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TV Kultura Naobum ("At Random", a talk show with popular artists lead
by Nika Strizhak) Nika Strizhak - First of all on behalf of our program I would like to
thank you for your attention. I remember the concert in 1995. It took
place right here in front of Europa Hotel in the Big Philharmonic Hall,
it was a brilliant concert. Remember, those big screens, thousands of
people listened to you outside. You often said that emotions were the
most important in music. But you will admit that true music can also
give physical pleasure. JC - Well, music is something that can arrive to a person in two different
ways in my opinion. One is through the intellect, and the other one
through emotion, which is physical too. There can be very passionate
emotion with any music, rhythm, heavy metal, rock or something like
this, which I respect and sometimes like. But even the most poetic type
of music can give you physical pleasure. NS - There should be emotions in music, I agree. But you know that professionals,
especially singers, during performance look after vocal technique very
precisely. It is a great and serious work. How do you combine warm heart
and cold brain? If it's not a secret, of course. JC - No. I've always believed and always said that there is something
inside us that inspires us to make music, or in my case to sing. It
is what we call soul, the most intimate part of the person. It generates
emotions, feelings and influences our vocal instrument. And brain selects,
kind of filters everything. Brain is absolutely necessary, fundamental,
but it is the soul that originates everything, and without soul there
is no reason in it. NS - Is the control of this unique instrument more difficult, than,
for example, to exploration of space? JC (laughs) - No. I think it's the matter of being born for this. It's
some kind of talent or instinct, intuition that some people have and
some other don't. Like talent for drawing. I can make a drawing (if
at all) in a very primitive way, and some people are able to draw beautifully
from childhood. Instinct for music, singing, is born with a person.
Therefore if this instinct is there, you develop it; you study, concentrate,
you are determinate. When you have the base, it's not that difficult
(short smile). Music helps us in difficult situations, when everything
in life is not going the way we would like, when we are sad, when we
have problems in our family. There is always the right type of music
that gives us spiritual support. I think that music gives us many different
emotions and feelings. In a way it helps us always. NS - Are there some types of art or professionals you envy? JC - Anything. The only thing I'm a little good at, just a little, is
writing. But drawing, painting, sculpture, playing instruments... I
play the piano very bad. The only thing I do - I write sometimes. Like
everybody else in the world I sometimes have a mystic... NS - Oh, you are a poet? JC - No. No. No... We all have such mystic moments
in life. I try to express my feelings on a piece of paper. And for the
first two hours I think it's a beautiful masterpiece, but next day I
think it's ridiculous, throw it away... till the next time. I am not
at all talented for that, but I love to do it, which is even more important.
NS - So, we may some day see a book of your poems? JC (laughs) - I don't think so. A book of poems or something like this
from myself - no - because I am not good enough, let's face it. NS - On your latest two disks Passion an Pure Passion you take music
not written for voice, Chopin's nocturnes or Rachmaninov's 2nd concert
for example, and sing it. Are there some opera roles written for other
voices that you would like to steal for yourself? JC (smiles) - I do this because I love these pieces. I heard them when
I was a child, or a young boy, and I always wanted to sing together
with this music. That's why I put lyrics to these masterpieces, as you
said. Chopin, Rachmaninov, Beethoven, Rodrigo and so on. Of course there
are still some more pieces you can choose from this tremendous repertory.
But I think I've already done what was my dream - in a way, no? - to
sing this music. I don't think I'm going to do more of this. Many singers
did this, even Caruso, I am not discovering anything. They also play
on instruments pieces written by the composer for voice. Nobody says
anything. NS - You said in an interview that you loved Tchaikovski's music, but
some of his melodies were too light for you. What did you mean? JC - I mean that there are limits in my voice. Certain types of music
are not the right tessiture or rhythm, I have not the right elasticity
in the voice. It may be good for an instrument, but not for my type
of voice. It would be way better for a soprano. Of course we all are
facing limits. Sometimes even if you love a piece, a music, you have
to put it aside because, as the English say, it's not your cup of tea.
NS - You know, Mr. Carreras, I've never heard you sing arias from Russian
operas in Russian. Do you have this kind of experience? How do you feel
with Russian? JC (seriously) - Well, I have to admit that I've never had endurance
to learn an opera in Russian, and I regret, because the Russian repertory
has so many masterpieces. Recently I've heard Mr. Domingo sing Pique
Dame. I admire him, the way he did it, and I even admire him more for
endurance and determination he had to learn this very long and demanding
role in Russian. And once again, he is somebody born to sing, somebody
who has a tremendous vocation. As I said, all my admiration for Mr.
Domingo. When I hear, for example, Lenski's aria from Eugene Onegin
I always think: why am I not singing this? Maybe I didn't have the occasion
to learn Russian at least good enough not to be ridiculous singing in
your language. But I still have time (smiles). NS - We know that your repertory includes over 60 operas, tenor roles,
and hundreds of concert pieces. Do you sing serious music written by
contemporary composers? How do you feel about this music? Both Verdi
and Mozart have been contemporary composers at their time. JC - We need contemporary composers and contemporary music. I've even
sung some contemporary operas. One of them was Balada's Cristobal Colon,
specially written on the occasion of 500 years of discovery of America.
Although I am not specialized in this, I think it's important, because
music has to progress. Of course we will live for the rest of our days
with the classics: Tchaikovski, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, Mozart, Beethoven,
etc., but we need new fresh music as well. I think contemporary composers
need a lot of support. At certain times, let's face it, they don't receive
it. NS - Today is birthday of the distinguished Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
I remember one recording where he played Bach's fugues. He seemed not
to notice anything around him. It was as though he was speaking either
with Bach himself, or with God Himself. Have you experienced such moments
of revelation? JC - I think the important job has been done by composers, and thanks
to those wonderful masterpieces we can come close to this kind of, if
I may say in a very casual way, "nirvana" of interpretation.
Composers present things to us in a golden tray. So if you have the
right intuition or instinct for what you are trying to say with your
singing, sometimes you can get close to what you said. NS - I'd like to show you this coin. You are familiar with it, I think.
It is a 25 pesetas piece, issued in 1992 in Barcelona on the occasion
of Olympic games, with a hole, that one may wear it on a chain or string...
Well, this coin has been my lucky charm for many years. Do you have
talismans, and what do you think about them? JC Not really. No. I..
NS You don't believe in them? JC I do believe. I respect people who have talismans, but I have no
specific talisman with me. I think my talisman is in my head and in
my heart. All memories of the people I love, all wonderful moments my
life has brought me. I respect your talisman, I think it's wonderful,
but so far I don't have one. NS What was the craziest compliment you
ever got? JC The craziest? I don't know. It's hard to say. We artists
all get compliments, and we like this. But crazy.. I don't know.. I
really don't know how to answer. NS - I heard you were going to act in a film about Enrico Caruso, play
this great singer. Did this ever happen? JC - No. You know, sometimes everything is prepared, the budget is approved,
but for a reason the project does not come off. This happens every day:
projects boiling, but for a reason they don't take place. NS - Your admirers know that when you were six years old your parents
took you to the cinema to watch The Great Caruso with Mario Lanza, and
this film inspired you to sing, to fall in love with opera. Your story
may be repeated. There may be a little boy who comes to your concert
today, or sees you on TV, and feels like singing. Let's imagine he sees
us now. What would you tell him? JC - To believe, if he has this instinct, passion for music, to believe
and fight for this. If he has a talent, if he has a voice, not to give
up, be confident, because nothing will make him more happy than doing
what he really feels like, what he has been born for. NS - Your life is like the one of any star: managers, producers, press
secretaries, schedule set months, even years ahead. What would you say
if I now suggest you to leave all these people here in the hotel and
take a walk through Petersburg incognito? JC - I should deceive people waiting for me for press (conferences),
meetings, rehearsals, all the professional activity that goes together
with concerts and performances. But coming from you, I would love to
(accept this proposal). NS - Thank you, Mr. Carreras, for this interview. I hope we will hear
you here in St. Petersburg many more times. JC - Thank you. Translation and transcription Maria Kozlova |
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