Russian mezzo-soprano Alisa Kolosova makes her BBC Proms debut next Friday… and Proms debuts don’t come much bigger than Verdi’s Requiem (at least in terms of scale) on the penultimate night of the season. Ahead of the big day, we caught up with Alisa to ask about her preparations, as well as exploring the role of Olga, which she performs in Warsaw and Chicago next season, and finding out which role she’d like to perform if she woke up as a soprano for the day!
MP: You’re making your Proms debut this next week, singing in Verdi’s Requiem on the penultimate night of the season.
AK: I’m absolutely delighted that Marin Alsop has invited me to participate in this concert, and I’m looking forward so much to working with her for the first time, and of course for making my BBC Proms and Verdi Requiem debuts! This masterpiece is one of my all-time favourite pieces of music and, with all my heart, I hope that the Proms audience will fully enjoy this masterpiece of Giuseppe Verdi.
MP: What have you heard about the Proms and what are your expectations of performing in the Royal Albert Hall?
AK: Performing on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall is one of the most important occasions for any musician, as it’s a stage where artists from all genres perform. I think what the Proms offers with its concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and in the public parks is amazing. With tickets at affordable prices and even available to buy on the day, it gives whole families the opportunity to witness high quality performances. In other venues it’s not so easy, with requirements to join waiting lists just to be able to listen to your favourite musicians.
The Verdi Requiem is one of the most challenging pieces to perform, but it is also one of the most exciting and the preparation of this has been a thrilling experience for me. I have been very careful in the preparation of my part, paying individual attention to every note and phrase. This technical preparation has been so important, as I hope to sing this music for many years to come!
Some people say the Requiem should be described as an opera, because it has many similarities to his other operatic works, such as Aida so I have approached this with the same preparation as with any operatic role.
MP: Indeed, three of the soloists at the first performance of the Requiem had sung in the European première of Aida two years earlier.
AK: As with these roles, when a singer pays attention to the text everything becomes easier; every word should have meaning and be full of life, sadness or hope. Soloists have to create a complex gallery of feelings to accurately convey the emotions in the text.
MP: Which are the most difficult passages for the mezzo? How treacherous is the Agnus Dei in terms of maintaining pitch?
AK:Maintaining pitch is of course always a priority for a singer, but in the Agnus Dei, the soprano and mezzo are singing together (in fact, at many times we’re an octave apart) which helps as we are supporting and listening to each other, whilst also concentrating on the our individual parts and phrasing.
MP: You are performing with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Marin Alsop. Are any adjustments required when singing Verdi with period instruments at a lower pitch?
AK: The difference is only small, but I have of course taken this into consideration and I am prepared to sing it as the orchestra and Marin Alsop ask. She is a great musician and I’m very open to her ideas and looking forward to our meeting. And I can't wait to sing it with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, they are also wonderful musicians! It’s going to be a very special Prom.
MP: You are singing Olga in Eugene Onegin in both Chicago and Warsaw this coming season. What do you like about Olga?
AK: Olga is one of my favourite roles, because she is, as we would say in Russian, like "a splash of champagne”; a cheerful, sweet girl, full of happiness. Olga also plays a very important role in plot of the opera; she is not just Tatyana's sister, but the reason why Lensky gets angry and jealous and asks Onegin for a duel. Of course, her character has some flaws, and men such as Onegin become tired of her, but there are always men like Lensky who love her –"Chacun a son gout"! This depth of character makes her a very interesting part to play!
MP: It’s odd how Tchaikovsky forgets about Olga after the party scene. What do you imagine happens to her next?
AK: We can't really blame Tchaikovsky for Olga's absence after the ball. Pushkin had different plans for her. Olga mourned for Vladimir for some time and accompanied Tatyana to his grave. When she marries an officer (who she doesn’t really love), they leave for a place very far away, which is, of course, so sad for her mother and sister. So of course this is why she is not at the St Petersburg ball, but I like to think she comes back one day to be with her family!