Interview with Maria Guleghina

A TRUE DIVA ON THE STAGE OF THE OPERA AND THEATER MADLENIANUM

Maria Guleghina, the most prominent dramatic soprano of recent decades, are best described by reviews of the respected media:

"A Soprano Who Stands Time's Test” - New York Times

"Tosca to die for”  - Herald Tribune

 "Maria Guleghina, the reigning Tosca of the last decade” - The New York Times

''Guleghina's powerful assumption of the tormented Druid priestess was a lesson in dramatic conviction and vocal and musical mastery,'' - El Mundo

 ''She has music and drama in her veins, which she transmits with great conviction.’’  - El País

 "Extraordinary Guleghina" - La Repubblica

"Maria - Voice of a Queen, truly has the music running through her veins” - La Nazione

“Her soprano is the real thing . . . Soprano’s rapturous voice captures essence of Verdi . . . Her singing was spectacular…” - The Herald

"Ms. Guleghina knocked you into submission through the sheer power and hard-edged gleam of her singing.” - The New York Times

“Guleghina’s glamourous stage presence is allied to bright and powerful tone that never turns hard, making her one of the outstanding dramatic sopranos of her generation.“ - The Grove Book of Opera Singers 

 

It is great honour and pleasure to have such a DIVA on our Stage, how have happened this collaboration with BEMUS and Opera & Theatre Madlenianum?

Thank you sincerely! I am very pleased that I was invited to sing in Serbia, in a wonderful theater!

 

In video message to our audience you said this is the first concert after lockdown because of pandemia, how do you feel about that?

It feels like a new beginning.  New country, new Theater, new orchestra, new conductor! All these months I was studying new roles, but for my own pleasure, as a treat, I also sang my favourite arias with my pianist.   A solo concert is an enormous amount of work and also a lot of pressure, especially this type of repertoire, therefore I am trying my very best to not disappoint anyone who already knows me and present a beautiful and interesting concert.

 

In program we will hear the most beautiful arias, which were your chioce, is it difficult to choose the right ones?

Since I will perform in Serbia for the very first time, I chose mine and also the audiences most favorite arias. It was difficult to stop … and so the program is very large and extremely dramatic.

 

You sang in Metropolitan opera with Serbian singer Željko Lučić, can you tell us something about this production and collaboration?

I love Zeljko very much, and when we sang Macbeth at the Met, it was his first contract as a freelance artist. He was very worried. The Met immediately offered him a lot of contracts, because he is an amazing singer, artist, but the theater, where he usually works full time  was either jealous, or something and constantly called him back, and wanted him to come back to sing there instead of at the MET. 
And he asked me what to do. I was very moved by his trust. We sang very often together at the  MET and in Vienna, and Moscow, and somewhere else and always it is a great  joy to sing with a friend and an amazing singer!

 

Between numerous performances and travels for business how you find the way to get rest and to recover for new challenges? 

Conversations with my children on FaceTime - this is like doping… I love being home and walking with the dogs in the forest. I love the Sea, every year I have  to be at the sea, usually in Italy. I love all my pets, I have 4 cats and 4 dogs. Even the cats accompany me and the dogs on our walks to the forest.  I do love being at home and actually taking care of the house, especially cooking and and styduyng at the piano. And I was lucky that I had 6 whole months with my son at home - this was the longest time we were  non-stop together, alone, at home. this truly was like a gift, like a reparation for all the lost contracts during the Lockdown.