On August 14, at 8 pm, the first major concert of soprano Perrine Madoeuf and baritone Jānis Apeņš will take place in the cycle of live concerts “Together” at the House of Blackheads, while cellist Margarita Balanas will perform at the home of both singers. Both singers talk about both the joint concert and home concerts in an interview with Latvijas Radio 3 “Klasika”.
Signe Lagzdiņa: Will you discover how your daily life has been in recent months, when life has changed for all of us?
Perina Madef: My first concert will be immediately after a long break. And I am very happy to be able to sing again in this beautiful place. We have the opportunity to try a new repertoire and it is also beautiful to sing together.
Admittedly, it is also valuable that we had time to sit still, breathe in, and take care of our families and ourselves.
We were all in a similar situation and could decide whether you wanted to think about all the things you can’t do or take it as an opportunity to spend time with your family and work with yourself. I think we chose this path and it worked quite well.
Concert of Jānis Apeņš and Perīna Madefa3min
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Jānis Apeinis: This will be the first major concert after Covid-19, but currently the opera is rehearsing for “Simon Bokanegra” – I have come to Radio straight from the rehearsal. We tried the prologue and the first act, we will continue tomorrow – rehearsals with the orchestra are already taking place. Very nice to meet colleagues again after such a long time.
Is it healthy for the voice to be silent for a while?
Perina Madef: Yes, that’s fine. Of course, it depends on how long you don’t sing.
I think it is worth stopping the rhythm of life a bit. Of course, we are each different, but it seems quite challenging to keep preparing, to practice when you don’t know anything about your next performance.
I had the opportunity to teach some classes online and it kept me in shape. I had to sing. And that was a good thing, I also like working on the voice technique itself.
Jānis Apeinis: The time of the virus surprised me in the car – I was already on my way to the opera show in Estonia, when I was called and told that it would not happen.
For the first month I just rested. I did absolutely nothing about vocal art.
But then I had to keep fit and I started singing something gradually and it was also very good, because I had to replace my colleagues in Lithuania. There hasn’t been such a big break since I sang.
Can I ask you to describe each other’s voice and stage image?
Perina Madef: Yes, I’ll start with my first impression. It was in Russia, in the performance of Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”.
I remember arriving in the rehearsal room after a sleepless night and I was very worried because I was singing opera in Russian for the first time, and all the other artists were fluent in Russian.
And I remember how John first started singing and I was amazed at the timbre of the voice and its quality. I think he is very professional, very charismatic, and he knows how to use his wonderful tools.
Jānis Apeinis: I heard Perina for the first time in Russia – it was an international project “Music in Manors”, in which she sang Tatjana.
I was amazed at how good Perin’s Russian was.
She is French, but was very well prepared when working with “coaches” – that was the first surprise. Of course, she is very good at French music, and we have also met on stage only in French music – “Faust” and “Carmelite Dialogues”. Perina is a very good singer, she works a lot – and if she works a lot, then everything goes well.
It is interesting that in your first big concert there will be no pages from Peter Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” …
Perina Madef: We thought about it. Jānis wanted to sing the view of the final, but we decided how it would not be a good idea this time. It is extensive and quite difficult to detach from the opera. The piano arrangement is not the best either. So this time we decided not to play it, but maybe in another concert. (..) It was a great idea that Jānis chose to sing the Prologue from the opera “Pajaci”, and it is a very suitable piece to open the concert. We also tried to logically create the further part of the program. We will continue with a duet from Jezupe Verdi’s opera “Simon Bokanegra”, which Jānis will later sing at the Latvian National Opera.
I also wanted to discover something new that has never had time before.
Until now, it has been quite difficult to find free time to learn some new arias, which would not have any use immediately when performing a role in an opera. And I use this Covid time to try different new things. I love discoveries, and so you can discover something new about your voice.
After the duo of Verdi “Simona Bokanegras” it seemed – it would be good to continue with Verdi. But I didn’t want to offer “Traviata” or anything very well known. I went in a direction unknown to myself and will sing Louise’s aria from the opera “Louise Miller”. It is a very beautiful aria.
I chose my second aria from the French repertoire because it seemed to suit me as a French woman quite well.
And here too I chose something that is not very popular, it will be a number from Charles Guno’s opera “Mireia”. It has a style similar to Guno’s operas “Faust” and “Romeo and Juliet”, only this one is not often played in theaters. Fifty years ago, this opera was popular in France, and it seemed like a great opportunity to remind the audience. The soprano has a lyrical song in this duo. Despite the fact that this role has been sung by very different voices, it is still the role of a young lady. The duo starts almost as if with a small aria for soprano, with a beautiful legato.
Speaking of duets – in the duet from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Simon Bokanegra” you will be in the role of father and daughter …
Jānis Apeinis: Yes, it is revealed during the duo – the duo is full of surprises. The father finds the daughter and enjoys the role of the father. And for baritones, this is nothing new.
Simon Bokanegra is a very beautiful role in which a baritone can show himself in all his glory. As a sacred sacrifice who sacrifices himself to be good to everyone else afterwards.
The role, of course, is very difficult, high score, a lot of singing ‘piano’. You have to work very hard on it. (..)
The second big duo in this concert will be from Gaetano Donicetti’s opera “Don Pasquale”, which will be a contrasting moment in the concert, when big, long, emotionally saturated melodies turn into humor.
Jānis Apeinis: At the end of the concert, I wanted something more fun, more positive, so that people would not be sad. Something fun and technical. It is a beautiful, extensive duo, in which both vocals and actors can be expressed very well.
The most interesting thing on August 14 is that you have a concert filled with beautiful operas at the House of Blackheads, but on the same evening there will also be a concert in the cycle “Home Concerts”, in which you are a host with a housewife. Can you tell us what these “Home Concerts” are?
Perina Madef: We are very lucky to have a house with a large enough area where we could build our own private concert hall. Jānis built it himself with the help of some friends, but mostly one, just like our house. Initially, we wanted a place where we could practice ourselves and invite friends and neighbors to small concerts. And later, after a break caused by Covid, we decided to organize concerts with the help of two great producers.
It has a cozy and special atmosphere, great musicians visit us.
We also try to reach visual artists to create small exhibitions. We invite people to be together, listen and see.
Jānis Apeinis: For a long time, I had a desire to organize concerts where artists perform, sing chamber music, a poet speaks, then there is a break where a glass of wine is sipped and conversations are held. I’ve wanted it all along, and now the dream has come true.
Perin, can you tell meīt about your concert in your concert hall on August 19?
Perina Madef: Yes, it will be a French music concert with Mārtiņš Zilberts. Some time ago, Mārtiņš and I wanted to create a solo song program for French composers, but so far we have not found the time or place for it. The right time has come now. The program will feature various styles of French music – Debussy, Pulenk and also more contemporary from the 1950s and 1960s. And it is thought that some friends and guest artists will take part in the concert – as a surprise.
Singer Sonora Vaice will perform in the cycle “Home Concerts” on August 12, cellist Margarita Balanas on August 14, and Perīna Madefa on August 18. Will that end these concerts?
Jānis Apeinis: Let’s see how successful it all goes and what the response is. I will go to Germany for a month in the autumn, but Perīna will stay in Latvia, organizing other concerts together with our producers Ieva and Kristīne.
Perina Madef: Let’s try it for the first time. We see whether people are interested, whether they like this concept, which I think is original.
We open the door of our house. Even if it is not our living room, it is still our private area – I think it gives a slightly different feeling to these events.
Let’s see if people will want to come and listen to our concerts, and if so – then I think we could continue. It’s a different experience – less formal, more friendly, the listeners are very close to the artists, conversations with the listeners and artists can continue at the end of the performance, and that makes it easy. Sometimes, in my opinion, music needs to be easily accessible, without embellishments and decorations, so that we can enjoy and relax.
John, can you find out what’s waiting for you in Germany?
Jānis Apeinis: I’m going to a new production – there will be a rehearsal process. The premiere is expected on October 10 – it will be Donicetti’s opera “Lucia di Lmmermura”, which I have sung both in Riga and Estonia, and will now make its debut in Germany, at the Koblenz Opera. It is a small but very beautiful town between Cologne and Frankfurt – with mountains, two beautiful rivers – the Rhine and the Moselle. Very beautiful place, I had already left for two weeks.
Pianist Mārtiņš Zilberts will also be with you in the concert on August 14.
Perina Madef: I always call Mārtiņš when I prepare some roles. He knows us very well, he plays great and supports the singers.
Jānis Apeinis: Yes, Mārtiņš also performed at the opening concert of our concert hall together with his orchestra “Breakfast at Four”. It was a very nice concert, it was a good start to our “Home Concert” cycle.
We have been working with Mārtiņš since 2000, I have already mentioned in interviews that in some way I am “guilty” of being a very popular concertmaster,
because I invited him to his first exam, finishing his bachelor’s program – then he also started working in opera music, and is now the chief concertmaster of opera.
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