"It's better to sing in a big way"
Opera is an elite genre and art is not for everyone, soloist of the Bolshoi Theater Dinara Aliyeva is sure. At the same time, the artist notes, opera productions are very popular among young people and cause excitement among viewers in those parts of the world where classics are exotic. Dinara Aliyeva spoke in an exclusive interview with Izvestia about her tour in Oman and the occasion that gave her the role in Verdi's La Traviata on the Covent Garden stage, as well as about democracy at the Bolshoi Theater and the upcoming anniversary concert.
"The agent calls and asks if I can urgently replace the singer who is ill."
— On your birthday, December 17th, you will have a VIVERE L'ARTE recital at the Bolshoi Theatre. Is it difficult to get the main stage of the country?
— I had no obstacles. The evening will take place on a New stage. My colleagues and I decided to start modestly. I've had a lot of performances in Russia, in Moscow, but I haven't had a solo concert at the Bolshoi Theater yet. Now everything has coincided, and I decided that I will start with a New scene. It was there that I made my debut at the Bolshoi Theatre in 2009. At that time, the Historical Stage was under reconstruction and all performances took place on the New One. I was a guest soloist. A year later, she joined the troupe and became a full-fledged soloist at the Bolshoi Theater.
— This is your 15th season at the Bolshoi. Will you celebrate?
— We'll celebrate together at the concert on December 17th (laughs). 15 years, and it feels like everything is just beginning. I'm at my peak right now. As they say, the singer has a "golden age".
— What will the fans hear?
— The first movement will feature classics by Verdi and Puccini. In the second section there will be music for the joy of the soul: arias from operettas, sarzuela, songs. Anton Grishanin is at the conductor's desk. The Bolshoi Theatre Choir will also take the stage. I did not invite soloists this evening — I wanted to hold a concert in a more intimate, personal format, to share this holiday with the audience myself. After all, it's my birthday, and it's important for me to be in direct contact with the audience, to give the audience my mood and my gratitude.
— Do you remember which opera you heard for the first time in your life?
— I studied at a music school, and operas accompanied me throughout my formative years. My mother was a children's choir conductor, and in her second profession, she was a theater director. She took me everywhere with her, so I listened to opera from an early age.
Dinara Aliyeva as a child
When I was studying at the Conservatory, my brother brought me a CD of Verdi's La Traviata from Covent Garden. It was a famous production by Richard Eyre, in which the role of Violetta was performed by Angela Georgiou. It's a beautiful, classic performance. I fell in love with this production, and then I said to myself: "I want to sing there." As a result, after some time I went on stage at Covent Garden and sang Violetta. And it was a special performance, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the premiere.
— Your dream has come true.
- yes! I was offered a contract for La Traviata for certain dates. I arrived in London early. I remember that my agent called me and asked if I could urgently replace the singer who was ill. And I went on this legendary stage in my favorite production without any rehearsals at all! I remember feeling like I wanted to touch all these decorations when I saw them firsthand. I've seen them on video so many times! Everyone was amazed at how organically I felt in this performance, despite the fact that I was so urgently introduced.
— They say: do not let go of the dream, visualize, attract.
— In my case, that's not exactly true. If I want something, I make a wish and let it go. And then, after a while, it comes. Even with La Traviata, it could have been different. I've already been invited to the Royal Opera of London to play Liu in Turandot. But something didn't work out then, and I didn't come. I was very sorry. But I have to admit, I didn't really like this part and always thought that a debut in the theater should be bright and memorable. And then the opportunity presented itself. I made my Covent Garden debut playing the title role in La Traviata, and also at the landmark anniversary show.
"Some young artists want to do nothing but just sing in a big way"
— Have you dreamed of Big things?
— I have a perfectionist personality. I always strive for the highest. I am a pianist by my first education. I was promised a successful future, but my intuition told me that it wasn't mine. I decided that I would pursue a career elsewhere and achieve my goal in singing. It's the same with theaters. I set myself the highest bar. It's better to sing in a Big way. By the way, despite the fact that I immediately aim for greatness and first appeared on stage in Puccini's La Bohème as Mimi, not Musetta, for example, I advise my students to start their creative journey with small roles.
"Bohemian"
— Why do you advise your students to do the opposite? Are you afraid of competition?
— Come on, I'm a very kind person. I recommend it so that you don't get burned. I had a maximum bar because I was studying a lot. And some young artists want to do nothing but just sing in a Big way.
— Is working little and earning a lot a disease not only for clerks, but also for artists?
- of course. They come with ambitions — I want to sing everything and everywhere. They grab onto everything, but I hear that there are big problems with the equipment.
— Covent Garden is currently closed to Russian artists, as are other world theaters. Are you worried?
— I don't suffer being in the Bolshoi Theatre. I love Moscow, it's my home. I always say that I have two homelands — Azerbaijan and Russia. Moscow gave me the formation of a personality and a singer, development. I will never betray her. I had offers to become, for example, a participant in the Young Artists Program in Vienna and London. But Russia is always my priority.
— The Russian Seasons Festival used to showcase our art on the French Riviera, in London, but now it is oriented towards the East, Latin America.
— And not only that. Igor Morozov, concertmaster Lyubov Venjik, and I, with whom we have been working together for many years, recently had a wonderful trip to Oman with the Russian Seasons. We were greeted superbly. The audience, who were not used to classical concerts, welcomed us very warmly.
— Why aren't you used to classical concerts?
— They don't have this culture, like in Russia. They are not used to going to classical music, and they do not have many concert halls. The main venues are the Opera House and the National Museum.
Dinara Aliyeva and Montserrat Caballe
— So the soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre in Oman are exotic?
— It's not every day that the Bolshoi Theater comes there, of course. The Omanis watched with such excitement, applauded a lot. But at the same time, some talked during the performance, loudly shared their impressions. I always say that there is a blessing on any stage. If you go to the audience with the attitude, it will be yours everywhere. And what we need is a return. It was my first time in Oman. Now I want to sing there on the stage of the Opera House.
"At first, we didn't understand how we would work when the two theaters merged"
— The management of the Bolshoi Theatre has changed. Have you felt the changes?
— We all felt the changes for the better. At first, we didn't understand how we would work when the two theaters, the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky, merged. But now we are grateful to Valery Abisalovich Gergiev. The amount of work has increased, and a lot of new productions are being staged. The artists change scenes, and now we're like two big families.
Dinara Aliyeva and Valery Gergiev
— Theater troupes do not interfere with ballet performances. And at the opera, the audience often sees artists from the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi on the same stage. Is it convenient?
— It enriches. It's interesting to sing with colleagues. What viewers in St. Petersburg have already seen becomes an event in Moscow and vice versa.
— There is an opinion that the performances of the Mariinsky repertoire at the Bolshoi cannot be called a premiere. What do you think?
— I sing more European repertoire. Mariinka brought her "Aida" to the Bolshoi. It's an amazing and very beautiful production. I played the title role in it. For the Moscow audience, this performance was definitely the premiere. The audience has never seen him.
— Has there been more work, has it not affected the quality?
— All the artists work professionally on stage and give their best. This does not affect the quality in any way.
— Starting the season, Valery Gergiev told reporters that there will be 50 premieres in the Bolshoi. Everyone was wondering how this was possible.
— It turned out to be possible (smiles).
— He stunned us, but how did he announce the plans for the season to the artists?
— Valery Gergiev keeps us on our toes. We don't know all the names that will be in this season. He said, "Learn everything!"
— Did you give me a list?
- no. He said there would be many productions of Verdi. Accordingly, Verdi has 26 operas. So you can learn everything (smiles). Of course, when it becomes clear that the premiere of Othello is scheduled in a couple of months, those artists who want to participate in this production learn the parts for their voices. And then the management will decide who will take the stage.
— So there is democracy in the Bolshoi Theater? Both those who are better prepared will sing, but we will not say in advance who it will be. Do artists have to fight for the right to appear in the premiere?
- yes. This is a training for an artist, a kind of competition. I've been through more than one competition in my time. And there are artists who cannot participate in them due to the current geopolitical situation. We have a lot of young artists in the theater, and so as not to turn up their noses, this is a great motivation. Actually, for all soloists. Absolutely everyone has a chance to get a role. I know exactly what my repertoire is, and I won't take on something that doesn't sound like mine, and Valery Abisalovich won't give it either. We have absolutely mutual interests here.
"Opera is an elite genre"
— There are Puccini, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov. They hold the repertoires of world scenes. And who replaces them?
— New geniuses can compose new music right now, and we will hear it soon. But I haven't met such people yet (smiles).
— When can I expect the renaissance at the opera?
— It's hard to say. As Elena Vasilyevna Obraztsova said, good singers and composers are born every 100 years. Maybe we should wait a little longer.
Dinara Aliyeva and Elena Obraztsova
— How to attract young people to opera? Or is this art not for everyone?
— Not for everyone. Opera is an elite genre. But at the same time, young people constantly come to the opera. By the way, Bolshoi artists have a very large fanbase. The love of opera comes largely from the family. And also from popularization in the media space. For example, the Bolshoi Opera project or the Mask show, in which representatives of classical music participated: Elchin Azizov, Ildar Abdrazakov, Yusif Eyvazov. And they were among the winners.
— How do you feel about the modernization of classics?
— It doesn't bother me at all. The only thing you always want from the director is an understanding of the concept of the production and its clarity for the viewer without any additional explanations. Personally, I am a proponent of the classics, which can also be expressed in different ways. We have a magnificent Masquerade Ball performance at the Bolshoi, staged by a team from Italy. His costumes don't match the era, but they are very beautiful. The scenery is spinning, spinning. And recently I sang at the Mariinsky Theatre in a production of Andrei Konchalovsky's "Masquerade Ball." Everything is written there. And the historical costumes that you wear with a straight back, and brocade, and velvet — everything is expensive and rich. Beauty!
— Would you like to act in a movie with the same Andrei Konchalovsky?
— I would like to try myself on the set. I have no problem with acting. I've been feeling like a fish in water at the opera for a long time. And I wonder if I could work in the frame when you have a film crew and cameras around you. I need to dream. Andrei Konchalovsky also stages opera performances. I'd like to work with him. But everything in heaven is decided.
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