3 weeks ago
Asmik Grigorian laughs erstwhile she recalls that she had been singing professionally for much than a decade erstwhile nan International Opera Awards proclaimed her nan "best young female singer" of 2016.
"So for 12 years I was nothing, and past I instantly became nan best!" nan Lithuanian soprano joked successful an interview.
Now astatine nan highest of her profession and seemingly capable to singing conscionable astir immoderate domiciled she chooses, from Dvorak’s lyrical "Rusalka" to Puccini’s melodramatic "Turandot," Grigorian is astir to make her Metropolitan Opera debut successful different Puccini classic, "Madame Butterfly."
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"My only regret is not having booked her sooner," said Met wide head Peter Gelb. "Asmik is an operatic unit of nature, 1 of nan top and astir complete vocal and acting packages successful caller operatic history."
Growing up successful Vilnius she had plentifulness of vulnerability to opera. Both her parents, tenor Gegam Grigorian and soprano Irena Milkeviciute, were opera singers and some appeared astatine nan Met, wherever Asmik traveled pinch them while a young girl.
In this image provided by nan Met Opera, soprano Asmik Grigorian prepares for her Metropolitan Opera debut during a rehearsal for Puccini's "Madame Butterfly." (Jonathan Tichler/Met Opera via AP)
When she launched her ain career, she took pains not to waste and acquisition connected nan family fame.
"I was beautiful successful successful that," Grigorian said, "because moreover now galore group say, ‘Oh you person nan aforesaid name, you cognize he was a awesome tenor,’ and I opportunity ‘Yeah, I know, he was my father.’"
It took her galore years from her 2004 debut successful Norway astatine property 23 arsenic Donna Anna successful Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" to execute nan operation of melodramatic strength and seamless vocalism that person opera houses astir nan world competing for her talents.
"In nan opening I ever had a estimation arsenic a axenic shape animal who is not really 100% capable to power my voice," she said. "It was true.
"I was excessively young," she added. "Control demands experience, truthful of people I grounded a thousand, cardinal times and this is an astonishing point to do. I deliberation it’s nan biggest sadness of nan procreation now because we are truthful visible and group are not allowing themselves to neglect anymore, and really tin you create without failing?"
Eventually nan deficiency of a dependable vocal method caught up pinch her. "You travel to nan property wherever you can’t conscionable trust connected nature," she said. "I wounded my voice, I wounded my body, I wounded everything."
By 2012, she said, "I could not singing thing immoderate more. And I decided, OK I person 2 choices: I tin proceed sidesplitting myself, aliases I commencement from nan beginning."
Grigorian worked difficult for years to build her method and knew she had succeeded erstwhile a professional said "she is cleanable technically, and it’s truthful boring because she is not truthful absorbing arsenic an actress."
"Then I thought, now I did it!" Grigorian, 42, said. "But erstwhile you are truthful focused connected method it’s a spot excessively cold." Finding she could spot her sound allowed her to flourish again arsenic a performer "and a different type of magic" started to happen.
Triumph aft triumph followed. Of her 2018 Salzburg domiciled debut arsenic Salome successful nan Richard Strauss opera, Financial Times professional Shirley Apthorp raved that "hers is simply a Salome to extremity each Salomes … Grigorian’s charisma sweeps it each successful her wake."
Three years later erstwhile she made her debut astatine nan Wagner shrine successful Bayreuth, Germany, arsenic Senta successful "The Flying Dutchman," Joshua Barone successful The New York Times called her capacity "luxuriously lyrical" and noted she was "met pinch a roaring ovation."
Acclaim besides greeted her past twelvemonth erstwhile she took connected 2 parts galore thought would beryllium excessively taxing for her voice: Verdi’s Lady Macbeth successful Salzburg and Turandot successful Vienna.
Her chap singers look arsenic enthusiastic astir her arsenic critics and audiences.
"She is nan champion partner I’ve ever had connected stage. End of discussion," said tenor Joshua Guerrero, who precocious sang other her successful "Madame Butterfly" astatine London’s Royal Opera House. He cited successful peculiar "her willingness to region ego and to put nan different personification guardant erstwhile they are singing their part."
As Butterfly, Guerrero said she brought to nan domiciled "a beautiful stillness … She played it very naively, pinch a childlike approach."
Grigorian explains: "I for illustration to perceive a lyrical sound pinch very tender colors because she’s a 15-year-old girl.
"But astatine nan aforesaid time, it’s beautiful challenging," she said, because a vocalist pinch excessively ray a sound will struggle to beryllium heard complete Puccini’s heavy orchestral textures.
To debar a dependable fare of heavier roles, Grigorian is diligent astir mixing up her repertoire.
"I decidedly don’t see myself a melodramatic soprano aliases a Wagnerian soprano," she said. "If I singing thing dramatic, I put thing lyrical successful nan mediate truthful I support my flexibility."
That’s why it comes arsenic only a mild astonishment to perceive that — contempt misgivings — 1 of her caller roles for adjacent play successful Vienna is nan Druid princess heroine of Bellini’s "Norma," a portion that demands nan utmost dexterity pinch its agelong lyrical lines and accelerated ornamentation.
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"I person nary clue. I ne'er did immoderate bel canto," she said. "I’m very tense and astir apt I will beryllium nan worst Norma connected nan planet. But I do that because I request to support my sound flexible. I want to study galore caller things."
Grigorian is astatine nan Met this play for 5 performances starting Friday, pinch nan past 1 connected May 11 to beryllium shown unrecorded successful movie theaters. But she’ll beryllium backmost successful early seasons to singing "Salome," Janacek’s "Jenufa" — and nary uncertainty more.
