Elīna Garanča in an interview

"In private, I'm shy."

Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanča is currently the most successful mezzo-soprano, a world-renowned opera star. She achieved her breakthrough as an opera singer at the Salzburg Festival in 2003. She is married to conductor Karel Mark Chichon and has two daughters.

Classicpoint.net: You spent a lot of time with your grandparents on their farm as a child. Can you tell us a little about that time? Did you sing to the animals? What did you learn that has helped you in your life as an opera singer?
I grew up in two worlds. During the winter months, when I was in school, and since both my parents were musicians, I went to concerts, the theater, and rehearsals. At home, there were premiere parties and receptions. I fully embraced the bohemian lifestyle. In the summer, there were three months off school, and we went to my grandparents' farm in the countryside. There, I experienced the complete life of a farming family every day – weeding, harvesting, gathering hay, feeding the animals, but also seeing them slaughtered and gutted. For my current life, I learned the importance of being grounded, that hard work pays off, that nothing in life lasts forever, and that there are things we can't control. You react to a problem when it arises, not in advance.

Do you ever find your mind wandering during a performance, thinking about things like what you have to do tomorrow or how the children are doing, etc.?
(laughs) That's quite revealing! I have to admit, yes, it has happened. I was in New York once, and my older daughter had a bad cold. She was just over a year old, had a fever, and was teething on top of it. She could only sleep half-sitting up that night because her cough was so bad, and she just wanted to be on my lap. After a short night, you're a bit "out of it" on stage. But that's not the case anymore, because I constantly have new repertoire that I really enjoy, the children are older, and I love being on stage. There, I allow myself to forget everything else and just be there for the audience, the role, and the music. If there's anything else to do, I do it while I'm getting my makeup done, during the intermission, or in the evening when the adrenaline is still pumping.

Have you ever had problems with directors who asked you to do things you didn't want to do?
No, if something didn't quite suit me, I tried to make it work for me. I don't want to be right about everything; that would be too easy. I need obstacles and challenges so I don't get bored.

Would you like to direct yourself someday?
I've considered it for a long time, but the older I get, the less likely it seems. I don't think I have the necessary patience. And I don't know if I could coordinate everything and make the necessary decisions under the time pressure that exists daily in the theater. Unfortunately, my drive for perfection is very strong. As a singer, I'm responsible for myself, but as a director... I don't know. These days I say – I'll do something else when I stop singing!

You are currently one of the most sought-after opera singers worldwide. What is it like for you to be a star?
The attention is often very exhausting, as I am rather shy in private. The "Garanča" I play in public is something else entirely. But in the long run, it's too much for me. However, I must be honest and say that many things are much easier because my name carries some recognition, for example, in restaurants, at the doctor's office, or with a lawyer. As Catherine Deneuve once said, "The more famous you become, the more expensive the gifts" (laughs). But I do enjoy the part of my life that I can live incognito.

You worked as a cleaning woman during the Soviet era to earn a living. Did you sometimes struggle with the rapid pace of change you experienced?
Not struggle, but it was sometimes overwhelming. However, it must also be said that fame came gradually, not overnight. I was a permanent member of the ensemble at three theaters and worked my way up from small roles to major ones. The attention and awareness of fame and recognition came slowly and steadily.

Does it matter to you who your singing partners are on stage with?
Oh yes! Although I've never actually hated a partner (laughs). But it makes a difference, especially during rehearsals, when the chemistry is right. During performances, you often forget that you're singing to your partner on stage anyway. For me, my colleague becomes a character – Werther, José, Don Carlos, the Marschallin. But especially during creative rehearsals, where you often work very intimately and build trust, you want a colleague who is open with you, who doesn't just think of themselves but is also there for you, with whom you can try out and create many things scenically. I want to be able to fall in love with my partner, regardless of whether they are a man or a woman. The soul has no gender.

You have two children. Has your voice changed after the pregnancies?
It's become rounder and a bit darker, you could say more feminine, more mature, but I didn't have to change my specialization, just develop myself further. There are certainly things that were easier for me before, but I've learned, discovered, and developed a lot of new things. I generally don't look to the past, but work with the present and the future.

You don't consider yourself a natural vocal prodigy, but rather say that you've achieved everything yourself. Where would you define the decisive milestones, how would you divide your career into stages of development?
Every theater whose ensemble I've been part of has taught me something. Through these experiences, I learned my limits and was able to protect myself. I was able to develop from a young age, and every artistic director gave me the opportunity to prove myself. Then, of course, there were the incredibly great maestros with whom I had the privilege of performing in concerts, on CD recordings, and in opera productions. Important and pivotal performances for my career were Salzburg in 2003, La Cenerentola in Paris in 2004, Werther in Vienna in 2005, and later Carmen at the Met in 2009.

What is most important for all singing students?
Discipline, patience, intellect, and perseverance. One must be able to honestly assess oneself and one's potential. One must not blindly trust a teacher, but rather develop one's own understanding of sound, interpretation, and music. The young singer must be clear about why they want this profession.

Tell us about your craziest experience on stage?
Oh, there are the burst dresses and trousers. In a performance of The Barber of Seville in Vienna, my colleague jumped onto a chair during my aria, and the chair fell apart beneath him in slow motion. Everyone laughed, and I had to keep singing. In another performance, I was holding a dog during my solo aria. At the end of my aria, on a high note, the dog stuck its snout into my wide-open mouth. It was probably surprised to see where the sound came from.

And offstage?
Only one story from my childhood comes to mind. I once jumped off the roof of a cowshed using a blanket. I held onto all four corners and thought it was skydiving.

What does your future look like? Do you have plans, visions, goals?
In the next ten years, I hope to get all the roles I've always dreamed of: Eboli, Amneris, Dido, Dalila, Kundry... If I manage to do that and sing them on the beautiful stages of the opera world, then I will have realized my dreams, my visions, and my goals.

Interview by Florian Schär | Classicpoint.net | November 1, 2017
© Photo: Felix Broede / DG