, you worked with him on individual program, and not according to the conservatory program?
— In my first year, I already sang Yeletsky’s aria with him. He worked with me on phrasing and a more conscious attitude towards the text. He never showed the slightest violence, but led me to some conclusions as if I had come to them myself. After all, the main thing for Hugo Jonathan was not to train you, but to put you in such a situation so that you yourself would master the technique. His genius as a teacher lay in the fact that his students sometimes said: “Yes, I learned everything myself.” He knew how to teach us in such a way that almost every student sometimes thought so. Although it is clear that you did not learn it yourself, but you were led to think so. And then, I wanted to learn everything - and I learned.
When I was a second-year student, he suffered a spinal injury and was lying at home, and we went to study with him. But in the third year he died, and I already began to study with Pyotr Ilyich Skusnichenko, his student.
- Of course, the school was the same?
- Absolutely. The same terminology, the same principles were used. Pyotr Ilyich had an amazing intuition; he always felt what exactly needed to be corrected and improved in a student’s singing. It was captivating that he treated each of his students as to my own child, worried about whether he had eaten, how he was dressed, whether he had shaved. He behaved with us like a good dad. He loved his students very much. He was still a young teacher at that time; he may not have been able to express much in words, but intuitively he heard everything that needed to be changed. Already in my second year I could sing anything, and there were no problems with me. My singing only needed to be cultivated, which is what my teachers, Pyotr Ilyich Skusnichenko and accompanist Natalya Vladimirovna Bogelava, did with me. Thanks to them, I was then able to prepare for the Maria Callas competition and the Tchaikovsky competition, at which I received prizes.
— What are your memories of your first appearance on stage at the Pokrovsky Chamber Theater, since we’re talking about your student years? Did you feel relaxed?
“I couldn’t feel relaxed for many reasons. After all, looseness on stage comes only with experience. I remember how at the conservatory in my first year we rehearsed in tails, and I had to throw away the tail coat, and I had a glass in my hand. So I threw it away along with the glass. The newcomer's tightness was showing. And when I came to the theater to see Pokrovsky, I was very worried at first. But I never had any fear of doing something wrong. They'll fix it, what's the matter! And then they took me to the role of Don Juan, and who is it? A young man - that is, this role was quite appropriate for my age, especially since they sang in Russian. Of course, at that time I was not so flexible as to immediately perceive all of Boris Alexandrovich’s ideas. I had to overcome a lot within myself. But I was surrounded by professionals and learned from them. I learned a lot - behavior on stage, creating not even an image, but an atmosphere in which the image should exist. What it is? I'll give you a simple example. This is when your photograph is shown to any person, and he must determine from your face alone whether you are at a disco or in church. That is, your pose, your facial expression, and your entire appearance must correspond to the circumstances of the given scene; this is what I call creating an atmosphere. I was amazed at how Pokrovsky got what he needed from the actors. To do this, he demanded that you make the task assigned to him yours. Because when you have made this task yours, then you don’t even need to act - your gestures become natural, the intonation necessary for the director appears.
When I moved to the Bolshoi Theater, I realized that a different gesture was needed there, because the stage was huge. And even later, when I was already working on stages all over the world, I again came to the conclusion that even small things in the game must be reproduced carefully, then the big ones will be read more clearly. All these were stages of my development.
So the Chamber Theater was a big school. Especially Don Juan. I remember Boris Alexandrovich said: “In my performance, Don Juan must play the mandolin himself.” And I bought a mandolin for twelve rubles and quietly, without telling anyone, I learned to play it. And when I went to rehearsals and sang, playing the mandolin for myself, Pokrovsky, of course, appreciated it. He just stuttered - and I did it.
— In which of his innovative productions did you participate?
— I didn’t play in many performances there, because I studied at the conservatory. But, of course, I watched everything. For me, as for many, the performance “The Nose” by Shostakovich was a shock. I took part in the great play “Rostov Action”. This is a stunning piece, performed without instrumental accompaniment. I was also involved in Handel’s opera Hymen, it was immediately commissioned for performance abroad, and we initially sang it in Italian. Now I understand that stylistically I sang Handel as best I could, and not as it should. In a word, I remember Boris Alexandrovich with a feeling of admiration and gratitude, because after him it was already easy for me to work with others.
— When you moved to the Bolshoi Theater, did you find yourself involved in performances with the then luminaries: Arkhipova, Obraztsova, Nesterenko, Sinyavskaya?
— The whole galaxy of singers of that time were the most high level, and not just those you listed. At the Bolshoi there was someone to learn from, because in those days the transfer of experience took place directly in the theater. I treated each of these great artists with great respect, and specially went to see how and what they were doing. I had the opportunity to perform with Nesterenko in The Barber of Seville and Faust. But most of all, of course, I was interested in the parts of my voice. Therefore, I attended almost all performances with Yuri Mazurok, because at that time I had the same bright lyrical baritone. He always believed that he was right, believed that it should be this way and no other way, and this is a brilliant quality of a person, I think. When you work next to singers of such a high level, you learn from them not only singing, but the ability to behave - on stage and in life, to communicate, to speak. For example, I learned how to give interviews from Nesterenko. The first time I was interviewed on the radio and then listened to it, I almost fainted from how disgusting my voice sounded. And then I didn’t even listen to Nesterenko’s interview, but how he gave it, and the next time I did everything right.
I had to leave the Bolshoi Theater not of my own free will, so I didn’t work there for so long. These were the years of the worst collapse in the country. In Moscow I had neither an apartment nor a residence permit. I rented an apartment. I once went to the police station. Some officer is sitting there, I tell him: well, I’m an artist of the Bolshoi Theater, I need a registration. He asks: where are you from? I say: from the village, but our house there burned down along with our documents, and our parents had already died. He says: well, go to your village, there is nothing for you to do here. That was the attitude. How could he care that I was a laureate of all sorts of competitions - Maria Callas, Glinka, Tchaikovsky? Yes, he hadn’t even heard of these names! And in Germany, in Chemnitz, we were preparing the operas “Iolanta” and “Francesca da Rimini” for the Dresden festival, and I was offered to sing there in the opera “Carmen” in German. Well, after six performances they signed a permanent contract with me. That's how I settled in Germany. If I had not had such problems then, I would not have left. But I don't regret anything. Moving to Germany and working all over the world forced me to learn four foreign languages and gain a deeper understanding of the style of performance in these languages.
— In December, you had a chamber concert at the Pavel Slobodkin Center with Dmitry Sibirtsev, in which you performed Italian and Spanish songs. How often do you manage to perform Russian romances?
“Nobody needs this in the West.” For chamber music there you need a well-known name. Well, if I came out in Moscow now with a Schubert cycle, do you think the audience would gather? Or imagine: an unknown German will come to Russia, to the Pavel Slobodkin Center, with the “Winter Retreat” series. No one will come!
It's the same in the West. Some time ago, the wonderful pianist Boris Bloch and I made a program of romances by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff and gave one concert in Düsseldorf and one in Duisburg. It was not in the theater itself, but in the foyer - there is room for about two hundred seats. And then the theater management was surprised that they had to install not two hundred seats, but much more, and even the standing places were all occupied. And the same thing happened in Duisburg - the management there was amazed. We advertised, but what’s most interesting is that only the Russian-speaking public came, many of our people live there. Boris and I were very happy. Then they even gave a third concert, at the conservatory. But this was my only experience of holding chamber concerts. It’s impossible to assemble a large hall for a person without media promotion. For chamber programs you need a face that flashes on TV. In addition, in order to just go out and sing a concert of twenty works in a small hall just for the sake of pleasure, it requires enormous efforts not only from the singer, but also from the accompanist, and it is necessary to spend a lot of time. But I don’t have that much free time. I thought that how opera artist I will achieve more success - on opera stage I feel more at ease both as a singer and as an actor.
— What work do you have to do this and next season?
— This season I will be performing a series of ten performances of The Golden Cockerel, which we have already talked about. In May at the New Opera I sing Iokanaan in Salome, then at the beginning of June I have Nabucco there. In mid-June I sing Rigoletto in Jerusalem, at the same time in Aida in Dusseldorf and in early July Iago in Taiwan. I also have almost the entire next season planned: “Tosca”, “Aida”, “Gianni Schicchi”, “Othello”. There are five more proposals, but I cannot voice them. I could find more time to perform at the New Opera, but in Russian theaters They can’t plan everything properly in advance. It's the same in Italy. I receive a lot of offers from Italy, but usually I’m already busy when they arrive, unfortunately. In this sense, our Düsseldorf theater is good because already at the beginning of the current season I know everything about my plans for the future. Everything is well planned there, and the rest of the time I can go wherever I want.
http://www.belcanto.ru/16040701.html
The ending follows
Now he is a soloist at the Opera House in Dusseldorf, performing on the best stages of Hamburg, Dresden, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels and other cultural capitals of the world, with a repertoire of more than fifty operas. Boris Statsenko is a regular participant in the festival in Lucca (Italy), sang in “La Traviata”, “Force of Destiny”, “Tosca”, “Rigoletto”, “La Boheme”, “Tannhäuser”, “Iolanta”, “The Queen of Spades” in the theaters of Venice , Turin, Padua, Lucca, Rimini.
Over the past five years, the singer has been actively participating in performances at the Ludwigsburg Festival under the direction of Professor Gennenwein, performing leading roles in the operas Stiffelio, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Ernani, and Un ballo in maschera. For the next four years he has engagements in theaters in Verona, Trieste, Palermo, Parma, Rome, Toulouse, Lyon, Liege, Tel Aviv.
For the Moscow public, the return of Boris Statsenko was marked by a magnificent performance of the role of Napoleon in the new sensational project of the Bolshoi Theater - S. Prokofiev’s opera “War and Peace”. The Russian tour continued in his native Chelyabinsk, where he performed in Tosca, and at the Chaliapin festival in Kazan (Aida, Nabucco, gala concerts).
Back in November 2005, Boris Statsenko organized an opera festival in his homeland, Chelyabinsk, in which his friends and partners in performances at La Scala participated: the famous Italian basses Luigi Roni and Grazio Mori, conductor Stefano Rabaglia, as well as three young vocalist Stefan Kibalov, Irena Cerboncini and Alberto Gelmoni.
Now Boris Statsenko is presenting his new creative project, co-directed with Luigi Roni. This is a concert agency focused on presenting the most famous artists to the Russian public. Italian singers, who have not yet performed in our country. Statsenko believes that in Russia they know the names of only a few stars, such as Luciano Pavarotti or Cecilia Bartoli, and have not yet heard the best Italian voices.
As a 22-year-old boy, Boris first went to the opera. They showed The Barber of Seville. “Back then I had no idea what it was. I naively thought that singers don’t learn to sing, but simply go on stage and sing,” says Statsenko. The impression was so strong that the former rural boy quit his job and began studying opera singing.
The colorful bass Stanislav Bogdanovich Suleymanov enters into a casual conversation:
Boris's life changed dramatically in 1993, when he received an invitation to Opera theatre the city of Chemnitz (formerly East German Karl-Marx-Stadt - Ed.). It so happened that a production of Verdi’s rarely sung opera “Stiffelio” was planned and the performer fell ill. Boris learned this most difficult and enormous opera in a week, which is practically impossible. And his no less brilliant participation in the premiere of this opera served as an impetus for further promotion.
He arrived there without knowing the language. Today Boris speaks five languages: German, Italian, English, French... and has not forgotten his native Russian. Since then, Boris has been shining all over the world. 63 opera parts were learned and sung.
I can say that long haul I had to go through to achieve the stylistic execution of German, French, Italian composers, - Statsenko continues the conversation. - It’s difficult in Russia, because other students have more opportunities to hear live good performers. About 7 years ago, with my friend Luigi Roni (famous Italian bass - ed.), we went to Chelyabinsk for the first time. I begged him for a long time, and in the end he agreed.
Tickets were sold out six months before the festival took place. The most interesting thing is that 50% of the listeners are young people under 20 years old; students came from Yekaterinburg and Perm to listen to Italian opera singers. And then we came up with the idea of organizing it so that all listeners who wanted could listen to the opera live.
You understand perfectly well that any recording does not give a complete picture of the singers; only by listening live can you understand this style, this taste. Of course, it’s hard for our students to sing in
Italian and any other language. It’s very difficult when you don’t understand the words and it’s very difficult to understand how you can sing like that if you don’t hear it live. I experienced this myself.
When I heard my favorite singers live, I perceived singing technique and performing art in a completely different way, which helped me very, very much. The idea was born to organize a production company so that it would be possible to bring Italian singers to Russian scene.
It is clear that Moscow and St. Petersburg are one thing, but in provincial cities no one wants to do this. Foreigners themselves are simply afraid to go there. Of course, this is not a cheap pleasure, but without it it will be much more difficult for our singers to reach the world level.