Can you provide an overview of your role as an opera music director?
This is a complicated answer! Being a music director is essential an artistic job, but it includes interaction with people. First of all, the most important thing within every artistic institution is the outcome, what we offer to the public. One of the main things about being a music director is to prepare the orchestra, is to prepare the singers and then conduct them well during the performance! This means to inspire and create an exceptional evening every time! I am also part of the planning for an artistic vision for the institution – a very complex job.
How do you approach the selection of repertoire for each opera production?
In an ideal world, I would choose the repertoire that is the best for the company, the audience, and the circumstances we live in. However, we do not live in the ideal world. This decision has to be connected to the economic state of the institution. We also sometimes have requests from the venues we go to. It is a combination of the reality of our world but also, the artistic vision of the institution.
Can you share any memorable experiences or highlights from your time working as an opera music director?
There are two types of highlights – the ones we achieve in Cardiff and the ones we achieve internationally. In Cardiff, for example, the opening nights and the production of operas that really special to me. However, internationally, as we opened, the Prague Spring Festival, one of the great international Opera festivals. There was hardly any orchestra invited to that event and the fact we were invited, was definitely one of my personal highlights.
What would be the best way for students to learn about the opera and to get more involved?
The institution should make the tickets accessible to students and there are lots of ways to achieve this. However, the artistic part of the answer is that I believe opera is misunderstood as entertainment. For students of every possible discipline, the opera should be a place to go to reflect on their circumstances and their life experiences. Loads of operas make an entertaining evening but loads of operas are reflective of our world, dramatic and beautiful. For students, the opera should be a place to exchange intellectual ideas.
Finally, what do you hope audiences take away from your opera performances, both artistically and emotionally?
If you see certain pieces of opera, it can be a life-changing experience. It can also release some tensions, difficulties, and pain of life. Opera is there to embrace. This art form embraces people into the beautiful. After some of the operas, it is difficult to go home and continue to hate somebody because the story is so deep and so connected to love. It is a life-changing experience, and that is what I want people to take away from opera.