<<  -- 5 --  Tess Crebbin    A BROAD CAREER

TC: In Munich, you sang Zelenka's baroque opera 'Sub Olea Pacis et Palma Virtutis'. One of the sopranos was Nancy Argenta who is among the foremost early music singers of our time. What was it like to work with her?

FO: I had heard of Nancy before, of course, she is so famous, but we had never previously worked together. There are only two duets in this opera and they are both being sung by Nancy and me. We met on the 25th, and the première was on the 28th. Three days was all we had to prepare ourselves. That is not so very long. When you sing a challenging duet like Zelenka's, you absolutely need to work as a team. You have to be in perfect tune with each other's breathing and you need to follow one another. Of course, you need to know your part to perfection, but you also need to form a firm unit with your duet partner. What is so great about Nancy is her utter professionalism. She does not make mistakes, she has an enormous command of her pieces, approaches them with immense authority, something that also comes across in her stage presence. Nancy is someone you can rely on one hundred percent.

TC: It must be rather difficult to have to prepare for a new piece at such short notice, getting used to new duet partners you have not been singing with before.

FO: Actually, if you make your living as a soloist, then it is something that you have to get used to. We are constantly being called to all corners of the world, to sing together with people we may have never met before. We are mercenaries. We sing where they pay us to sing and we work with whomever we are being contracted to work with. If you can't hack that, then you need to choose a different career path. It keeps you on your toes because you are always getting used to new people and you learn to be versatile.

TC: Many singers are very strict about what they eat, in order to keep their voices fit. There are singers who do not drink anything but herbal tea, claiming that it hurts the voice. Yet, you have just ordered a cup of black tea. Does this not damage the voice?

FO: A voice is a very individual thing. It is a very unique instrument that we have in our throats and each of these instruments reacts differently, depending on the person. Personally, I don't smoke and I cannot hack alcohol because that affects my voice at once. But I have no problems with black tea or with milk products. Many singers find that milk causes mucus, which in turn affects the voice adversely. For me, this does not apply. I even know singers, professional singers performing at top level, who smoke. So you cannot generalize. It really is up to each person to find out what is, and is not, good for their voice.

TC: What does your private life look like?

FO: I have two children, a son and a daughter. I also have two very nice cats. When I am not travelling for my work, I make my home in Spain. I was born in Italy, but I am half Spanish and half Italian. I grew up in Spain and so I am perfectly bilingual, but Spain is where I feel most at home.