COMPLETE ARTIST Interview with soprano NINO MACHAIDZE
The history of opera remembers a lot of stories of Cinderellas, who out of nowhere, just thanks to their immense talent and motivation – changed the history, made it to the stars! One of those will be the story of a young soprano NINO MACHAIDZE. She came to Italy from her homeland Georgia 21 years old and the same year she was standing on the stage of La Scala next to great stars like LEO NUCCI in Rigoletto! Aged 23 she stepped in for ANNA NETREBKO in Salzburg Festival as Juliette. She goes from one great debut to another in world’s most important opera houses with most important roles: the world of opera opened its arms and embraced a new star!
– In the last season you have debuted some very important roles, including those, which were a little “heavier” for your repertoire before. How do you feel about this change?
NINO: Yes, I had 6 debuts in last season: started with La Traviata in Los Angeles and immediately followed by Luisa Miller, Il Viaggio Al Reims, Carmen and la Gazza Ladra. At the moment working on the 6th debut: Vasco da Gama. In the last years I felt that my voice starts to gain some weight, new colours, became more lyric. So, I am adjusting to it and choosing repertoire that is more lyric, but nevertheless, still sing roles that help me to maintain flexibility – like Rossini and belcanto for example. Luisa was one of the most demanding roles, but I had probable the most satisfaction from it! Together with Violetta, which was always one of my dream roles! No less was La Gaza Ladra… 600 pages of pure music! Also, with very lyric and even dramatic moments. I have to say, I feel very comfortable and happy in this repertoire!
– Was it not difficult to have this jumps from Verdi to Rossini in one season? Do you have special technical approach to each?
NINO: No, I sing everything with absolutely the same technique. The technique is just one, unique! Everything is based on the correct breath. This is for me fundamental! …after that, one should just be clever and chose the repertoire that is right for her voice, personality. I am always very careful with repertoire. I often refuse roles that are not for me, or too early for me. Recently, refused Anna Bolena, because I think, it can wait a little…
Actually, singing different styles and alternating Verdi and Rossini for example, I think is very good for the voice. Because after experimenting with more lyric colours I go back to Rossini. So the voice never looses its flexibility and elasticity and register stays always high.
As for the preparations: I never have time to change anything. I finish one production and practically, next day start another production! During one production I already learn the next role… So, no time to diversify the technique! In generally, if the role is good for your voice, vocal cords – everything else just comes naturally.
– As an artist what kind of roles give you more satisfaction? you made your name with the roles of innocent, joyful maidens, now in your repertoire I see more complicated female characters like Thais, Violetta, Luisa…
NINO: from the artistic point of view, I prefer more dramatic roles. I think, I just entered that age, I am 32. I already did lots of Gildas, Juliettas… Now I am ready to perform the roles matured women, more complicated, tragic characters. We talked about Luisa – I think my voice, my personality finds most space here. My favourite moments from the operas are exactly those – most dramatic parts.
Not, that I do not like funny, joyful characters… I love them too! My Contessa Folleville from Viaggio Al Reims was completely mad! I loved this madness in her, as already showed in her name! My character in La Gazza Ladra also had very innocent moments, although my favourite parts are the dramatic side of this character. Same with Ines from Vasco da Gama, that I am going to debut now. Together with Selica (mezzosoprano) – she is the main female character of the opera. She starts as a young women, 15 years old, in love with Vasco (interpreted by Roberto Alagna). During the Opera we see how she matures in her feelings. She marries other man, but she is ready for great sacrifices for her real love!
This season I will make my debut as Mimi (La Boheme) in May in Los Angeles – can not wait! I am afraid my heart can explode on the stage singing it!
– …and you do not feel contradiction in you characters after being one of the best Musettas, now turning into Mimi?
NINO: No! Mimi is the role that I absolutely want to do now! I have done Musetta and finished with it! I will not do it again. Now I am matured for Mimi as a singer, as an actress, as a woman! Now is the right moment!
– You travel a lot and also aften return to some theaters, where you always have great success, Los Angeles for instance… do you have preferred cities, preferred houses?
NINO: Los Angeles is definitely one of my preferred places! I have made my debut there in 2009 and have not missed a year since then. I go there every year and sometimes even twice. Last year I have closed the season with Thais and two months later opened the next season with La Traviata.
I love Liceo of Barcelona too. Two years ago I was singing there Il Turco in Italia – 8 months and 2 weeks pregnant. Fantastic memories! Next year I will return there with Thais together with Maestro Placido Domingo. This is one my favourite productions, favourite roles, one the most demanding too, but most satisfactory as well!
…and of course La Scala! This my home! I have been born as a singer here!
– do you have any dream roles that are not in your repertoire yet?
NINO: Can’t say… Honestly, roles that I always dreamt to sing – like Violetta or Mimi, I have already done, or going to do very soon. There are some roles that I really want to sing, like Contessa from La Nozze di Figaro, Anna Bolena, Maria Stuarda, Maybe one day – Norma too!
– You started your career very early, you were very young. How did it feel? How did you cope with the competitive atmosphere of the opera world?
NINO: you know, I did not have time to get scared or discouraged by the competition! I am born for singing and I always knew where I want to go: I want to sing leading roles in the main theatres of the world! And once I made it, in a very young age (21 years old I was doing the cover of Gilda in La Scala next to Leo Nucci, I also sung the dress rehearsal) – I was just so overwhelmed by happiness and so busy with new roles coming up one after another, that I simply did not have time to get scared! Fear is singer’s biggest enemy! If I would have been scared in those moments – my chance would have been gone!
Same in Salzburg, where my world career started: I was offered to learn the role of Juliette in few weeks! I said – YES! I learned arias in few hours… I did my best! And every other time, when I got chance – I used my moment!
You mentioned, that this worled is very competitive. Yes, it is right, but one should use competition for its good side! Competition helps you keep in shape, never lower your quality! Otherwise, I am not competitive at all! There are enough theatres and enough roles to sing in this world. There is space for everybody! I just enjoy my life, because I have the most beautiful job on this planet and that is it!
– As far as I follow your career, you have been performing with some of the most important musicians in the world, what did you learn from them? Was it difficult to be on the stage with the big stars?
NINO: I was really lucky to have chance to sing with some most famous singers and what I learned from them is, that the great singers are also the great people! It is not difficult to be around with great people! I never felt that I was a little girl who can disappear in their shadow… I always had my place, always sung main female characters, had my applause… of course I observed a lot: how they sing, how they act, how they prepare, how they are in life… I have absorbed everything from them.
– Do you have role model among singers?
NINO: I do not have one singer as a role model. When I started with bel canto roles in 2005, I was listening a lot to joan Sutherland, because she is fantastic in bel canto – all the operas like le Fille du regiment, La Sonnambula, I Puritani – I learned listening a lot to her. I liked her beautiful cadences, variations, but I can not say – Joan Sutherland is my favorite singer. Now that I started with lyric roles, I love listening to Angela Gheorgiu: very special singer, with stunningly beautiful voice! I love Anna Netrebko… etc. but to be honest, I do not like to listen to operas too much! Both, me and my husband, as soon as we return home, we are not singers any more! We do not listen to opera at home! We leave our profession in the theatre and become completely different people…
– What do think is most important for a singer? voice, acting, musicianship…?
NINO: I think, most important is to be a complete artist! It is not enough anymore to have beautiful voice, technique… Not enough to be a beautiful person… One has to sing well, act well, have a durability to sustain all the difficulties, have capacity to do everything that directors and conductors ask and at the same time stay calm and happy with oneself!
La Traviata
