Geneva: Lisette Oropesa, a radiant voice at the Grand Théâtre

Lyric art –

Lisette Oropesa, a radiant voice at the Grand Théâtre

The American soprano with a sunny tone gives an expected recital this Sunday in Geneva. Interview.

BotTalk

• Lisette Oropesa will perform at the Grand Théâtre de Genève after ten years of absence.
• She will perform French and Italian repertoires during her recital.
• His childhood was marked by a passion for the flute before opera.
• A replacement at the Met marked a turning point in his musical career.

Ten years ago, you walked on this same stage as Gilda, in a “Rigoletto” signed by the director Robert Carsen. What memories of this production?

I keep the powerful images of a story which was entirely immersed in the circus universe, placed under a big top dominated by the figure of a Rigoletto who was both dazzling and dark. As always, Robert Carsen found a brilliant approach, with particularly inspired ideas. So, Geneva brings back very good memories.

What does the recital program say about your development and your tastes?

I feel very close to the French and Italian repertoires, and this can be seen in the list of pieces on the bill. In any case, I try to vary the program from one recital to another, also to adapt it to local tastes. For this Geneva stage, I had initially planned to only sing melodies and songs, but I was asked to add a few tunes, because I was also expected in this register. So I turned to “Prendi per me sei libero” from Donizetti’s “L’elisir d’amore” and “Thank you, young friends” from Verdi’s “Sicilian Vespers”.

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In an opera season, what does the recital experience represent to you?

It’s a special moment that allows you to show all your qualities, without being able to hide, without the alibis that we sometimes draw out in a production. Here, no bad directions from a director, no poor musical direction, we are naked and, in fact, I experience this as a liberation since I can connect directly to the audience.

It’s surprising to think today that you almost became a flautist rather than a singer.

Yes, during my childhood and even later, I only thought about the flute. I remember one day, when I was very little, I attended a symphony concert and I was captivated by this shiny silver object that I saw in the middle of the orchestra. I felt like a Manon singing “Ah! The beautiful diamond. I was also won over by this sound which seems to arrive from the stars. The learning process took place quickly and surprisingly easily.

And yet, it was the singing that took over. For what?

It was certain professors at the university I attended, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who insisted a lot and who ended up convincing me that I should instead turn to singing. It is also true that I have always been immersed in opera, alongside a mother who was also a professional singer, sisters who also sing and grandparents who were just as keen on opera. Perhaps there is a genetic predisposition that has decided my artistic fate.

One day, you are called to replace a colleague at the Met in New York at short notice and, suddenly, your career takes off.

Absolutely! At the time, I had joined a program that the Met aimed at young artists. On the big stage, the cast was preparing “Le Nozze di Figaro” and the rather demanding role of Susanna was played by a singer who was eight months pregnant. At the last minute, I was asked to take his place and I was lucky to know the character very well, both musically and in terms of his character traits. So I found myself in the right place, at the right time with the right role.

You can also sing Handel and Verdi, Meyerbeer and Mozart. How do you prepare your voice for these jumps between styles?

These passages actually happen in a very natural way. I am lucky to have a light voice, which opens me up to a very wide repertoire and which, at the same time, does not require any particular preparation. On the other hand, I know that there are areas, such as the German repertoire, for which I have no vocal affinity. I will never be a Wagnerian, for example.

And if you had to choose a role you haven’t yet tackled in your career, which one would you turn to?

I would say that of Aspasia, in the “Mithridates, re di Ponto”. I once happened to play the role of Ismene, in the same play. It was Munich, and Patricia Petibon was there too, in such a breathtaking Aspasia… But my wish will soon come true, a theater offered me to play this role and I accepted, of course.

Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Alessandro Praticò (piano), Grand Theaterof Nov. 3 at 8 p.m.,