#OperaAriasInterview: Violeta Urmana

August 2020

''When you sing a role, you should always feel like it's happening for the first time.''

By Iago Campello

You started singing in 1991 at the opera studio of the Bayerische Staatsoper, would you advise young singers to take part in this kind of program?

When I left Lithuania after my studies. I had no possibilities to start an international career in my country financially. I think these programs are a good way to gain some experience on stage and to observe and listen to famous singers and conductors of the moment. At the opera studio in Munich, I had a salary, so I had financial possibilities to participate in competitions and auditions and it was easy to do so from Munich.

However, to be part of a young artist program doesn't automatically guarantee a career. And I must say, that I had no support from the Staatsoper when I finished the program. In the long term, it worked out well for me because I was free to decide what and where to sing and not be obliged to sing small roles... When I began in Munich, I had no repertoire and absolutely no stage experience. However, the influence from all sides within the Staatsoper was so intense that I soon got everything.

After two years at the Opera Studio, I auditioned for Bayreuther Festspiele and La Scala and began my career as a freelance singer. From the beginning, I was singing big roles within my repertoire.

So, for me to be part of this young artist program for two years at the Bayerische Staatsoper was a unique opportunity.

Is there a specific role that you identify with? If so, why?

I don't identify with any of my roles, as they are a figment of the imagination and are not the very best characters sometimes! In fact, some roles ruined my own character. (Joke !)

In my early career, I sang central roles for mezzo-sopranos (incl. Zwischenfach) like Eboli in "Don Carlo" and Kundry in "Parsifal". These are high mezzo parts that were best suited for my voice.

Primarily, when choosing a role, I have to love the music. Then the character must be interesting and, of course, I must have the vocal requirements needed to sing and interpret the role in the best way I can. So in these roles at that time I felt fulfilled as a musician and as a singer.

Later in the soprano period, I loved Isolde, Gioconda, Aida the most, even if I loved all the dramatic roles so much. The list is long: Amelia, Tosca, both Iphigenie's, Lady Macbeth, Medea, and so on...

In the first instance, I'm a musician, and it makes me happy to sing wonderful music. So I sing a lot of different repertoire in concerts ( Mahler, Beethoven, Berlioz, Bach, Schoenberg a.o.) and recitals ( lots of Schubert, R.Strauss, Wolf, Rachmaninov a.o.).

You were in Milan singing Azucena when La Scala decided to cancel the last performances? How did you experience the closure of the opera house?

The theatre closed an hour before the seventh performance. Of course, both the artists and the public were in shock. We were already in make-up and wigs. But we suspected that something like that would happen. It was an unusual situation.

What major changes do you think opera will undergo after this pandemic?

I have no idea what could happen in the long term. Some productions have been canceled, but some will be rescheduled in the future. The economic situation in the world will experience some changes and, I think, the opera world will feel the pressure in the future too. After five months we still do not know how and when a normal performance can take place.

Do you have any particular person that has influenced your career?

Your career as a singer doesn't just depend on your talent or voice but also on the decisions and interests of other people, like theatre managers, conductors, and directors. It sometimes depends on their very specific taste too.

I'm happy as an artist, that my talent and voice were noticed by so many and I was able to demonstrate that their confidence in my abilities was justified.

Personally, it wasn't always easy to fathom. I changed my repertoire twice, and now I'm beginning the third development. But there were always people that believed in me, and I could not mention them all here.

I must add, that it was very important that I had self-belief. I was also prudent and thoughtful in making decisions. You know your own potential, and you know best how you want to sing, and what you can sing.

Is there any role that you haven't sung yet and you would like to sing?

I love the music of C.Saint-Saens and would like to sing Dalila, which was always too low for me. I would also like to sing Didon in" Les Troyens" and Fides in "Le Prôphete" again. I have sung them in only one production each. However, they are quite rare and will probably not happen in the future...Regardless, I'm discovering a lot of new repertoire and still have a lot to learn.
Having sung different roles for several years, how has your interpretation (of those roles) changed?

Fundamentally, the concept of the role doesn't change a lot with time. When I see or listen to my recordings, I notice that the primal interpretation and the way I feel the drama and music were there already at my role debut. But it gains new aspects, colors, and different viewpoints, depending on directors or conductors' ideas which can be very unexpected and different.

Every time I'm on stage singing a familiar role, I constantly find something new. All roles mature with time. I don't like to constantly repeat everything the same way. I'm also not able to, as I 'live' with that character, at that moment. It should always feel like it's happening for the first time.

Photos: Ivan Balderramo (Photos 1, 2 and 4), Marco Brescia (Photo 3) , Marthy Sohl (Photo 5)