My Audience with "The Grand Duchess"
2008; Routledge; Volume: 65; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2769-4046
Autores Tópico(s)Music Technology and Sound Studies
ResumoON DECEMBER 16, 2006, THE FINAL DAY of performances of the Los Angeles Opera production of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, the world renowned mezzo soprano, Frederica von Stade graciously took time from her busy schedule for the following interview. For clarification, the title of the following interview refers to Ms. von Stade's triumph in the title role of motion picture director, Gary Marshall's adaptation of Offenbach's operetta, La Grande Duchesse de Gerolstein, with the Los Angeles Opera in the fall of 2005. David Wylie (DW): Flicka, it's wonderful to see you. Frederica von Stade (FvS): David, it's delightful to see you as well, and thanks for making this trip to Los Angeles to see me and Poppea. DW: It is my pleasure. Thank you so very much for doing this interview on your final day of performances. We have been trying to do this for several years, and I sincerely appreciate your kindness. Let's get right to the questions, shall we, so as not to waste a minute of your time? FvS: Of course. DW: You have added several new roles to your repertoire in the last couple of seasons, including Offenbach's The Grand Duchess, and Octavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea. Have you ever sung the original Offenbach role or the title role in Poppea? FvS: No, I have never done them before. [Flicka's cell phone rings, and the ring is that of a small child laughing, and we are broken up with laughter for a moment.] I learned the Offenbach because it was meant to be done a year before and Houston backed out, and that's when they put Poppea in. You see, I was supposed to do the role of Poppea with Placido [Domingo] about five years ago in a production that [Luciano] Berio was going to do, but Berio got sick and died, and Placido substituted that with opera scenes. DW: This was to be here in Los Angeles? FvS: Yes, this was to be here in Los Angeles in a new production. And then, everything got juggled around and I was offered, instead of the Gerolstein in Houston, the Poppea, and then to do Octavia here. I was meant to do Octavia two or three times in my career, and two times I got pregnant, and the next time I wasn't free. So it would have been nice to do it. It is a wonderful piece, it's such a sort of hypnotic piece. Susan Graham is just one of the great artists of our time, the voice is so exquisite. She's such a dear, wonderful person. This Poppea has a terrific cast with David Daniels and the wonderful conductor, Harry Bickett. I was lucky enough to go the the Getty Villas [the Getty Museum in Los Angeles] yesterday. To go there and see Titus and Caligula was absolutely wonderful. I didn't see Octavia, but you kind of get the general context of it all. It was marvelous. We saw the play, Agamemnon, directed by Stephen Wadsworth, with his wonderful wife, Frankie, and Tyne Daly. They did readings, wonderful readings. We saw a dress rehearsal. It's fabulous, and running just this weekend, just fantastic, it's only an hour. Stephen gives a half an hour talk first, it's really marvelous. DW: Riveting is one of the descriptions I have read of your portrayal of Octavia from last spring's Houston Opera production of Poppea, as well as the current one here in Los Angeles. Has she, Octavia, provided you with any vocal or dramatic challenges or opportunities? FvS: Well, I think that the challenge of Octavia is that the part is so short. but she is a desperate woman, who has . . . it's not just that she has been rebuffed, she knows the position of a woman in her society, and she knows that all of her power has been removed. DW: I will always remember, with great fondness, your Penelope in the Washington Opera production of Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria with Richard Stilwell. As a member of the supporting cast, I thought it was gorgeous, vocally, dramatically, and visually. Do you remember it? FvS: Thank you so much. I do remember it. …
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