{"id":10578,"date":"2010-10-24T10:09:29","date_gmt":"2010-10-24T08:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gbopera.it\/?p=10578"},"modified":"2016-12-17T17:22:27","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T16:22:27","slug":"an-interview-with-marlis-petersen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.studioroldo.it\/gbopera\/an-interview-with-marlis-petersen\/","title":{"rendered":"An interview with Marlis Petersen"},"content":{"rendered":"

German soprano Marlis Petersen <\/strong>is known for her portrayal of characters in the coloratura repertoire as well as in works composed by Bach, operas by Mozart and particularly in the title role of Alban Berg\u2019s opera Lulu. She has been a invited as a guest soloist by many orchestras and has appeared on the stages of: the Vienna State Opera, Berlin Opera, Munich Opera, Opera Bastille Paris, Royal Opera House London, Salzburg Festival, La Monnaie in Brussels, Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan, among many others.\u00a0 In the following interview, Marlis gives some insight into her prolific career.
\nWhen did you discover that you had a gifted-voice and when did you decide to pursue a career as an opera singer? <\/strong>
\nMy grammar school was the first institution that discovered my voice. They made me sing little things here and there in school concerts…but the real “call” happened when I joined a church choir\u00a0at the age of 16. I loved this music and the way of classical singing and decided that I want to study singing. My parents were not happy about the idea and we found a compromise: I studied music education with piano as my main instrument. (I learned it from the age of 7.) I succeeded the auditions in the music high school of Stuttgart and realized after a while that I\u00b4m not born to be a teacher, so I finished the basics and switched to singing, which really fulfilled me.\u00a0I hadn\u2019t even finished my studies when I was engaged for my first opera contract at the Nuremberg opera!
\nHow would you define the qualities of your voice? <\/strong>
\nIn my ears I would say my voice is a light and lyric soprano with coloratura, perfect for Mozart and all repertoires that need good diction and precise singing.
\nTo someone who has never heard your voice, what would be the first song, aria, role or opera that you would recommend that person to hear? <\/strong>
\nThere is a beautiful recording of Haydn\u00b4s Seasons<\/em> with Rene Jacobs conducting…it\u00b4s one of my favourites! And if you want to have a visual idea there is a DVD of Haydn\u00b4s Orlando<\/em> Paladino.<\/em> And out now, is the new CD recording of Mozart\u00b4s Zauberfl\u00f6te<\/em> (on Harmonia Mundi)!
\nHow many roles comprise your current repertoire? <\/strong>
\nThe complete repertoire contains around 40 different roles. As I do many debuts and contemporary pieces every year, there are not so many “current” roles. The ones I love to keep singing are Mozart\u00b4s Susanna and Alban Berg\u00b4s Lulu!
\nHow and when did you discover the role of Lulu, which you\u2019ve sung so often? <\/strong>
\nMy first encounter with Lulu was 1997 in Nuremberg. I sang only the first act and was immediately fascinated by the story and its possibilities! Two years later I was able to perform all three acts at the opera in Kassel. After that I sang the role in the productions in D\u00fcsseldorf, Hamburg, Vienna, Athens, Chicago and New York…and I\u00b4m still not tired of doing it! Italy could be an idea (smile).
\nHow do you study and prepare for such a demanding and exhausting role?<\/strong>
\nAt the beginning of learning such a role, I close myself for hours in a rehearsal room and so spend weeks of approaching the piece just by myself. In the later process, I usually work with coaches. It\u00b4s a period of patience and concentration but it is also a very beautiful process!
\nHow do you feel about the roles of Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) and Oph\u00e9lie (Hamlet) that you sung recently in Los Angeles and the Metropolitan? <\/strong>
\nI love Susanna a lot. She is a smart person, joyful and she is the manipulator of the whole story. Even if she doesn\u00b4t have major arias like Figaro, the Count and the Countess, she goes through the whole opera with elegance and \u00a0playfulness! Oph\u00e9lie in Hamlet<\/em> is a very different character. She is a sensitive woman filled with deep love for Hamlet and has to walk a path of pain until she kills herself.\u00a0I love to put this wonderful variety of characteristics on stage and \u00a0try to find all these aspects in myself to offer it to my audience.
\nCan you name some of the sopranos and composers that you admire? <\/strong>
\nI admire different sopranos for different qualities. Maria Callas as the raw model of sensitive and passionate acting, Natalie Dessay for her bright singing and wonderful acting, Christine Sch\u00e4fer\u00a0for her clarity, Diana Damrau for her perfection…we could create a very long list here! Concerning\u00a0conductors, I love working with personalities that have the gift of bringing a beautiful mind and spirit together with musicality and deep perception. If the handcraft is also of high quality I am in paradise.
\nIs there a particular staging or production that stands out in your mind? <\/strong>
\nSome of my Lulus are unforgettable: Hamburg with Konwitschny, Athens with Eika Gramms and Chicago with Paul Curran.\u00a0Also there were some specialties that made a mark, like Hans Werner Henze\u00b4s Phaedra<\/em> in Berlin, or the cartoony direction of Orlando Paladino<\/em> recorded by arte.
\nWhat do you consider to be the most difficult moments in your career? <\/strong>
\nThe most difficult moments for me are “changes.” Changes in my voice, in my personality – aspects of maturing….mostly these are moments for crisis and one has to find the confidence and courage to adjust life and profession to the needs. It is not always so easy, as the profession keeps demanding no matter what…
\nWhat are your plans for the future? Is there a special role that you would like or foresee singing in the future? <\/strong>
\nMy general future plan is to find a healthy balance between professional and private life. To sing one opera less per year and do more recitals and concerts could be the first step. But of course there will be always roles and operas that wake up my enthusiasm: Manon in the French repertoire, Mozart\u00b4s Sandrina, H\u00e4ndel\u00b4s Alcina…… and Traviata<\/em>,<\/em> which I will perform for the first time in\u00a0Graz: in bocca al lupo…..!
\nPhoto Ken Howard – Metropolitan Opera
\n<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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