Soprano Elena Stikhina certainly holds a special place in the heart of Dutch National Opera’s audience. This season, she will star in both Puccini’s Tosca and Tchaikovsky’s The Maid of Orleans. “Puccini is one of my favourite composers. His music is actually very comfortable to sing, but his operas are also full of psychological insights and drama. His characters are normal people caught in difficult circumstances, with human feelings you can relate to. Every- thing is already written in his scores, so you just need to follow the music. And if you then do something extra, it has an even bigger effect.” “Perhaps the most difficult thing when singing a famous role is not to compare yourself to anyone else. I’ve always tried to find my own way of performing a role, rather than it being a version of some other singer’s interpretation. I prefer to begin my role preparation by studying the score and working with a pianist to find out what was really written by the composer. That can open up a completely different world for you.” Stunning arias “Tchaikovsky’s Maid of Orleans is a real gem. It’s beautiful romantic music, with a dramatic story and stunning arias, a wonderful love duet with the baritone and amazing choruses. Tchaikovsky was a real genius in the art of orchestration. You can hear so many colours in the orchestra, and he makes these sound images so vivid they immediately seem three-dimensional.” “Joan of Arc is in some sense like Bellini’s Norma, who has this divine side to her as a high priestess, while at the same time being a woman of the world. Women are never just one thing. Joan of Arc is deeply devoted to her holy mission, doing everything she can to carry it out. At the same time, she’s a young woman with emotions, capable of falling in love.” New ideas “I like to work with stage directors who know exactly what they want and who have ideas that suit the music. Without new ideas, opera will never evolve. I like classical productions too, but I think it’s very important to keep developing, connecting with the people in the audience and showing different interpretations of the same story. Otherwise you may miss deeper truths that are hidden within.” “I think one of the reasons why people like to see these tragic operas is because they make us feel human. It’s like a catharsis; a cleansing through art. Art is made to make you feel. If you’re looking at paintings or going to the theatre or the opera and you feel something during that experience — joy or sadness, or you can cry or be angry, it can be anything — then art has made its point.” Text: Benjamin Rous | Photo: Daniil Rabovsky “ Perhaps the most difficult thing when singing a famous role is not to compare yourself to anyone else” 21
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